Anyone from CA? (Fort Wayne, Evansville, Bloomington: coop, house, to buy)

[joleyboley]

Just wanted to see if there was anyone who had relocated to southern IN area from California? What are your thoughts about the difference in cost of living? My husband is looking to start a new job in Jan 07, near Scottsburg, IN, and we are wondering if it was a smooth transition, in regards to the weather, salary etc. Any input would be greatly appreciated!Thanks!~Charity

[plaidmom]

I'm a native of San Diego, currently living in South Central Indiana.
I took a little detour through Texas (Austin) on my way here; you know school, marriage, childbirth, the usual suspects so I didn't quite have the culture shock you may experience coming directly from CA.

Life is a ~lot~ slower in small town Indiana than S.D. or Austin!
Traffic? What's that? And drivers, for the most part, are polite. People yield the ROW, use turn signals and may actually stop at a yellow light. I'm a cyclist and the backroads of IN are bliss compared to riding in CA and TX.

As for the weather, I hope you like variety! We have a few hot and sticky weeks in July/August. The good news is, it feels like a steam bath, then a big ol' T-storm (yep, complete with tornado sirens!) rolls through, and then we cool down a bit. The reward comes in Sept./Oct when the leaves change, the farmers stands are bursting with pumpkins and apples, and you unpack your sweaters (yay for wool sweaters). So far (5 years now) we've had at least a dusting of SNOW every Christmas. Snow is a very good invention!

The hardest part for me is early spring, which seems to drag on and ON. Good time to buy a plane ticket! I visit family in CA and TX and when I come home I am once again hit by how green it is here and how huge the trees are and that I never want to live in a desert again.

The thing I miss most about CA and TX is probably the food. Options are limited here (especially for a veggie like me) and no ethnic (Indian, Thai, Vietnamese=mmmmm) places in my small town. I cook a LOT now

Good luck with your move.

[domergurl]

PM ... that's so funny that you think the same way I do about food! I find most food here is bland. I miss the ethnic food that I had in Chicago and even NW Indiana. Pizza anywhere south of US 30 is the absolute pits.

But it's a small sacrifice for the lifestyle that I'm willing to make.

[LoveBoating]

I lived on two different farms (one outside Garrett, Ind. and the other between Fort Wayne and Churubusco) during my pre-high school and high school years. In 1968, I went to Southern Calif. in the Navy and later decided to live in the Long Beach, Costa Mesa, Riverside and Anahiem areas. It got to be that I really missed the 4-seasons I wasn't getting living in So. Calif. In fact, while a lot of people were complaining about the "rainy season" (they call it winter there), I was loving it. Unfortunately, I was definitely living in the wrong part of the U.S. to say, "I love this cloudy/rainy weather". I was told (in not so nice of words sometimes) to go back to the farm land where I belong. Anyway, 5 years ago, I got married and we moved to Colorado (south of Denver). We both love the weather here (she is originally from Detroit, Mich.), but are now looking to move to NC where there is a winter, but not as much as it is here in Colorado.
If all you know is Southern California weather, and you are not a snow skier), the weather in Indiana will most definitely be a SHOCK for you . Like Colorado, Indiana has tornado warning sirens and that little "Weather Warning" at the bottom of a TV.......Southern California doesn't have either of those!!
All the wife and I can say is, GOOD LUCK!!!

[domergurl]

When I worked in Chicago, a fellow co-worker from the LA office visited and she kept remarking how in the midwest, the weather actually makes the news portion of the news. She thought that was weird.

[LoveBoating]

Funny, before I met my wife in Southern California, I "chatted" with a gal on the Internet that had just moved from Sacramento, California to the Denver metro area. She told me that she was totally shocked the first winter she spend in Denver, her words:"I can understand it snowing in the mountains here, but we does it snow in the city?" After I read what she wrote to me, I laughed my head off and then wrote her back: "Where in the heck do you think your living at?" and "don't you know the elevation you are living at?" She thought I was being "snotty" and stopped talking to me. I just really wonder how many people do check out the year-around weather conditions to an area they are interested in moving to.

[joleyboley]

I have lived in southern ca and currently live in northern ca, and I think it is so stupid how the news gets so excited about a winter storm, some rain and wind. I lived in Oregon as well, so have an idea about the 4 seasons and having snow all the time. Just curious about the Tornadoes! Thanks guys for responding! We are flying out friday to check out different areas to live. So pretty sure we will be moving sometime in Feb or March, maybe not the best time to move!

[plaidmom]

Those tornado numbers can look high (and be frightening).

The interesting thing about tornadoes (sp?) IS that they are very localized.
Unlike an earthquake or a hurricane, which can wipe out a whole city, a tornado usually is very narrow. Your neighbor's house might be level led...but your pansies may only be wilted.

We have ample (radio) warning, towns in IN have a great siren system (much more so than TX) and (also unlike TX) virtually every house has a basement.
When the sirens sound, I do a quick visual of the sky. If the sky is green (and it's an amazing sight...it really does turn green!) I go to the basement. I keep a supply of water, canned goods, flashlights/batteries and candles in the basement (but it's probably a good idea to have those things no matter where one lives???).

I've lived through quakes (CA) hurricanes (TX gulf coast) and tornadoes (TX and now IN) and tornadoes seem to be the most manageable. Even if your house is hit, chances are your nearest city ~won't~ be...and that means that infrastructure (communications, fire dept, police, ins co. etc etc) will be intact.

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by domergurl

PM ... that's so funny that you think the same way I do about food! I find most food here is bland. I miss the ethnic food that I had in Chicago and even NW Indiana. Pizza anywhere south of US 30 is the absolute pits.

But it's a small sacrifice for the lifestyle that I'm willing to make.

If she is moving to Scottsburg, that is only 35 minutes to downtown Louisville. In fact, Scottsburg is part of the Louisville CSA (a broader metro). You will get Louisville TV stations, newspapers, etc. Louisville has a great deal of culture and absolutely great restuarants. I can't think of one type of ethnic food not found in Louisville. In fact, there are multiple Thai and Indian places, so you would have many to try. Louisville even has such odd (for the Midwest outside Chicago) ethnic food options as Senegalese, Ethiopian, Filipino, and Jamaican. It is no So. Ca. in diversity but it has everything you need if you look hard enough. With so many Chicago expatriates here (many are those seeking to ecape the big city without giving up all the big city culture), there are several authentic Chicago style eateries. Lonnie's best Taste of Chicago serves up Vienna Beef dogs that taste just like those at Weinerville Circle. Also, Windy City Pizza in Louisville offers a nice authentic deep dish that may not be Giordano's, but is still quite good.

Try the forum at removed and ask them for options. The city has a very active and vinrant foodie community. Also removed provides some great restaurant options that are locally owned and awesome.

I would really recommend moving somwehere like Sellersburg or Memphis, IN which give you the small town vibe you want while only being 15 minutes from almost any shopping or food you could want.

[nekomuz]

I couldn't agree more with everything you said about the traffic, weather, food, politeness, etc. - Having moved here 2.5 years ago after three years in San Diego, longer stays in Bloomington, IN (Indiana Univeristy) and growing up in Germany and Turkey, I am beginning to feel home in Evansville, IN, in the very southwestern corner of the state. (Although the extremely humid air in summer is very hard to take for a native of 'dry and breathable air lands )

A few developoments in the Evansville area:
While the weather is still as you describe (not counting effects of global warming), I have seen an improvement in the 'food' situation, at least here in Evansville: Recently, small Thai and a Vietnamese restaurants opened here! Also, one of the local East Asian store is constantly expanding its selection of Near Eastern, Latin American and other foods! A family-owned, small Mexican-International Bakery is offering breads that have impressed my out-of-town and out-of-continent visitors! It brings back memories of a summer spent in Guadalajara!

And, finally, there is now a Food Co-op in Evansville that is open to the public and does not require membership! This is a huge improvement for my family, since we had always been able to buy naturally/organically grown foods, especially in bulk, in Bloomington and San Diego. It was quite a shock to only have a large chain supermarket as the closes source of food. The River City Food Coop in central Evansville has enriched our lives here!

Another recent improvement: Smoking Bans have been enacted and/or are finally seriously considered in the area! And, after neglecting the downtown area public and private initiatives are trying to bring back civic life, so that, hopefully soon, it will become more enjoyable to stroll through Main Street in Evansville. (As somebody who grew up in cities in older countries, I long for places that, even small, can attract me to their "city center" as a pedestrian.) A new Children's Museum and beautiful new public library building are very helpful here as well. Moreover, there are devoted residents who try to develop an artists' district, and the signs are very promising. And, there are more of us who rethink the attractiveness of the many coal-powered power plants in the area. Not only asthma patients (the rate here is way above normal) but other citizens as well are questioning the move towards increased energy consumption and production.

For lovers of nature and serenity, there is a lot to offer: Mary Rose Herb Farm, St. Meinrad Abbey, St. Ferdinand, New Harmony that offers a continuation of the Utopian spirit, Audubon State Park, and many more beautiful parks -- all within a 60-minute drive from Evansville.

***************

Originally Posted by plaidmom

I'm a native of San Diego, currently living in South Central Indiana.
I took a little detour through Texas (Austin) on my way here; you know school, marriage, childbirth, the usual suspects so I didn't quite have the culture shock you may experience coming directly from CA.

Life is a ~lot~ slower in small town Indiana than S.D. or Austin!
Traffic? What's that? And drivers, for the most part, are polite. People yield the ROW, use turn signals and may actually stop at a yellow light. I'm a cyclist and the backroads of IN are bliss compared to riding in CA and TX.

As for the weather, I hope you like variety! We have a few hot and sticky weeks in July/August. The good news is, it feels like a steam bath, then a big ol' T-storm (yep, complete with tornado sirens!) rolls through, and then we cool down a bit. The reward comes in Sept./Oct when the leaves change, the farmers stands are bursting with pumpkins and apples, and you unpack your sweaters (yay for wool sweaters). So far (5 years now) we've had at least a dusting of SNOW every Christmas. Snow is a very good invention!

The hardest part for me is early spring, which seems to drag on and ON. Good time to buy a plane ticket! I visit family in CA and TX and when I come home I am once again hit by how green it is here and how huge the trees are and that I never want to live in a desert again.

The thing I miss most about CA and TX is probably the food. Options are limited here (especially for a veggie like me) and no ethnic (Indian, Thai, Vietnamese=mmmmm) places in my small town. I cook a LOT now

Good luck with your move.