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Yikes. I'm moving to Indy for a year for work. Currently in California. is there any place where creative people live/hang out? There must be. It's a big city.
thanks --
Yikes. I'm moving to Indy for a year for work. Currently in California. is there any place where creative people live/hang out? There must be. It's a big city.
thanks --
I don't know why you would be worried. Indy will be fine for you. You will probably enjoy your relocation here and your wallet will appreciate it.
Trolls like Indytruth just don't know when to quit.
Edit: Question for A1b2c3mm are you just nervous about the move to Indianapolis or something?
it's a pretty big move so yes, am thinking about a lot of things. The mass ave area seems pretty nice. I agree, Indy will be great. Any recs on apts in the area? I looked at Riley (full), and am contacting a few others (maxwell, lockerbie). looking for a safe place with wd in the apt, dishwasher as well (I am looking fwd to having a nicer place than in Cali!) on the friendly side would be nice.
Advice on if there is a company/group that can help a newbie find a place?
Thanks!
although I have only lived in two places in my life, I don't have much base for comparison but I would like to clarify a few things that the original poster "Indy Truth" is just plain inaccurate about.
1. You can't compare Chicago with Indianapolis. They are two completely different cities with non-comparable sizes. Of coarse there is more to do in Chicago. Its 3 times the size of Indy.
2. "The percentage of unmarried people between 25 and 35 in this city being one of the lowest percentages in the country for a metropolitan area of this size" has absolutely no merit and was not at all pulled from any factual evidence besides someone's blog maybe. And if so, what's the problem with that? So is it a bad thing to be young and married?
3. The author states that Indy has no vibrant neighborhoods with actively young populations. I don't have factual evidence to negate this however the author probably doesn't have factual evidence to back it up either. Besides I have read a few articles in the last few years that argue the authors point to the contrary.
4. A smoking ban (this is just my opinion) is unconstitutional and should be the decision of the establishment owners and not the government. Just because the people demanded their civil liberties be taken away does not make it right. I enjoy clean air like the next person but I don't think my beliefs should be imposed on anyone by default. Once again, this is just my opinion. be it as it may, opinions are not a good argument for any forum.
5. "Other laws prohibit restaurants and bars from having hourly drink specials". wether this is true, I really don't know (I'm guessing it's not). The concept of "Happy Hour" really isn't pressent in Indy. You should also note that it's not necessary as well. Drink prices are some of the cheapest in the country. There are nightly specials for given days of the week and with the ample amount of breweries that are not allowed to leave the state due to distribution laws , there are always deals on local beers and wines depending on where you go.
6. The author is right about two things though.
1. Indy is not a tourist city and most of the people here are people who work and live in the city. There are certain areas of the Indy culture that seem "click-like" and hard to get into but I have never found it hard to meet people in any city including Indy. Perhaps the author of the original post should work on his/her social skills a bit.
2. Public transit is in fact dismal and it tries at best but fails miserably. This has been an obvious problem for its residents and despite many attempts to reform, it has been a topic of legislation for years. On the bright side, things are soon to change for the public transit system.
7. Indy does have it's pockets of wastelands but what city doesn't. Believe me I've been to Chicago many times and even it's not void of them.
Are you a young professional looking to move to Indy? Take my simple advice. Don’t. It’s not worth it. I moved here three years ago from Chicago to start a six-year medical residency. Initially I thought the city was pleasant, albeit a bit boring. There were a few positives I quickly noticed including the lack of traffic and newly renovated airport. The people seemed nice for the most part and the weather wasn’t too bad. I soon came to the realization that Indy is a dull suburban wasteland full of identical shopping centers and married people with kids. Is it a good place to raise a family? Probably, but the problem is demographic diversity. The percentage of unmarried people between 25 and 35 in this city has to be one of the lowest percentages in the country for a metropolitan area of this size. If you over 23 and not married you are an outlier.
The problem is not simply demographics. It’s also design. I have lived both downtown and in Meridian Kessler/Broad Ripple. Is there a significant population of young people living downtown? Not of any real significance. I have lived in Chicago, D.C. and Atlanta and all of which have vibrant neighborhoods with active populations of young people.Indy has none of this. Don’t try to convince me that downtown has a great young professional scene on Mass Ave. I’ve lived there. It doesn’t exist. Fountain Square is nice, but it still seems years away from becoming a vibrant neighborhood.
The problem is also mindset. Take the smoking ban for instance. Despite multiple attempts at passing a ban in restaurants years earlier, the ban was only passed several months ago. This is pathetic when you consider that states like Kentucky and North Carolina passed similar laws years earlier. How does the city hope to attract educated, young people with the continued lack of forward thinking? Other laws prohibit restaurants and bars from having hourly drink specials. This essentially eliminates the vast majority of happy hours downtown as restaurants and bars downtown cannot offer discounted drinks for a specific set of hours. Go to any other major city in the country and you will see a vibrant scene of people after work relaxing while networking with others. What happens after work in Indy? People get in their cars and rush to get back to Fishers/Carmel/Zionsville.
Meeting new people is not necessarily difficult, but the city design and mindset makes it challenging. The vast majority of people here are from Indiana. They have their family, college friends, and other people in their close inner circle and don’t feel the need to branch out and meet new people. In most major cities you have a diverse, cosmopolitan cross section of people from all over the country that are reasonably new to the city and are actively looking to meet new people. The mindset is different.
I could easily go on about the non-existent public transportation system, the paucity of good concerts and shows that come to town (choosing Cinci and Louisville over us), the lack of good parks within the city, and the fact that over 30% of the population is obese according to new CDC data, but I’ll stop.
OP, this was pretty much my experience, and you hit the nail right on the head. The only difference between my situation and yours is that I lived in a few locations up in Hamilton County.
Indianapolis isn't a bad place -- it just wasn't for me. They've done a great job revitalizing the downtown area and the NBA/NFL venues are among the best I've ever experienced. However, like you said, it doesn't have that much of a vibe.
It's a great town if you're looking for a place to raise a family, which IMO is its main draw (as long as you're in one of the "good" areas). Your housing dollar here will go much farther than in the large metropolitan areas of the country.
I will definitely be flamed by the locals for having offered this opinion. The crazy thing is that I'm not even originally from the midwest and there are things I don't like about Chicago, either (e.g., the arrogance they have toward the rest of this part of the country).
OP, this was pretty much my experience, and you hit the nail right on the head. The only difference between my situation and yours is that I lived in a few locations up in Hamilton County.
Indianapolis isn't a bad place -- it just wasn't for me. They've done a great job revitalizing the downtown area and the NBA/NFL venues are among the best I've ever experienced. However, like you said, it doesn't have that much of a vibe.
It's a great town if you're looking for a place to raise a family, which IMO is its main draw (as long as you're in one of the "good" areas). Your housing dollar here will go much farther than in the large metropolitan areas of the country.
I will definitely be flamed by the locals for having offered this opinion. The crazy thing is that I'm not even originally from the midwest and there are things I don't like about Chicago, either (e.g., the arrogance they have toward the rest of this part of the country).
Anyone who flames you needs to check their low self esteem. Indianapolis is not utopia for everyone, and it never will be. There is no shame in going to a place and not liking it.
The problem is when someone belittles a place and its citizens, which I don't think you've done. Happy travels.
Anyone who flames you needs to check their low self esteem. Indianapolis is not utopia for everyone, and it never will be. There is no shame in going to a place and not liking it.
The problem is when someone belittles a place and its citizens, which I don't think you've done. Happy travels.
agreed.
Mr. Sunshines post was constructive criticism which is fine by me.
Indytruths is just a long rant which isn't constructive and annoying to say it nicely.
OP, this was pretty much my experience, and you hit the nail right on the head. The only difference between my situation and yours is that I lived in a few locations up in Hamilton County.
Indianapolis isn't a bad place -- it just wasn't for me. They've done a great job revitalizing the downtown area and the NBA/NFL venues are among the best I've ever experienced. However, like you said, it doesn't have that much of a vibe.
It's a great town if you're looking for a place to raise a family, which IMO is its main draw (as long as you're in one of the "good" areas). Your housing dollar here will go much farther than in the large metropolitan areas of the country.
I will definitely be flamed by the locals for having offered this opinion. The crazy thing is that I'm not even originally from the midwest and there are things I don't like about Chicago, either (e.g., the arrogance they have toward the rest of this part of the country).
I don't see any reason you should be flamed. You said it perfectly. Indianapolis isn't for you. No city is perfect for everyone. For example, I couldn't never live in Chicago. I love the city and all there is to do, but I'm fine with a once a year visit or so. Same with New York. I could never live there but it's great to visit. San Francisco, same thing. San Diego as well. Just because millions of other people think these cities are perfect to live in, doesn't mean I have to think that. I have friends that prefer to stay in the small town they grew up in than live in Indianapolis. I can't imagine doing that but that doesn't mean they are wrong for doing it.
this is a very interesting point. If we look at a place like the Bay Area where anything liberal, eccentric is welcomed, while any display of conservatism is frowned upon (this might be an exaggeration), it's clearly not that diverse. It's only selectively diverse.
Yeah, that's an exaggeration. There is an absurd amount of money here, so a good number of people who lean toward the conservative lifestyle. With that being said, the hateful/stupid anti-gay, anti-science type of conservatism is rejected here outright, as it should be.
Anyone who flames you needs to check their low self esteem. Indianapolis is not utopia for everyone, and it never will be. There is no shame in going to a place and not liking it.
The problem is when someone belittles a place and its citizens, which I don't think you've done. Happy travels.
You and BRG think alike.
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, there are always deals on local beers and wines depending on where you go.
