Italian guy moving to Indy (Indianapolis, Bloomington: appointed, best city, apartments)

[btmas8891]

Hello everyone,
this is my first post on this forum, but I've been checking out a lot of threads lately (not only in the Indiana section) and found a lot of interesting info.

As I mentioned in the title, I'm an italian guy and I'm going to be moving to Indianapolis in a few weeks.

I lived there for four months already and then moved to Seattle because of a job offer, but now I have to go back for family reasons (my wife's family lives in NWI).

Those four months were a little weird, I had just moved from Italy with my wife, we got married here and I was waiting for my work permit, so I was unemployed and at home, very stressed because I didn't know when my work permit would come in and impatient to start working.

Once I got over a certain degree of culture shock moving from Milan, so your typical high-density Europan city, with mild winters, to a more sprawly city with harsh winters (at least compared to what I was used to), I found Indianapolis to be a nice, clean city with really nice people and a lot of interesting places to see (and I loooved the Monument Circle, such a beautiful thing right in the middle of the city).

However, once I got my job permit and was starting to more so explore and live the city, as I said I got a job offer from Seattle and moved here.

I've been reading so many contradictory things on this forum about Indy, and now I'm curious to see if my first good impressions will be confirmed.

However, I have a few questions:

Is there a strong/decent italian community in Indy? I honestly have zero interactions outside of work with the Seattle italian people, as I prefer hanging out with locals, but you know, it's nice to know they're there, just in case.

How's the job market? I didn't do much research since we're going to be moving there no matter what, but I'm wondering if I will find something coming from a software quality assurance background. I read that Indy is seeing a big growth of IT jobs, is it true? It would be great to find something related to italian language, too...

Should I try and look for a place in Indy or in Carmel? These are my main two options right now, I like the idea of living in the city again (I lived on Pennsylvania last year, not too far from Downtown), but I read worrying things about the crime rate going up lately, so I wonder if Carmel would be safer? I currently live in Bellevue, which seems like a Washington version of Carmel, and I like it a lot).


Sorry for any mistake in English and thanks for reading, I'll probably update the thread once I get to Indy and start looking around.

Cheers!

[rrah]

I've never thought of Indianapolis as having much of an Italian community--perhaps decades ago--but no longer. Several years ago I was looking for a 1/2 decent Italian grocery there. No luck. Oddly enough there is now an Italian grocery in Bloomington (an hour south of Indianapolis).

There is this group, but it doesn't seem very active.

Welcome! | Italian Heritage Society of Indiana

You're searching for a very specific job--don't know what opportunities you'll find in Indy for that area. (forget about it being related to the Italian language).

If your wife's family is in NWI, I'm wondering why you're not considering a move there? You'll find more Italian communities in some towns and with the proximity to Chicago the option for more jobs and more Italian "stuff."

[msamhunter]

Originally Posted by btmas8891

Hello everyone,
this is my first post on this forum, but I've been checking out a lot of threads lately (not only in the Indiana section) and found a lot of interesting info.

As I mentioned in the title, I'm an italian guy and I'm going to be moving to Indianapolis in a few weeks.

I lived there for four months already and then moved to Seattle because of a job offer, but now I have to go back for family reasons (my wife's family lives in NWI).

Those four months were a little weird, I had just moved from Italy with my wife, we got married here and I was waiting for my work permit, so I was unemployed and at home, very stressed because I didn't know when my work permit would come in and impatient to start working.

Once I got over a certain degree of culture shock moving from Milan, so your typical high-density Europan city, with mild winters, to a more sprawly city with harsh winters (at least compared to what I was used to), I found Indianapolis to be a nice, clean city with really nice people and a lot of interesting places to see (and I loooved the Monument Circle, such a beautiful thing right in the middle of the city).

However, once I got my job permit and was starting to more so explore and live the city, as I said I got a job offer from Seattle and moved here.

I've been reading so many contradictory things on this forum about Indy, and now I'm curious to see if my first good impressions will be confirmed.

However, I have a few questions:

Is there a strong/decent italian community in Indy? I honestly have zero interactions outside of work with the Seattle italian people, as I prefer hanging out with locals, but you know, it's nice to know they're there, just in case.

How's the job market? I didn't do much research since we're going to be moving there no matter what, but I'm wondering if I will find something coming from a software quality assurance background. I read that Indy is seeing a big growth of IT jobs, is it true? It would be great to find something related to italian language, too...

Should I try and look for a place in Indy or in Carmel? These are my main two options right now, I like the idea of living in the city again (I lived on Pennsylvania last year, not too far from Downtown), but I read worrying things about the crime rate going up lately, so I wonder if Carmel would be safer? I currently live in Bellevue, which seems like a Washington version of Carmel, and I like it a lot).


Sorry for any mistake in English and thanks for reading, I'll probably update the thread once I get to Indy and start looking around.

Cheers!

As far as Italian hoods go, in Indy metro hard-pressed . Best bet though would be holy rosary. It's in the se quad in downtown Indy and shares a border and neighborhood association with fletcher place. Nice restaurants down that way with the church by the same name. Fountain square just of it past the interstate and along the cultural trail. By all accounts, you will like it. The Italian street fest is there. Granted, probably won't mean much for an Italian but they try.

Between fountain square, fletcher place and holy rosary, you will have more than enough restaurants and other establishments (60+) not counting any other parts of downtown which you would be close to. Couple of nice Italian restaurants there as well plus greek, Peruvian, etc.

You should also be pretty safe. Like any city, just be aware. As far as Carmel, pretty sure the northsiders will be chiming in. If you have kids I wouldore than likely recommend Carmel but only for that reason. No kids, def fletcher place-holy rosary.

[btmas8891]

My wife really doesn't like NWI, she grew up there and finds to be very boring, but she also thinks that Chicago (which I really like, it reminds of Europe in certain things) is too dangerous and she doesn't feel comfortable living/working there. We moved to Seattle because of me, so I have to give her this one... I suspected that I won't have much luck finding something italian related, hopefully I can at least stay in the same field...

Thanks for the info about Holy Rosary and Fountain Square, I will definitely check those out. We do not have kids, I would consider Carmel because there seem to be a few companies hiring in my field and also, as I mentioned, for a question of safety (even though it's very true that one just needs to be aware, and I never felt unsafe when I first stayed in Indy, even though a pub we liked hanging out at was in a not great part of town).


Dumb question, are tornadoes an issue? My wife minimizes the question a lot, so I really don't know what to expect. I lived in Orlando for one year and I never experienced bad hurricanes, but for some reason Tornadoes scare me more than hurricanes do. Like, should I look for apartments built with specific materials (like masonry as opposed to wood or something), or it doesn't make any difference? Is it really an issue?

[masters1]

I would highly recommend the building that I just moved into here in Carmel. Carmel City Center is a beautiful building that has retail and several restaurants on the first floor, the Monon Trail, Palladium Concert Hall and Tarkenton Civic Theater literally out the back door, and the Carmel Arts District with more bars, restaurants and shops a couple blocks away. The building has a European look to it. They are constructing more buildings like it out the back as well. You still have easy access to Broad Ripple or downtown. Check it out.

[missik999]

Originally Posted by masters1

I would highly recommend the building that I just moved into here in Carmel. Carmel City Center is a beautiful building that has retail and several restaurants on the first floor, the Monon Trail, Palladium Concert Hall and Tarkenton Civic Theater literally out the back door, and the Carmel Arts District with more bars, restaurants and shops a couple blocks away. The building has a European look to it. They are constructing more buildings like it out the back as well. You still have easy access to Broad Ripple or downtown. Check it out.

I highly recommend Carmel City Center as well. Although I live in a house and not an apartment I love this area. This entire area is extremely walkable. Restaurants, both casual dine and fine dining, shopping, parks, banking, specialty shops like Joe's Butcher Shop, fitness (I go to InCycle) and nearly everything you can think of within walking distance. The Monon Trail runs all the way from to Westfield with several spurs already built and more trails under construction. If you have pets there are good vets, groomers, doggie day care, boarding, and pet speciality shops in the area.

Carmel's downtown is unique and beautiful. Check it out, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Carmel and Westfield both rank near the top of "Best City" lists every year. They are also among the safest cities in the country.

[Humboldt1]

Chicago is fine if you avoid the west and south sides (which have nice pockets as well like Hyde Park and Oak Park),

Weather is harsher in the winter than Indy but way more Italians and Italian businesses.

Crime news about Chicago is almost entirely in poor south and west sides.

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by McdonaldIndy

Although crime in Chicago is creeping up the north side now. Lincoln park has had a couple shootings, Uptown and even the Gold Coast.

Uptown has been a higher crime neighborhood by north-side standards for a very long time. No, it isn't Englewood or Austin, but it is no worse now than it ever was.

[W & C]

I work in downtown Bellevue currently and still own a condo in Carmel.

I think it's fair to compare the two as they're both pretty well off suburbs similar in size.

Bellevue as a whole is a bit bigger, busier, more dense and more industrious whereas Carmel is more residential and laid back.

Obviously, your dollar will go much further in Carmel/Indy area than here.

[My Kind Of Town]

Originally Posted by McdonaldIndy

Although crime in Chicago is creeping up the north side now. Lincoln park has had a couple shootings, Uptown and even the Gold Coast.

And yet the crime index is lower in Chicago than Indy. Would never know that from listening to the media and many on this board though.

http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime...-Illinois.html

http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime...e-Indiana.html