Does anyone else not like living in Indiana? (Indianapolis, Gary: construction, colleges)

[baik7881]

indiana is what it is nw indiana(crown point, hobart,merrilliville ,scheriville ,dyer) are nothingmore than a suburb of Chicago
Growing up in Illinois i would say that illinois is much more progressive yet it is uch cheaper to live in nw indiana than in either the nothern or southern towns of CHicago
cost of living is cheaper real estate taxes and housing is cheaper
but things are no differant than any other town alottttttttttttttttttttttttttt of politics most bad .corruption like any where else mabye more in the last few years alot of bisiness has moved to ind because 50% of the population in nw indiana is from Illinois. I can afford to live anywhere its almost got the right mix of everything to keep me herecould it be better SURE but so could alot of other places it is not as backward as missouri or arkansas but still not as progressive as Chicago or iits suburbs

[wooten7681]

I have lived in In all my life but I go to the ocean as often as i can..I hate IN... and i cant wait to pull out my roots and go...but who knows, they say that you always return home in the end..but i think home is were you make it..

[DarknessbUnnie]

Originally Posted by Chicken_Man

If you were born in Indiana, then you'd probably like it, because it's more likely that you'd fit in. I came here from Kentucky, and I can't say that I like it much.

Come on, I'm from here and I definitly don't like it. I guess what it all comes down to is what you want to do in life and some of us don't want to live in a place that seems to hit another slump year after year. Taxes, poor job market, bad econmy, and the brain drain....sure, other people may stay here because they have family and other things but when I get the chance, I'm DEFINITLY packing and hauling out. There isn't anything here and sometimes, things are a tad better somewhere else. To stay in a place because its home is okay, but to do so without every getting a chance to venture and endulge in a life outside of the fence is maddening.

[belovenow]

Originally Posted by DarknessbUnnie

Come on, I'm from here and I definitly don't like it. I guess what it all comes down to is what you want to do in life and some of us don't want to live in a place that seems to hit another slump year after year. Taxes, poor job market, bad econmy, and the brain drain....sure, other people may stay here because they have family and other things but when I get the chance, I'm DEFINITLY packing and hauling out. There isn't anything here and sometimes, things are a tad better somewhere else. To stay in a place because its home is okay, but to do so without every getting a chance to venture and endulge in a life outside of the fence is maddening.

The typical "grass is greener on the other side" attitude. I hate to say it but you'll learn only after making a few moves around the US ---> the economy, taxes, & job situation is no different right now in most parts of the country (like 98% of it). I wish this wasn't the case - but indeed it is. Good luck with your move though and I do hope I'm wrong for your sake. If you find paradise elsewhere be certain to post back here and let us know where

[hoosier812]

As much as I have loved Indiana in the past, it's gotten so run-down here that I'm ready to leave now

[Harley6298]

If you are really serious about wanting to get back to indiana I have got the home for you. 5bedrooms, 2 baths, 2800 feet of living, 2 acres of land with a fenced yard in the back. Nice corner lot close to shopping and schools and yet still far enough to be considered country. For health reasons I need to relocate back to Illinois and while my kids and I will miss the area we would like to see someone who loves the area and has kids move into our home.

Originally Posted by Kin Atoms

BSL,
I'm no expert by any means, and not even an Indiana resident yet, but I really can't wait to get to IN. I have lived in NJ for 35 years from birth, moved back and forth to CA and lived there for over 11 years, and spent a year in MN. IN is a great place to raise a family. From my short time there, the people are very down to earth, no facades, no misgivings, just really decent persons. On this forum, I think the native people go out of their way to be fair, open minded, and even handed. This is not an exercise in over-extending themselves as much as it is an experience in strong values and goodness. This is how people should be, not dreamed of being. Larger cities lose the personal touch and the true character of persons often gets hidden by the rush and anomie of urban experience.

Unfortunately, the weather in IN can't be changed unless you wait some years if you've been listening to Gore. If you are already bundled up by late August, and don't put away the down coat until May, you probably should move to warmer climates. My wife grew up in the tropics and believe it or not, California winters can be very harsh on her - her skin dries out, she wears parkas and down coats, and enjoys wool hats and scarves at 55 degrees. Individual differences in weather experiences are extreme among persons, and for you friend, go South or even Southwest, where it is warmer.

Regarding sports, I can't speak about it personally, but I think going to stadium experiences can get tiring over time and costly. Big screen TV's aren't all that, but they are as good as being there. There's probably a handful of players you'd like to see sweat, but for my beans, not enough to want to be in close proximity to many thousands of others, whose mingled sweat is a noxious, malevolent assault on olfaction.

Wherever you go, I wish you well, and like Dorothy, hope you find home. You raise some very valid points for yourself and your liking, and they are very real for you. With your attitude, you should find bliss wherever you land.

[Purdue1906]

some of you are look for utopia......and when you find it, let us all know.

I grew up in NW Indiana (Gary), went to college in West Lafayette, lived in Indianapolis, went to grad school in Bloomington, and have spent time all over the state. While Indiana is not Cali, or NYC or Florida, it is what you make of it. Indianapolis, while not my fav city by any means, is a decent enough metropolis with decent dining, decent shopping, areas with good schools and nice homes, and some nice suburbs....basically, everything you'd find in any other major metro area. The cost of living is low and you can get a flight to anywhere in the continental US and be there in 3-4 hours.

NW Indiana is, in my opinion, somewhere that you've a) got to be from or b) you live and commute to Chicago everyday for work, to really like and want to stay. It does give you quick access to Chicago (although I can't understand why people move to Valpo but act and talk like they live in Chicago or an Illinois burb, but whatever). There are some nice communities (Munster, Valpo, Chesterton), some decent ones (Highland, Dyer), some overrated ones (Crown Point, Schereville, Griffith), some that you have to pretty much be a native to move to (Gary, Hammond, East Chicago). It's all a matter of what you want, what your priorities are, and what you can afford.

Indiana is not the greatest state, but it's damn sure not the worst. You want to talk about taxes, come to Missouri, they taxes you for everything here (4 seperate taxes for dining out, tax for purchasing items within a specified area, fee for each day you rent a car, pay personal property tax on your car each year). The devil you know is sometimes better than the devil you dont.

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by Purdue1906

The devil you know is sometimes better than the devil you dont.

I love this quote and will try my hardest to use it tomorrow. Thanks!!! And btw, you are totally right!

[annie1971]

One thing I do enjoy about Indiana is the parks--I try to buy an annual park pass every year. Although a real "vacation" is not an affordable luxury for us anymore, we can still take day trips to Turkey Run, Shades, McCormick's Creek, Shakamak, and Paynetown(near Bloomington). In the summer, we also like to visit Indiana Dunes. Bloomington has a great parks and rec dept., with lots of stuff to do for young and old alike. My daughter spent a great summer canoeing, spelunking, etc. with their summer day camp (which cost the same as summer day care would have). Bloomington also has more cultural activities (arts, music, etc.) than most places its size. It has a really nice cultural "flavor" that is sort of a cross between appalachian and cosmopolitan Austin/San Francisco--a really wonderful place, but losing a bit of this as big money/big business has moved in and pushed some smaller, unique businesses out. It used to be a place where you could be happy being poor, but is becoming a place where you almost can't survive if you are.
I would also love to see the new resort hotel in West Baden. I drove by it many years ago, before the restoration, not ever having heard of it before. Sitting back a distance off the highway, it was wildly overgrown and looked like some kind of enormous ancient Roman-era ruins. I have always remembered being impressed by the sight. So much so, that it doesn't surprise me that it is being touted as the world's eighth wonder by its investors.
So, yes, although I don't like living in Terre Haute, I do love living in Indiana. I do dislike the summer humidity and abundance of ragweed pollen, but I wouldn't trade it for the summer fun. And I detest cold winters, but I would miss seeing those huge tufts of falling snow (and I have learned to love driving in it--I was born a country girl and grew up in the era of muscle cars--driving in the snow is cake for me). Sunny autumn days here can be short-lived, but are breathtaking. And spring always feels like an answered prayer, when the days become longer, the sun begins to thaw away the bitter cold, you can eat so many morel mushrooms that you puke, and suddenly the world seems to turn so intensely green (my favorite color in the world--probably from association with childhood memories of Indiana springtime). So I feel lucky to live in Indiana. I consider myself a highly flexible and adaptable person who finds beauty in everything, which I can probably attribute to growing up here.

[ShadowCaver]

IN does indeed have some good parks. Only dislike I have is w/ the annual pass - instead of being a rolling year [good for 12 month period from when you bought it] its a calendar year, meaning buy it in January, same as if you buy it in July... $36 is not bad at all, but still, let it be good for a full year. Sorry for the venting...

As to IN, I do miss my beloved Ozarks and Missouri, however, as said before, Indiana is actually not bad - has many positive aspects, at least IMHO: close to Chicago, StL, Columbus, Great Lakes, the IN Dunes, a fine amount of caving, water sports, pro & college teams, some decent highways [no to expanding I69 thru Bloomington tho! whoops,, sorry another rant... ], some very good restaurants, and overall the people are good and decent. Lastly, really enjoy the many local off-beat festivals too - where else can ya go for a Marshmallow Fest and then also a Blueberry Fest all in the same weekend! Now, about those damn skeeters tho'...