The State of Indiana? (Indianapolis, South Bend: best city, homes, theater)

[domergurl]

Broad Ripple is a very nice neighborhood, but the schools really leave much to be desired. Carmel isn't as conservative as most people think. Lots of doctors, lawyers, business execs and professional athletes. Carmel's schools are top notch.

WHEN YOU VISIT ... check out Fishers & Zionsville too. You may actually find Zionsville more to your liking.

[plaidmom]

Please... If anyone has more info on the state of Indiana, we would love to hear more.

I was waiting to see if you'd come back or if you were scared-off!

You can read more about my take on small-town Indiana in the "From California to Indiana" thread:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/india...indiana-7.html

Note that my reply applies to small towns more than Indianapolis and the surrounding suburbs (e.g. Carmel, Zionsville).

You seem concerned about the smoking/obesity issue. I think if you go looking for that you will definitely find it. I won't sugar-coat it; there are more smokers and more overweight people here, percentage wise, than in either of my previous hometowns (San Diego CA and Austin TX) and probably more than in Boulder CO (lovely town!).

However, I've lived here 6 years and have NO (zero nada zip) friends who smoke or are obese. I think that "like finds like". If you and your wife are active, fit, non-smokers, you'll meet other fit, active non-smokers state-wide.

You don't mention what kind of activities you and your family enjoy, but I'll touch on a few of my favorite sports.

Indianapolis has an active running (road) community and, like most cities of that size, there are races and events almost every weekend. Probably the best calendar in he state can be found on tuxbro.com. Be sure to click on the "photo page" for pictures of "not-fat, non-smoking" Hoosiers.

Indiana has a growing trail-running scene if that's your thing. The Tecumseh Trail Marathon is an awesome event held in December. Check out dinoseries.com (also home to the state-wide mountain bike series).

A dedicated group of mountain bikers, working to build more trails in Indiana's state parks can be found at hmba.org. This is also an excellent resource for trail-maps.

If cycling (road riding) is your thing, check out cibaride.org for touring and group rides. If you are a racer truesport.com is the best calendar for the Midwest (Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky racers tend to race regionally).

Adventure racing? Start here:
http://planetadventurerace.com/

Hoosierhikerscouncil.org is the site for all-things hiking. The state parks can be found listed at http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/.

And no I don't work for the convention and tourism bureau (although perhaps I should look into that lol). Hope this helps!

[X-Greensboro Resident]

Nice Plaidmom! You're right on the money.

[irongrl77]

I have lived in Indiana my whole life and I'd have to say if I decide to stay in Indiana after I graduate from college, I'll likely move to the Carmel/Fishers area. It gives you the upside of being near a large city but yet gives you a small town feel.
I have lived in Lafayette for about 15 years and if you asked me 5 years ago I would have said run for the hills. But in the last 5 years, Lafayette has grown substantially and lots of new jobs are coming to the area. So if Carmel doesn't work out, you might consider Lafayette.

[indy-bama_grl]

I have lived in IN for 18yrs. As in all places, you will find people who are fat and inactive. However, Indiana sucks in my personal opinion. I am moving to AL in the fall. The taxes are about to go up again, and just in case you didn't know Carmel is very snobby. Unless you have an extensive bank account, more than 6 digits, I would not consider Carmel.

If you are worried about smoking, hate to go against Carmel again but...Carmel alllows more public areas to have smoking areas that are not separate from the regular dining areas.

[Southside Shrek]

Originally Posted by indy-bama_grl

If you are worried about smoking, hate to go against Carmel again but...Carmel alllows more public areas to have smoking areas that are not separate from the regular dining areas.

they need spaces to smoke their expensive cigars and act Churchillian.

[Brian1965]

I lived in the Carmel/Indy area for 18 years then I moved to the Arvada/Westminster area, which as you know is within minutes of Boulder, CO. I have lived in CO for 8 years. With that said, I will offer my perspective between the two areas.

*Cost-of-Living
Housing, utilities and food: Hands down, Carmel/Indy is more affordable than Boulder/Denver.

Wages: It depends on your career field, but generally I found Carmel/Indy to be more equitable. If either of you are without college degrees, the Carmel/Indy area will probably be more kind to you providing you have solid professional experience. In comparison, the Boulder/Denver area has significantly higher numbers of college educated persons than the Carmel/Indy area. Be aware that both areas are riddled with higher unemployment than what federal and state statistics indicate so the pool of candidates may make it challenging to land a decent paying job right out of the gate.


*Schools
The Carmel/Fishers/Noblesville areas are known for quality schools (avoid Indpls Public Schools). Colorado has a nice community college system, whereas it is lacking throughout Indiana, although there are on-going efforts to build one there.


*Taxes
Property Taxes: In recent years, Indiana adopted a revised valuation system for assessing property taxes. Since doing so, many people are struggling to pay. The state legislature is exploring ways to amend the system or offer tax relief but as of yet no viable ideas have really surfaced.

*Sales Tax: Indiana is 6% across the board, whereas it's nearly 9% for Boulder/Denver, which collectively includes taxes for state, county/city and RTD/Entertainment.

*Income Tax: It's 3.4% for Indiana state income tax plus a county income tax around 1.5%. In Colorado, the income tax is 4.63%.


*Government
Carmel continues to make nice stides under the visionary leadership of Mayor Braynard. The Carmel/Indy areas are somewhat progressive but not like what you are accustomed to seeing in the Boulder/Denver area. It really boils down to growth that is somewhat controlled in Carmel v. explosive growth in the Boulder/Denver area.


*Traffic
Highways/Thoroughfares: Carmel/Indy is definitely not congested like the Boulder Turnpike or I-25 in Boulder/Denver. Overall, Carmel isn't bad. (My daily work commute was to downtown Indy during rush hour, which was about a 35-minute drive one-way; excluding any stops for fuel, coffee or morning errands.)

Transit System: The IndyGo bus system doesn't even begin to compare with RTD; Carmel/Indy takes one very large step backwards.


*People & Culture
Overall: Overall, a big city with a small-town feel of personable citizens of all age groups. Adversely, the area sometimes feels like the northern Bible-belt, too conservative and moral-thumping. In comparison to Boulder/Denver, it seems like there are churches on every corner in Carmel/Indy... some of them unafraid to attempt to impose their narrow views about societal issues upon others that at times has a palpable feel of being intolerant of differences in the vein of Bible-based hatred. (Given my own spiritual journey, this wasn't easy to say. Overall, I find the people of Boulder/Denver to be more open-minded than the conservative citizens in central Indiana. The views narrow considerably as one traverses toward rural Indiana.)

Unlike Boulder/Denver, there are few minorities in Carmel - primarily a caucasian population. The closer to Indy you get, the more diverse it gets. One stark contrast is that Carmel/Indy has a much lower Hispanic population than Boulde/Denver; conversely Indy has a large African-American population where as Boulder/Denver doesn't. (Those of you from Carmel/Indy may not think my statement about the Hispanics is true, but believe me, the differences are like night and day between the two areas.)

Generally speaking, the people of central Indiana are over-weight and tend to be smokers.


(continued in the next post)

[Brian1965]

(continued from previous post)

Entertainment & Sports: If you like a diverse offering of upper-quality performing arts you may be sadly disappointed with Carmel/Indy. Carmel/Indy has nice concert venues but lacks the ability to continually attract big name artisits and shows. Carmel/Indy has plenty of local bands, but there is nothing in central Indiana that even compares to the Denver Center for Performing Arts. Both areas have nice zoos and museums. Carmel/Indy is on the short-end of the stick when it comes to major-league sports teams too. Here are some of the notable sporting comparisons: (Football) Denver Broncos v. Indpls Colts; (Basketball) Denver Nuggests v. Indiana Pacers; (Baseball) Colorado Rockies v. Indpls Indians; (Hockey) Colorado Avalanche v. Indiana Ice. The Notre Dame, Indiana and Purude college rivalries in Indiana are similar to CU and CSU in the Rockies. High school basketball and football have rich traditions throughout Indiana. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway annually hosts the Indy 500, Brickyard 400 (NASCAR) and Formula 1 races. In my opinion, nothing compares to the Indy 500 each Memorial Day weekend.


*Outdoors / Terrain
The number of tress in the Carmel/Indy area may be one of the biggest differences one quickly realizes with the area. In comparison to Boulder/Denver, the Carmel/Indy area offers very few public parks and bike trails when compared to the Boulder/Denver area.


*Weather
Overall: I give Carmel/Indy one thumb down when compared to the Boulder/Denver area. The annual sunshine, mild winter, and warm summers with low humidity are nice in Boulder/Denver. Then there's the beautiful fall temperatures and color of central Indiana.

Winter: You may find it difficult adjusting to the grey, overcast skies -- a season that I found to be bone-chilling (wet & cold) and for some individuals, it can be quite depressing. It would not hurt to do some research on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is not uncommon in Carmel/Indy. In short, the weather can make people quite moody.

Spring: Both areas are comparable.

Summer: Unlike the Boulder/Denver area, you will definitely notice the uncomfortable combination of heat and humidity in Carmel/Indy during late June, July, August and early September.

Fall: Because of all the colorful tress and pleasant temperatures, Carmel/Indy has a decisive advantage. Compared to Boulder/Denver, the Fall season is much longer in central Indiana. (I really miss this season in Indiana.)

Whatever you do, make the best of it. Good Luck

[Sonnenwende]

*Schools
The Carmel/Fishers/Noblesville areas are known for quality schools (avoid Indpls Public Schools). Colorado has a nice community college system, whereas it is lacking throughout Indiana, although there are on-going efforts to build one there.

What? Have you never heard of Ivy Tech? They are all over Indiana. They have complete transfer agreements with almost all major public universities in Indiana. It is cheap and the quality is fine.

[hapaleeretired]

I spent my adult years in Indy and loved it. When I got out of the army in 75 my wife wanted to move to CO. I insisted we return to Indy and we're glad we did. Indy is big enough without being TOO big. You will miss the beauty of the mountains for sure so be prepared.
We are spending our second childhood in the Blueridge Mountains. You want to see overweight smokers? Come on down here. NC it THE tobacco state.
What we miss most about Indiana is the friendliness of the midwesterners.