The State of Indiana? (Indianapolis, Fort Wayne: environment, agriculture, job)

[benkhanobi]

Find a home near the Monon Trail and you will find lots of active people. You sound like a progressive and intelligent family. You will find kindred spirits in Carmel and also in Zionsville.

[X-Greensboro Resident]

Originally Posted by 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.

North Carolinians are also very nice and friendly people, you just have to give the place a little time. It'll grow on you, believe me. I miss NC very much!

[chbartel]

Originally Posted by ColoradoMove

My wife, two kids (under 3) and I are considering moving from Boulder, CO to Carmel, IN. We feel as though we have done are research on Carmel (which we like), but we are getting disturbing info on the state of IN from friends that have lived there. I have heard comments saying IN is full of smoking, overweight and not active people. My wife and I get a good feel for IN from everything we have looked up, however people are indicating outside of Indy people are not very progressive (i.e. healthy, active, interested in new things). Can anyone elaborate further? We don't want to find ourselves living on an island (Carmel) never wanting to venture out into a state we are not proud of. Thanks to anyone that can help...

Hi Colorado Move,

While I agree this is nothing like Florida or California in the rating of thin and fit, like others have said it's all about who you associate with yourself.

I live in Zionsville, and most of my friends are fit and none of them smoke! Cardinal Fitness is all over the city, which is where I lift at, check it out when you are here.....I play soccer once a week as well, there is all kinds of fit people here, and plenty of "fit" things to do.

You do sound like you will like Carmel or Zionsville the best.

Cheers!

Craig Bartels

[sirwaldo]

I have lived in Indiana and now I live in Southern California and I can tell you that non-active, smoking and overwieght people are everywhere you look. I have a neighbor that is about 350-400 pounds, so it doesn't matter where you live!! You must take care of yourself and your family first. stay active is up to you not the state. By the way, I am moving back to Indiana from
So Cal this summer.

[cgballer]

ColoradoMove,

I grew up in Germany, lived in southern Indiana for a while, and moved to Fort Collins, CO about three years ago. Here's my assessment:

- Yes, you will find more overweight and less active people in Indiana. After all, there are much more possibilities for outdoor activities in Colorado. Another reason for the people being less active might be the high humidity in the summer months.
- Certain cities in a state can be very different to the majority of cities in a state. You mentioned the fear of living "on an island," a concern that I share. I would like to remind you, though, that Boulder undoubtedly is an (liberal, artsy) island in the red state of Colorado itself.
- I believe that the descriptions about Indiana you heard from your friends are also very true for the people in Colorado who don't live in the suburbs of Denver or the northern I-25 corridor. Think about the people living on the eastern plains, Colorado Springs, in the mountains - are they progressive? I think that they are as backwards as they can be.
- Indiana is a mostly conservative state -- so is Colorado. I still think that Indiana is overall less conservative.
- Some places in Indiana are very backwards -- so are places in Colorado. Think about all the white supremacist outposts in the small Colorado hick towns.

Reasons why you should consider Indiana:
- The Hoosiers are some of the nicest people in the United States. I was shocked how different the people in Colorado are when I moved here (even though Coloradoans think that they are very nice)
- It is green there and there are plenty of lakes and forests
- Great public universities (Indiana University, Purdue University). You mentioned that you have little kids -- the schools in Indiana would certainly be better than CU Boulder, DU, or ColoState.
- You are not as isolated as you are in Colorado. The cultural life in the Denver metro & I-25 corridor is, to put it mildly, less than adequate. If you'd move to the suburbs of Indy, you would at least be relatively close to Chicago and be able to go to an opera or concert.

To make it short:
- There are progressive islands in every state
- Backward towns are backward towns no matter in which state you are

There's a wonderful history book about Indiana (The Indiana Way: A State History), written by Indiana University professor James H. Madison. I bought it before I moved to Indiana and I believe it pretty accurately describes the people in Indiana.

For my part, I will move back to Indiana sooner rather than later.

Chris

[kblum]

I moved to Indianapolis this year from South Bend, IN. I have to admit, I am moving again, but not because I don't like Indy, just because I have been in Indiana my whole life. If you come to Indiana, I think Indy is by far the best city. Carmel is nice, but it is a little more geared toward families with children (which sounds good for you). I live in Broad Ripple and it is great here. I see people running and walking their dogs every day. I like this area because it is diverse and inexpensive. But, no mountains!
Good luck!

[Hoosier]

Hey there,

I grew up in many towns throughout Indiana and lived in Arvada, Colorado. My family still lives in the Indy area and my parents moved many years ago from Morrisson, Colorado to Carmel. I now live in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but travel to Indy a few times a year.

When I originally moved back to Indiana from Colorado I was very surprised at how inactive people are there. There definitely are a lot more smokers there, but Colorado is very different than most of the states in the US. I believe Colorado is much more health conscious and progressive. Moving anywhere outside your comfort zone will definitely be a culture shock. We moved to Connecticut from Indiana back in the 80s and that was a definite culture shock. If you are able to vist, great! If not, realize there are many wonderful things to do there, and people to meet. Also know that not everyone fits that model of fat, smoker etc. There are a lot of health conscious people there...you need to seek them out.

Indiana is a great place to raise a family and there are some fantastic things to do. My wife and two young kids have a blast when we go back to visit the grandparents and other relatives.

Carmel is a wonderful place to live. I do know my parents moved from Carmel to Indy because the taxes were killing them on their house. Now I'm not sure what taxes are in the Indy area but I will put a plug in for Zionsville. I graduated from high school there and it is a beautiful and great place to live. There is much more open land there and more relaxing than Carmel...but that is only my opinion. And my bias since I went to high school there. Best of luck on your move and remember that it will be a culture shock. I've lived in 13 states and Europe and each time it was a bit of a culture shock...from my experience it really takes a good year to begin to feel like you belong in any community and really being to make solid friendships. And nothing says you have to stay there forever.

-Patrick (always a proud hoosier no matter where I live)

[beppielou]

Dear Boulder Guy
My family & I moved from Silverthorne to Noblesville because of family about 15 months ago. First and foremost, the state of Indiana is nothing like the state of Colorado from the perspective of topography. Colorado has gorgeous views and we miss, on a daily basis, the mountain views we had from our living room in Silverthorne. If you've already visited Indiana you're going to know this going in and it shouldn't matter because you're just going to have to get over that. This area, the Indianapolis area, has everything culturally the Denver area has. There are great theaters, symphonies, sporting events, concerts, etc. As you know from living in Colorado it's reasonably cigarette smoke free and "fat" free. In Silverthorne if we saw an overweight smoker we automatically knew he/she was a tourist out for ski or rafting season. I have noticed the people here have a tendency to be either very overweight OR very thin. My family rarely eats out. When we do we know we are in for a wait because on any given night the restaurants are completely jam packed! I'm not sure Indiana is a state with a lot of home cookers. All of this is moot because I'm getting to the real difference I have experienced between states...it's attitude. I am a liberal Jew who grew up in Florida. Both my parents were from Europe and I grew up in a very (VERY) ethnically & culturally environment. I stick out like a turd in a punchbowl in Noblesville!!!! I went out for a girls night with some friends and the conversation got around to "what church I went to." When I said I went to Temple (I am so not making this up) two women actually said that was unfortunate because they thought I was nice but wouldn't be able to do anything with me again. Seriously?! Do people still feel that way?? I was shocked. This is something in my 36 years of life I really never had to deal with. I also would never under any circumstances express my political views here either because I don't blend.
The good thing is we have made some good friends, gone to beautiful parks, my boys go to great schools (a christian school), symphonies on the prairie, boating, etc. Plus people in the Midwest know how to throw a sports related party!!! I'm not kidding. We've gone to some great Colts parties.
With every new area there is going to be a lot of adjustment. My family & I have certainly made a few. I don't regret moving here but I do miss Colorado a lot. My sister still lives in Cherry Creek and we still have several relatives in Breck so we make it out a few times every year. Feel free to email me if you'd like for more specific information. When I saw your post I had to register and post a reply. In response to your original post.......Yeah the people are fatter here and they do smoke more but that won't effect your specific quality of life here.
Good luck on the move
Oh, the property taxes are considerably freakishly higher than Colorado. Be prepared.

[Hairdo2007]

I just would like to throw my 2 cents in. I moved to New Jersey a few years ago..and you would not believe all the smokers and coffee drinkers...most of the women out here have deep raspy voices and look leathery in the face not sure if this is environment or unhealthy habits or both. Anyway there are overweight folks out here too....as I am sure there are In every State.....I have to say Indiana...especially in the Southern part has wonderful home cooked goodies...it can rack up the calories...but so can a huge plate of pasta and endless hoagie shops and giant pretzels out here in the East. I miss Indiana very much...and am looking forward to the sunsets and spread out country drives..here all you see is pine trees and traffic and homes squished together....not my thing..so I will be back In Indiana the end of April...

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by Hairdo2007

I just would like to throw my 2 cents in. I moved to New Jersey a few years ago..and you would not believe all the smokers and coffee drinkers...most of the women out here have deep raspy voices and look leathery in the face not sure if this is environment or unhealthy habits or both. Anyway there are overweight folks out here too....as I am sure there are In every State.....I have to say Indiana...especially in the Southern part has wonderful home cooked goodies...it can rack up the calories...but so can a huge plate of pasta and endless hoagie shops and giant pretzels out here in the East. I miss Indiana very much...and am looking forward to the sunsets and spread out country drives..here all you see is pine trees and traffic and homes squished together....not my thing..so I will be back In Indiana the end of April...

We will welcome you back with open arms!