Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We're a family of four living in Northern California, about 70 miles north of San Francisco.
Our goal is to leave California within the next few years. I won't go into all the reasons we want to leave, I think anyone who has lived in California or has friends/relatives in Califonia has heard all of ad nauseum.
My wife is a 1st grade teacher and the kids are in grade school. I work for a software company. I'm hoping that I'll be able to telecommute to work; I am currently doing this 2-3 days per week anyway...what would another 2 days be? lol.
We're interested in the mid-west, specifically Indiana or Ohio as we've got family in PA that we'd like to be somewhat close to.
Currently our little town has a out 24,000 people. We'd like something along this size, that is not too close to the big cities while still being a manageable drive if needed.
What's good about Indiana? Is it better in the north, south, east or west of the state? What gotchas might there be?
Well it's been a while since I perused these boards. Since September actually. We spent Christmas in Pennsylvania with family, near Gettysburg. While it's a pretty area, I'm not sure it's my cup of tea. Can't put my finger on it, it was just a feeling.
There sure are lots of opinions about Carmel, Fishers, etc. here. We're comptemplating a visit this summer as well as a visit to Texas. I have to say that Texas, while having appealing housing prices, doesn't seem to hold too much interest for me.
Seeing recent talk about culture shock has me curious. Does anyone care to expand on it? Is it the lack of museums, opera, ethnic foods, etc? I have to say that I visit more museums in other states more than I ever do here at home. Funny how that works out. Opera? Not my cup of tea. Ethnic foods? We don't regularly partake. My wife isn't too adventurous in that arena. I love Indian food, and a good hot curry, but it doesn't love me. Here in California we have a a Mexican restaurant or Taqueria on every corner it seems, so we burnt out on that long ago. Same with Chinese take out.
So basically here's what we're looking for; and this is just a refresher since Domergurl really proivded a lot of info last fall:
1. Decent housing prices (compared to California)
2. Well build homes
3. Large lots (not California postage stamp style)
4. 4 seasons
5. Looking to avoid White Trash neighborhoods, Redneckville, ghetto's, gangs etc.
6. Great school districts
7. Friendly people
8. Community with a sense of pride
9. Middle of the road politics (We are on the more conservative side, but balance is good for a community)
#5 may put some people off, but when you've seen what we have to put up with here in CA you might understand. We've got the folks who are on welfare driving SUV's and own larger homes than those of us who actually work our rear end off to make a good living for our family.
Welcome back! Fishers, Carmel, Noblesville & Zionsville will all fit your bill. Politics ... well, Indiana is a red state that got just a little more blue after the last election (whew!). It's a given that it's fairly conservative, but most people around my neighborhood won't talk politics, period, which is fine with me!
Just come on and visit already! You should visit now so you can see what horrible weather we are having. No snow, just rain. Blech.
We hope to visit sometime this summer. Which is the best summer month to visit? Or do they all run together? We're trying to get our summer trips lined up and scheduled.
The politics issue really isn't that big of a deal to us. Like I said, middle of the road is better than extremes in either direction.
Seeing recent talk about culture shock has me curious. Does anyone care to expand on it? Is it the lack of museums, opera, ethnic foods, etc?
I'll take a swing since no one else replied. I ~think~ when people say "culture shock" they mean a shift in the cultural "vibe" or "tone" of a place. Not so much culture culture (e.g. museums, opera, theater). Indianapolis has some great museums, decent restaurants and is large enough that touring shows come through. Of course Chicago is ~three hours away if you need big city amenities.
So what IS the "culture" or the "mindset" here in small-town Indiana?
Before I answer, a bit about myself. I am a native of Southern California (you didn't mention whether or not CA was your "home" state or if you had migrated there?). Suburban kid all the way. Grew up surfing and skiing. Summer camps in the Sierras. Decent childhood. I left to attend school in TX and I married and raised my daughter in Austin. For years and years TX was my "adopted state" and I fit in very well there. What caused me to leave? a)oppressive heat b) urban sprawl c) job offer.
My impressions of IN are based upon living in a smallish city (pop. ~39K) an hour south of Indianapolis. I've lived here ~6 years (yikes! time flies). What I observe here most likely does not apply across-the-board to larger cities in the state. Cities, and their surrounding suburbs, tend to be more transient in nature.
So here are my thoughts:
People here tend to be polite. As discussed in another thread in the General US section, this is different than being friendly. Coming from "here, have a beer and sit on my front porch a spell!"-Texas I felt that things were a bit ~chilly~ in IN. My impression is that Hoosiers (Midwesterners?) are a bit more reserved. This doesn't mean that a newcomer cannot make friends here, but it takes effort and time. I lived here for ~three years before I had what I considered meaningful friendships.
People here tend to be...discreet. Especially noticeable if you are moving from a flashy (i.e. wealthy) area of CA (or in my case TX). Bragging about how you "cashed out" in CA and paid cash for your 10,000 sqft McMansion in Podunk, IN just won't go over too well here.
People tend to be church-goers. Nothing wrong with that, but I was a bit taken aback by the number of times people asked which church we planned to attend. Much of civic life revolves around the local churches.
People tend to be verrrry family oriented. Having young kids is probably the best way to be quickly integrated into this community. Bonus points if they play sports (soccer, basketball, hockey).
People tend to be civic-minded. The second-best way to integrate in this community is to volunteer, volunteer, volunteer, and donate, donate, donate.
People are more impressed by the fact that you donated to the local symphony, for instance, than by the car you drive.
People tend not to be too adventurous. They might travel, but they are always glad to come back "home". One of the reasons we chose to live in the area was easy-access to the Hoosier National Forest (hiking, camping, trail-running, mountain-biking). I was shocked that many natives of this small town had never ventured out in "the wilderness" (~20 minutes away). Slowly, this is changing, and adventure-sports seem to be catching on, especially with the younger set. Young people who travel to say, climb mountains, or ~gasp~ attend college out of state, are still viewed as something of a novelty, but again, I think that is changing. Yoga (you'll love this, living in CA...) just caught on in the last year or so.
People tend to be home-bodies. There are few bars or restaurants in town and virtually no night-life. Chain restaurants do well here--when people do venture out they crave the familiar.
People tend to be (or want to appear to be) self-sufficient and hardy. A good friend (and a native of the area) calls it "Puritanical" (don't hate me for saying that lol). People tend to be a bit stingy when it comes to indulging themselves, even if they have the werewithal to do so. I think they don't want to be perceived as wasteful or lazy.
Things you generally will NOT see in small-town IN:
Live-in nannies
Personal chefs
Life coaches
In-home personal trainers
Professional dog walkers
Personal shoppers
Professional organizers
Only you can decide if those are positives or negatives
Thanks for your candid response and perspective. We're in Northern, CA up in Sonoma County north of San Francisco and smack in the middle of "Wine Country". I'm suburbs/public school born and bred while my wife grew up in the Sierras up near Lake Tahoe and teaches first grade at a public school. Snobs we are not. In fact we tend to try very hard to live modestly within our means and don't really go in for all the flash and 'bling' that seems to go hand in hand with the Californian image.
My wife grew up Catholic, and I grew up Protestant. Currently we're not what you would consider regular church folk though we are bringing our children up in what we consider to be a Christian manner in terms of our morals and values. In that vein, I can say that I don't enjoy being sized up based on which church I choose (or don't choose) to attend. I've never been a fan of the In-your-face evangelicals.
We're civic minded and though neither of us have much time to volunteer, we do make donations to what we feel are worthy causes, give blood, buy Girl Scout cookies, attend local fundraisers, etc.
Again thanks for your reply!!
We're planning on visiting the Fishers, Noblesville area. Any other areas to consider and why?
Make sure to plan some time to visit the southern part of the state as well. I'm a bit biased, but I think of it as the "pretty part".
People mentioned Bloomington (home of I.U) and Nashville (touristy, but gorgeous in the Fall!). Columbus is known for--of all things--modern architecture. If you like older architecture I highly recommend a trip to Madison, on the Ohio river. Clifty Falls State Park is one of my favorites and if your kids are of "hiking age" they'll have a blast.
This area works for us due to easy access to three large cities: Indianapolis, Louisville, and Cincinnati. I noticed you have relatives in PA. It's six-hours, door to door, to my daughter's place in Pittsburgh.
Hmmm, thinking about PA, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Richmond(on the IN/OH border) I only visit briefly once-per-year but always find it charming and am curious about life there.
As far as small towns in OH, I stop in Cambridge or Zanesville on most of my trips and would love to spend more time in either of those places as well.
Good summary plaidmom ... basically what you are describing are blue collar workers or rural farmers of northern European origins ... Indiana is filled with them. We pride ourselves in being self sufficient and not being dependent on others. It's not just Indiana either. The upper midwest was initially settled by either farmers or factory workers.
These things, like live in nannies, personal trainers ... life coaches? Oh my, that's what my ancestors called MOM or GRANDMA!!! Yoga ... it's what we grew up drinking from bottles.
I knew someone who would fly back to LA every 6 weeks from Bloomington to get her hair done. That's just silly. Life is about adapting and here in Indiana or Ohio, or Michigan, or Illinois, or Minnesota ... Iowa ... get what I mean ... you can do just fine but you have to really make your own bliss. As the daughter of a German mother, I was taught that you just don't go up to a complete stranger and start chit chatting. It's rude to just pop in on someone unannounced and you never enter someone's home you have been invited to empty handed. My mom spent about a week in Texas and couldn't handle it because everyone was "hiya honey" this and "how are yooooo" that ... but I digress.
I know many Californians, native, and transplanted, who have moved here and are just fine. My neighbors are from Anaheim and they love the change in seasons ... but not the tornado sirens, but they don't miss the earthquakes. For the most part, people will treat you well. They're not going to have a party for you, but you'll get a nice hello and a wave when you go out to get the paper and if you need anything, you'll find us pretty generous.
Anyway, people are polite, people are civil. I like civil. I can handle civil. And yes, the church thing bothers me down here. It does seem like many folks live for church and when I tell folks I'm Catholic, I get a horrified look, go figure.
I know many Californians, native, and transplanted, who have moved here and are just fine. My neighbors are from Anaheim and they love the change in seasons ... but not the tornado sirens, but they don't miss the earthquakes. For the most part, people will treat you well. They're not going to have a party for you, but you'll get a nice hello and a wave when you go out to get the paper and if you need anything, you'll find us pretty generous.
That's good to know that your transplanted Californian neighbors have adapted and are doing well over there (I live about 15 miles west of Anaheim, and my dad lives there). I think I'd get freaked about the tornado sirens, too! I suppose if my job transferred me there, I could adapt as well, especially to the changeable weather. But for now, I think that I'm destined to stay here and make the most of it (despite the numerous negative threads in the California forums).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Indianapolis has some great museums, decent restaurants and is large enough that touring shows come through. Of course Chicago is ~three hours away if you need big city amenities.
I left to attend school in TX and I married and raised my daughter in Austin. For years and years TX was my "adopted state" and I fit in very well there. What caused me to leave? a)oppressive heat b) urban sprawl c) job offer.
I only visit briefly once-per-year but always find it charming and am curious about life there.
I suppose if my job transferred me there, I could adapt as well, especially to the changeable weather. But for now, I think that I'm destined to stay here and make the most of it (despite the numerous negative threads in the California forums). 
