Looking into moving to Indiana (Indianapolis, Bloomington: sales, house, find a job)

[DeadIrishD]

Hey,

I'm thinking about picking up, and moving down to Indiana, to enjoy a more peaceful, and relaxed area then I am in, right now but am having some problems with this, as I am not familiar with the area, all that well.

This is what I am looking for

* Located in Central Indiana
* Smaller Sized Town
* Cheaper Living Costs
* An okay job
* An easy to get around town, with a few shops close by
* A dog friendly town
* Safe area


Now onto a few questions out of curiosity.....

Does Indiana, have the same alcohol laws as everywhere, or is it more like Utah? (Although, it's not sold on Sundays.)

Are cigarettes still cheap there? (They cost $6.00 a pack, up here in some places.)

[Grandma(in waiting)]

No alcohol sold in Indiana on Sundays, although there is a bill currently in the legislature to change that. Whether or not it passes remains to be seen. There are no "dry" counties, but state law regarding liquor sales is pretty comprehensive. Cigs are around $5 a pack. I'd say your best bet would be Lafayette or West Lafayette, Indianapolis or one of the towns around it for job prospects, with Indianapolis having far more to choose from. There are lots of layoffs and business closures occurring right now, so it depends on the type of job you are seeking.

If you can afford it, Noblesville, Zionsville or Carmel (all north of Indy) are safe and very nice. The schools are very highly regarded as well as they are in West Lafayette. Brownsburg (west of Indy) and Lebanon (between Lafayette and Indy) are also nice and have most of the basic amenities of larger cities.

[DeadIrishD]

Ahh so stock up on Friday or Saturday .

I was thinking Indianapolis, as well since it's closer to Indy 500, and not to far from Kentucky so I'd be able to hang out with my uncle.

If I remember correctly, the reason that there are these layoffs is due to the fact that minimum wage has gone up, quite a bit.

There are lots of layoffs and business closures occurring right now, is due to federal minimum wages, going up, as they had in July I believe?

[Grandma(in waiting)]

Yep, stock up before Sunday, definitely...lol.

No, not really. The layoffs are because the economy is tanking so badly. Indianapolis has been spared for the most part because of jobs in the healthcare and computer/IT sector, but the good paying jobs in manufacturing are all but gone. If you're in the right field right now, you can pick and choose. If you're not, you have to take what you can get and minimum wage jobs might be the only ones available. My oldest son's girlfriend has a bachelor's degree and simply cannot find work in Bloomington. Even Kroger and Wal-Mart aren't hiring.

[grmasterb]

Originally Posted by DeadIrishD

If I remember correctly, the reason that there are these layoffs is due to the fact that minimum wage has gone up, quite a bit.

There are lots of layoffs and business closures occurring right now, is due to federal minimum wages, going up, as they had in July I believe?

You are aware that the economy went in the tank before the new federal minimum wage took effect, aren't you?? The reasons for layoffs and business closures in this area has much more to do with macroeconomic factors and the types of industries prevalent throughout the Midwest.

As stated earlier, no alcohol sales on Sunday. Although there is talk of allowing Sunday sales, the state beverage lobbyists (which represent liquor store owners) are against it, interestingly, because they see their labor costs increasing while sales only marginally increase, if at all. Plus, the same measures being discussed would also allow grocery stores to sell cold beer, and the liquor store owners are against that, as you might expect. So, I believe the status quo will prevail.

Regarding cigarette costs, I don't have any input as I'm a non-smoker. If you enjoy lighting up while dining out, however, be aware that that's becoming harder to do, as is the case in many localities.

Good luck in your search.

[DeadIrishD]

If you look at the way, our economy is falling apart as it is, then yes I can agree with the fact that everything has been falling apart since, then but the federal minimum wage, would play a bit of a factor on this as well, almost as if it's the straw that broke the camels back, so to speak?

Granted, I might be completely wrong is assuming this, however.

Yes, I can see why that might be a problem, spending more money into owning a business, and yet at the same time, having that equate to more of a loss, then actual gain in profits, from what I gather, I also should have specified my question on this, a little bit better then I had.

Coming from New Hampshire, one does not get the chance to see a lot of "legendary alcohols" that others get to see, an example of this would be ever clear, for instance, however from what I have heard when doing research in this, is that it's still legal to buy there, unlike in Michigan where they sell it, in a lower alcohol percentage.

I do like drinking and smoking in bars, but would not consider that to be a major deal breaker if it was not allowed to do so, in a bar (coming from New Hampshire, this law had taking effect already.) and if this, was the way that things were, it'd be easy enough to find a legion, or other private bar, where one is able to smoke cigarettes in.

Grandma in waiting, I'd like to Thank - You for your kindness in all of this, and also say congrats on becoming a Grandmother, do you know if it's a boy or girl yet?

[Grandma(in waiting)]

Youngest son and his wife are expecting a baby boy in March, our first grandchild. Thanks for asking. I'm so excited, I have to babble about it to strangers on the street...lol. Unfortunately, they're moving to Spokane, WA in the near future, so visiting them isn't going to be as simple as hopping in the car for a three hour trip.

You are welcome and good luck to you, whatever you decide to do and if you wind up in our fair state, welcome to Indiana! Most of us don't bite.

[DeadIrishD]

Seeing my mother with her granddaughter, I can only imagine how excited you are, it freaked me out while holding my niece for the first time, as she looked identical to my brother, except in a baby form.

You can always jump into a car, to the airport *shudders* I hate flying, so I'd drive if I were you.

And yes, I have decided to try and move down there, find a job first, and from there save up until I can afford an old farm house, a hound and hopefully live off of what I have with a part time job, once the house is paid for in full.

[VALover]

Franklin, just south of Indy was a really neat place to live and I found it to be quite pet friendly. I had a great vet there and there is a nice walking trail there too. If I were to move back to the midwest Franklin would be at the top of my list.

[plaidmom]

Originally Posted by DeadIrishD

If you look at the way, our economy is falling apart as it is, then yes I can agree with the fact that everything has been falling apart since, then but the federal minimum wage, would play a bit of a factor on this as well, almost as if it's the straw that broke the camels back, so to speak?

Granted, I might be completely wrong is assuming this, however.

Here, in Indiana, most of the jobs that were lost were in manufacturing and payed well well above min. wage. I really do not think that has been a factor, at least in our part of the state.

I would guess that we have been hurt more by out-sourcing, off-shoring and the American love of low low low prices.

I do like drinking and smoking in bars, but would not consider that to be a major deal breaker if it was not allowed to do so, in a bar (coming from New Hampshire, this law had taking effect already.) and if this, was the way that things were, it'd be easy enough to find a legion, or other private bar, where one is able to smoke cigarettes.

Bars are open on Sundays. You just can't buy liquor in stores. Restaurants in some cities (it varies by city) have no-smoking, but most bars are still fine.

I'm not a smoker, but I agree that the ban on smoking in bars is just kind of silly. I don't go into a bar for my health.