Living in Indiana (Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Washington: condos, job market, school)

[polomarco123]

One of the most beautiful place in the US. Even Abraham Lincoln moved to Indiana at age of 7, he spent his childhood in this place only.

[JasminCS]

How about electricity bills during summer and winter? What's the average like? Possibly moving to Fishers next summer from No Cal.

Costs for medical/dental insurance?

[ischyros]

Originally Posted by JasminCS

How about electricity bills during summer and winter? What's the average like? Possibly moving to Fishers next summer from No Cal.

Costs for medical/dental insurance?

Electric really depends on what type of heat you have. If it is gas, your electric will be much lower in the winter than if you have electric heat. We have a 1500 sq ft single story house in Fishers with an electric heat pump. We eventually went with a budget plan with Duke Energy because our electric bill would be $100-130 in the summer and skyrocket to $300+ in January and February. With the budget plan, we pay the same amount for 11 months of the year and the 12th month we either get a credit if we overpaid the other 11 months or we pay extra. We still pay for all the electricity we use, but it's more evenly spread out and avoids the nasty shock of the winter months. They also have one where you just pay a flat fee for all 12 months but since we've always gotten a credit that 12th month, I feel like we'd just be giving Duke free money if we did that plan.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by ischyros

Electric really depends on what type of heat you have. If it is gas, your electric will be much lower in the winter than if you have electric heat. We have a 1500 sq ft single story house in Fishers with an electric heat pump. We eventually went with a budget plan with Duke Energy because our electric bill would be $100-130 in the summer and skyrocket to $300+ in January and February. With the budget plan, we pay the same amount for 11 months of the year and the 12th month we either get a credit if we overpaid the other 11 months or we pay extra. We still pay for all the electricity we use, but it's more evenly spread out and avoids the nasty shock of the winter months. They also have one where you just pay a flat fee for all 12 months but since we've always gotten a credit that 12th month, I feel like we'd just be giving Duke free money if we did that plan.

That's a failure of the builder to use electric heat pumps regardless of sqft. Indiana is the wrong climate zone for those. The only ones that are more efficient are the split heat pump varieties or something to that degree.

[mamkling]

Indiana is plain. It just is. It’s segregated, last to do anything from what has always been done. There is not much to do but to work and buy things yet the cost of living continues to increase. They are gentrifying downtown and pretending it’s on par with major cities like Chicago. It’s not and never will be. It’s a state you exist in but not thrive. It’s dull.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by mamkling

Indiana is plain. It just is. It’s segregated, last to do anything from what has always been done. There is not much to do but to work and buy things yet the cost of living continues to increase. They are gentrifying downtown and pretending it’s on par with major cities like Chicago. It’s not and never will be. It’s a state you exist in but not thrive. It’s dull.

Indiana has been good to me regarding solid employment and wages relative to cost of living. However, the other quality of life factors in the state leave a good bit to be desired. Yes, I'm looking at moving within the next year, preferably to the Pacific Northwest or Upper Midwest. The sooner the better...

[sheerbliss]

Originally Posted by mamkling

Indiana is plain. It just is. It’s segregated, last to do anything from what has always been done. There is not much to do but to work and buy things yet the cost of living continues to increase. They are gentrifying downtown and pretending it’s on par with major cities like Chicago. It’s not and never will be. It’s a state you exist in but not thrive. It’s dull.

It's a matter of personal preference. I would make almost all of these comments about Denver, my home town.

The lower cost of living here meant a paid-for house and a life upgrade.

[VexedAndSolitary]

I'm a transplant to IN and I adore it.

I'm native NYer and lived 23 years in Palm Beach so I am well versed in living in a huge metropolis; if one wishes the amenities available in such a place, sure IN will disappoint.

For those like me who want simple, LOW low low COL, safe, conservative, enough amenities to have choices/variety, then it rocks.

It's a good choice for families who want to raise kids in Americana-feel type towns; I wish I'd moved here decades ago when my older two children were young and given them that experience instead of the gated community BS in PB in which they were raised.

I did move to Roanoke, VA when the younger two were small so they got more of a family neighborhood environment/experience and now my 2nd oldest (raised in PB) is raising hers there and loves it

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by mamkling

Indiana is plain. It just is. It’s segregated, last to do anything from what has always been done. There is not much to do but to work and buy things yet the cost of living continues to increase. They are gentrifying downtown and pretending it’s on par with major cities like Chicago. It’s not and never will be. It’s a state you exist in but not thrive. It’s dull.

Lot of opinions in your statement. Not sure how YOU define thrive, but I know how I describe thrive, and there are a lot of thriving people in the state. If Indiana is dull to you, then you haven't visited the other half of the country.



- Access to Great Lakes and beaches
- Proximity to Chicago, Louisville, and Cincinnati. 3 large cities that all border Indiana
- Highly wooded state parks with rolling hills in southern Indiana. The scenery is far different than that of central and northern Indiana, very under the radar and underrated.
- several major state colleges and prestigious Universities
- Pro sports and other big city amenities in Indianapolis
- Low cost of living, arguably the lowest in the Midwest
- Strong job growth and population growth, second fastest growing state in the Midwest



I think Indiana excels in a lot of areas, having visited and lived in some very rural and impoverished states, I think Indiana is a good notch above many parts of the country.

[Rbbi1]

Originally Posted by VexedAndSolitary

Another happy transplant here.

I LOVE IND and so wish I'd moved here decades ago.

I am in Fort Wayne and it has everything I need, I live in a beautiful neighborhood (Brookview) close to everything, the real estate prices are mindblowingly LOW, from my perspective as a native NYer who lived 23 yrs in SoFl and knows what high RE prices are.

I kinda like to pretend I am a native Hoosier I love it that much.

I HATED NC, (3 yrs there) omg what a miserable state.

IND is great for the family oriented, budgetminded who do not need a ton of fancy places/entertainment; it's simple, old school Americana. I am an old bag but my 18 y/o who moved here with me loves it as well!

People I know, including myself, look at NYer's and wish for them to get out and experience something besides what to us, appears as a cold, concrete jungle. I've said my whole life, I wouldn't live in that city if I was paid a million dollars to (and yes I have been there). As a small town resident, the thought of living on top of one another and being basically cut off from nature without a lot of effort to get to some, is just incomprehensible for me. I know it's what you grow up in and are used to. Glad for you to have made the journey.