Are we crazy? S. Floridian's moving to Indy.... (Orland: insurance, home)

[kmlrtime]

It is now January 11...do you have any more updates to share? Even though it is definitely winter
weather in Indiana now and we've had several incidents of snow during the past couple months, the
streets and highways are well-maintained and the snow has made everything look like a winter
wonderland. Your children are going to love the fun times associated with snow and I doubt they will miss the heat and humidity they're used to enough to ever want to move away... not that we don't have our share of heat and humidity in July and August. Keep us posted so we can help in any way possible before you make your big move!

[Goodbye Florida]

well, unfortunately, no 'real' updates as of yet. This is a very slow process, but that is actually working in our benefit. The Background check on my wife has begun, all the paper work was filed just before the new year and a week later, we learned that the gov. had pulled our credit. This was big news because we are in the process of trying to short sell our home and at the time when the gov. pulled our credit, the bank hadn't reported us being delinquent, which we are 60 days behind right now. Of course, she reported this on her application, so they may dig a little deeper, luckily, just yesterday, we where made an offer on the home, so if they do investigate the matter further, they will see that we are trying to resolve the issue and are actually making progress.

Other than that, no substantial news as of yet. We've interviewed and have gotten quotes with different moving companies and have decided (not yet retained) on which one. Mostly we'll be taking the things that we absolutely need and will end up buying new furniture once we're settled.

Our next big hurdle is determining where we want to live. Of course, we'll rent for the first year before we buy something, but ideally we would like to rent in the same school district where we would utlimately buy. We don't want to move our girls from school to school, as it is, our oldest will have a hard time letting go of the friends she's already made here. We've narrowed it down to 4 areas, based on the research we've done, Avon, Brownsburg, Carmel or Fishers, my wife's job will be in Downtown Indianapolis, so commute time (and mileage) is a big concern, but most importantly is the schools and safety concerns. Of course we know that there are neighborhoods within these cities that are better than others, which is where we hit a brick wall. It's easy for us to settle on one of those four (we're leaning towards Avon but are still very open to any where else, even Noblesville, but that seems to be a bit far from DT), but which part? In the end, we want to live somewhere that I won't have to worry about my kids walking down the street (mind you, I grew up in Miami and worry about them playing in my fenced / locked / secured back yard).

[kmlrtime]

I'm sorry I've not responded yet...am in the middle of a family crisis. Off the top of my head, I'd say either Avon or Brownsburg would probably give you more of the small town/suburban Indpls. flavor and still not be too much of a commute for your wife. I love both Fishers and Carmel but that's because I've lived in Indy since I was 14 and am more northside oriented....for a young family who is making such a major move from a totally different part of the country as well as climate, either one
of those areas is geared to growth and education and I think the cost of living might even be a bit
less than ours in Hamilton County. We're probably considered a little more "elite," but doubt that that is a factor for you and your young family.

[Goodbye Florida]

Originally Posted by kmlrtime

I'm sorry I've not responded yet...am in the middle of a family crisis. Off the top of my head, I'd say either Avon or Brownsburg would probably give you more of the small town/suburban Indpls. flavor and still not be too much of a commute for your wife. I love both Fishers and Carmel but that's because I've lived in Indy since I was 14 and am more northside oriented....for a young family who is making such a major move from a totally different part of the country as well as climate, either one
of those areas is geared to growth and education and I think the cost of living might even be a bit
less than ours in Hamilton County. We're probably considered a little more "elite," but doubt that that is a factor for you and your young family.

We're having a bit of a crisis ourselves, LoL. I'm not sure if you follow much of the news or politics, but this was a gov. job that she got, but now we are stuck in limbo due to a hiring freeze. We're not sure if and when it will be lifted, so in the meantime we've been forced to rent a place locally until we know more about this position. From what I understand this has something to do with the budget that needs to be approved by March 4th. I don't really know much about this other than whatever game it is that they're playing in D.C. is now affecting us.

We're hoping that come March 4th, the budget will be approved and the freeze will be lifted, at least for her position and that we'll proceed as we have been with a slight delay. If the freeze lasts for too long, then they might rescind the offer and if the position becomes available again she would have to re-apply and go through this process all over again.

Until we know more, we'll be renting a place near the house we're selling (closing March 4th ironically enough), keeping the kids in the same school district in the event that we get stuck here.

Aside from that, if the freeze is lifted and the job does materialize, I think we've pretty much agreed on Avon with Brownsburg as an alternate. We've heard a lot of great things about all of those places, but our gut tells us that Avon would be best for us.

For now, we're keeping our fingers crossed and hope that all this research and time was not wasted.

[kmlrtime]

It's interesting that this, of all winters, is the one where you're considering a move to Indiana from sunny Florida when I cannot remember a year when we've had more snow and ice...this has indeed been a record year for the entire country though so guess I shouldn't be too surprised that Indiana
has been affected as well. As to Avon, it has so many different family-oriented neighbborhoods that you won't have any difficulty finding the one perfect for your family. I just hope the job freeze is lifted soon so you're not in this limbo any longer than necessary! Best of luck and hopefully in the not too distant future I'll be sending you a post saying, "Welcome to Indiana!"

[Wonderful Jellal]

Originally Posted by Goodbye Florida

Hello, my wife and I have been wanting to move our family out of Florida for around six years now. Recently, I lost my job as an architect and we decided this was the best time to make a move. We had never really considered IN until we found a perfect job opportunity for my wife, given the current nature of my industry, we are focusing on her career. She may not get this job, but is still in the running, we are told this is a long process, but after all of our research we started to really like the idea of moving our family to IN. Her parents even decided to come along. Her chances of getting this job are probably slim to none considering our current location, and ultimately, we may have to simply move out there without jobs and hope for the best. Does anyone have any idea how the Accounting (forensic) industry, and for that matter, the Architectural industry is in and around Indy. We really want to make this move, but are reluctant to give up her secure job for a gamble. Not to mention, going from hurricane's to blizzard's is going to be a huge adjustment for us. We just want to make sure that we aren't putting our family into a much worse position by doing this.

No you're not.Indiana is now a competitive state, financially safe, with good infrastructure.It's not Michigan or Illinois.Indianapolis is back on track now

[sweetana3]

Getting hired for any government job is an almost year long process without a hiring freeze. Good luck.

We lost a lot of great candidatees because they could not wait.

[Goodbye Florida]

Originally Posted by sweetana3

Getting hired for any government job is an almost year long process without a hiring freeze. Good luck.

We lost a lot of great candidatees because they could not wait.

we're still waiting, we've already sold our house and are living in a rental. This freeze happened one month too soon, her background check had already started when we were notified of the freeze that is now a month old. Had that not happened, we'd already be there. It's frustrating, especially seeing all the news relating to this how cold hearted the discussion is. I'm all for reducing the defecit and all that, but there are real lives that are just barely hanging on because of all this.

Luckily, the position has not yet been rescinded, and as long as it's still alive, we'll wait, but it's pretty painful to sit here and watch the games that are being played at our expense.

Our personal, tentative deadline for waiting is August, which we hope won't be an issue and that the freeze will be lifted well before then.

[friendlypeople]

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN BOTH FLORIDA AND INDIANA. My husband and I grew up here in Florida and currently are starting a family. We are sad to say that South Florida is definitely not where we would want to raise our kids. The only thing we love in Florida is our family. We do enjoy the beach (early in the morning) and nature trails but HATE how rude people are and are realizing that it is just getting worse.
Everyone I met from Indiana has been good natured which peeked my interest in the state. My husband is not a fan of cold weather but really wants to leave Florida. Plus it would be nice for our kids to get to play in the snow
Any thoughts? We are in our early 30's . I am working as a nurse and my husband is in printing

[PixiStix]

Originally Posted by friendlypeople

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN BOTH FLORIDA AND INDIANA. My husband and I grew up here in Florida and currently are starting a family. We are sad to say that South Florida is definitely not where we would want to raise our kids. The only thing we love in Florida is our family. We do enjoy the beach (early in the morning) and nature trails but HATE how rude people are and are realizing that it is just getting worse.
Everyone I met from Indiana has been good natured which peeked my interest in the state. My husband is not a fan of cold weather but really wants to leave Florida. Plus it would be nice for our kids to get to play in the snow
Any thoughts? We are in our early 30's . I am working as a nurse and my husband is in printing

I posted earlier in this thread but I'll reiterate. I was born & raised in IN & our family moved to FL almost 4 years ago. We are ready to come back to the midwest. My husband likes FL a bit more than I do but can agree that there are some not so great things about living there. I do live in a pretty nice area for FL though so I can't say it's an awful place. Sure, the beaches, array of sunshine & good tax structure are great pulls for FL however there is something about the midwest & it's people that FL will never touch. Our local paper here is just littered with reports of murder, molestation, suicides, etc.... It's just too much...I don't want to raise my kids here. We are also in our 30's & have 2 elementary age kids.

So we've spent months upon months debating.... sun, beaches & a few more tax dollars or family, true friends & the "home" we've left behind in IN. No question for me- #2 is it. PS. Seasons are great.... Constant sun gets old, just like the beaches, if you experience all the time. I enjoyed FL much more as a tourist than a resident.

The decision comes down to what your heart tells you. If you can move away from your family & be fine with it, I'd say give it a shot. Nothing says you can't move back if you don't like it in IN. But I have to say, it's hands down a wonderful safe place to raise kids with a better job market & lower cost of living. And yea, one of things my kids miss the most is snow.

PS. I recall reading somewhere recently that IN has a shortage of nurses. Could be a very good time to look into it. Good luck!