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I've been doing research io retiring in Indiana and surprisingly it seems to have alot to offer....based on my critieria:
Lower cost of living
Four seasons (but not extreme)
Low traffic
Good shopping available
Pro sports
Medical care
Beautiful scenery - trees, lakes close by
Conservative politics
Easy going lifestyle
Enough stuff to do to keep it interesting
Good apartments
Great colleges
Low crime
This is the last place I ever thought I'd be interested in but I'm keeping an open mind. Anyone have any insights on Indiana, ever lived there, fled from there, retired there, etc. I'd welcome any comments you might have.
A good friend lives in South Bend. She really likes it and has encouraged me to consider it. I've never been there but it looks kinda depressing when I've researched it. She does say it is inexpensive.
I've been doing research on retiring in (state X) and surprisingly it seems to have a lot to offer...
On a state wide basis nearly everywhere will have a lot to offer.
You really need to drill down to the 3-5 mile radius of home where most of a life is spent.
Quote:
This is the last place I ever thought I'd be interested in but I'm keeping an open mind.
Anyone have any insights on (state X)... I'd welcome any comments you might have.
How far is it from what you already know and are comfortable with?
How far is it from your friends and family? Your doctor, dentist, and so forth?
I live in Indianapolis if I can offer any information. Life is usually a little slower but we like that. We can hop a plane to a huge city or maybe drive to some interesting spots if we want something else.
Housing is really inexpensive. Mom has a nice 1 bedroom well maintained apartment for seniors with a full 6 day a week bus service, activities, close medical facilities of all kinds, exercise studio and classes, on the first floor for $800 a month. Just not having to have a car is a blessing. There are all kinds of housing, of course.
I love the downtown activities, our large library system, classes, museums, hobby groups of all kinds, etc. I don't like our transportation (bus) system but it is because Indy is so large that it is cost prohibitive to run a big bus system. Not like advanced Portland but this keeps our taxes low so there is a tradeoff. New airport.
Lots of grocery competition and farmers markets. Even local growers to meet. One guy downtown grows a whole city lot of tomatoes and there are eggs to be found around town from local hens.
Four seasons so if the summer is hot and humid, it is not for long. Ditto winter.
A close friend and client moved to West Lafayette last year for husband's job. Lived in an upscale community here in NewEng for many years. She loves her new home near Purdue U. And she is discriminating in taste. I may go out to visit her this fall and will probably drool over the low COL.
A close friend and client moved to West Lafayette last year for husband's job. Lived in an upscale community here in NewEng for many years. She loves her new home near Purdue U. And she is discriminating in taste. I may go out to visit her this fall and will probably drool over the low COL.
Is your friend from the east coast originally? Actually, my friend is but she is very adaptable and has lived in lots of places. In thinking about moving to the midwest, I really felt I was really an east coast person and living there would feel weird. Not sure why or what that means exactly. It just may be I'm set in my place or area, plain and simple.
My friend really likes the whole area. Her husband hates the snow so he goes back to do work at NOAA in Miss. for the winter and teaches part time at Notre Dame in the spring and summer. My friend is retired but has found free lance editing work. I should make a trip to check it out.
Yes, she is, and used to a high degree of arts and culture. She had to move there, it was not a choice for her, but they like it enough to build a home and settle in. I had no problem moving from east coast to midwest when I had to. There is life in the midwest, even though I was convinced otherwise beforehand. The college/U towns of the midwest, aside from the student population, are fairly stable with reasonable COL. There is much I miss about it. I worked at a state conservation dept. in publications and found my coworkers to be hip and culturally sophisticated. I loved the public library and university.college events. Other than no proximity to an ocean and a bit more summer heat than I was used to, it was great.
OP: I think you're right about Indiana. We might even be making the same choice except for the fact that we plan to work more in retirement. Indiana took a big hit in the recession and hasn't recovered, so my gut feeling is that jobs would be hard to come by.
OP: I think you're right about Indiana. We might even be making the same choice except for the fact that we plan to work more in retirement. Indiana took a big hit in the recession and hasn't recovered, so my gut feeling is that jobs would be hard to come by.
The only caution I have about moving to a state that took a big hit in the recession is to spend time in the town first before buying. Make sure there are still plenty of local businesses, that health care services weren't closed, etc. If you just visit a town and drive by a shopping mall you may assume there will be plenty of stores--take time to walk through the mall and see if it's a busy place or if half the stores closed.
If you visit the Community Chat forums, look for posts from a mod named PJSinger. I believe she lives in Indiana and she seems to live in a very pleasant town. She shares quite a bit about life there--might be worth following her posts.
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