Where to meet successful professional guys in their 30s in Indy? (Indianapolis: 2014, neighborhoods)
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Indy is anything but dynamic and vibrant, though some of its marketing material (with the cultural districts, etc.) may try to paint a different picture. Don't mean to sound naive, but I was a little excited about moving to Indy after reading about the city. Having lived there twice for ~ 4.5 years, I can say that it is quite homogenous and has a relatively narrow appeal.
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Originally Posted by melly27
It is so nice to see someone else agree with this! I also don't understand why people get so offended here if you mention anything negative about Indy. Most of the people I met here never want to leave, which is fine, but they also think everywhere else sucks. Drives me bonkers.
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Originally Posted by LIS123
People get defensive about their hometowns, so this phenomenon is not exclusive to Indy by any means.
I lived there for ~ 4.5 years and can state definitively that, if you're frustrated after 7 years of living in Indy, your frustration will only stay the same or increase the longer you live there. The area will not change or improve substantively, no matter what the visitors bureau or politicians say. My father was surprised when I told him how lame it was b/c he believed those claims that it's one of the fastest growing areas, new jobs are coming in, etc. The largest employers in the area (Lilly, St. Vincent, IU Health, etc.) are either flat or reducing headcount and there is very little economic dynamism as it relates to startups, VC, etc.
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Originally Posted by MortonR
Well said!
As a native and former resident up until a few years ago, I think you've pretty much hit the nail on the head.
On the flip side, another phenomenon not exclusive to Indy is people who think they are more enlightened than others because they did not like a place and left. You see it across all these forums. Too many of the most vocal posters tend to fall on one of two sides of a coin. Hopelessly in love with their town to the point they run off anyone who even hints that they are not also hopelessly in love, or worse, do not think a place is that great. The other side are the folks who think a given place is so unremarkable that no one with options would stay, and are not shy about hopping into the given forums to tell people how unremarkable their town is. It is like rival high school gangs challenging each other to some kind of dance throw down.
I am not native to Indianapolis, though at this point I have lived here longer than I probably thought I would. I know people who live here and love it to the point it is strange. I know people who left and came back. I know people who did not want to come here, complained the whole time they were here, and left the first chance they had all the while making sure to continue taking shots after they were gone. I know people who left and never looked back.
The thing is, none of this is exclusive to Indianapolis. Indy is what it is. Some like it, some don't. In my experience, I would say Indy compares favorably with other mid-sized metros such as Kansas City and Columbus. If you came to Indianapolis expecting to find a mini-Chicago, that's on you.
I think if you want a stable, safe, average plain vanilla place to live, Indianapolis is a good choice.
Certainly there are variants on this to some extent, that is, if someone wants night life, it's here, just not to the level you would expect in a larger and more diverse city. There is a decent amount of culture, lots of sports, and outdoor activities which cover a broad range of interests.
If you want the ocean, beach, mountains, or some other significant geographic stuff, it's not here, obviously.
"Generic" might be a good general descriptive term.
Having lived in a number of other places both in and outside the US, I can say without a doubt it's not a bad place, however, there are many more great places if you're not looking for the above. It all boils down to what your priorities are for a place to live.
On the flip side, another phenomenon not exclusive to Indy is people who think they are more enlightened than others because they did not like a place and left. You see it across all these forums. Too many of the most vocal posters tend to fall on one of two sides of a coin. Hopelessly in love with their town to the point they run off anyone who even hints that they are not also hopelessly in love, or worse, do not think a place is that great. The other side are the folks who think a given place is so unremarkable that no one with options would stay, and are not shy about hopping into the given forums to tell people how unremarkable their town is. It is like rival high school gangs challenging each other to some kind of dance throw down.
Some people always need something to complain about. My biggest complaints with most cities is that many of them have a corrupt political and business connection going on. It is the same in other smaller areas as well, but just not to the factor it is in larger urban areas. At least with government and business corruption, that is something that touches everyone. Why folks complain about lack of enough places to drink, find a one night stand, enough places to eat out at every night, etc. is beyond me. Those seem like more personal things and I don't know why folks who have left an area feel the need to go to that areas forums to criticize such personal wants and desires that can easily be fulfilled if they move to the right area.
I was born and raised here. I think the city offers people a good living in certain fields. I wish the geographic features of central Indiana were a bit more diverse, but it is what it is. I don't need 1,000 dance clubs to try to find the love of my life, nor do I need 1,000 five start restaurants. I do need some great places to go on some awesome day hikes. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is only about a seven hour drive.
Some people always need something to complain about. My biggest complaints with most cities is that many of them have a corrupt political and business connection going on. It is the same in other smaller areas as well, but just not to the factor it is in larger urban areas. At least with government and business corruption, that is something that touches everyone. Why folks complain about lack of enough places to drink, find a one night stand, enough places to eat out at every night, etc. is beyond me. Those seem like more personal things and I don't know why folks who have left an area feel the need to go to that areas forums to criticize such personal wants and desires that can easily be fulfilled if they move to the right area.
I was born and raised here. I think the city offers people a good living in certain fields. I wish the geographic features of central Indiana were a bit more diverse, but it is what it is. I don't need 1,000 dance clubs to try to find the love of my life, nor do I need 1,000 five start restaurants. I do need some great places to go on some awesome day hikes. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is only about a seven hour drive.
There's political corruption at all levels of government (federal very much included) at its intersection with business. IMO, it's one of the reasons that there are so many people willing to voluntarily support a Communist like Bernie Sanders (especially amongst younger voters). Younger voters in this country have an aversion to capitalism, which was blamed for economic problems like the '08 crisis, etc. As such, people gravitate towards someone who trashes capitalism (like Sanders).
The problem is we haven't had capitalism in the US in a long time, certainly a lot longer than youth voters have been alive. What we have now is corporatism or crony capitalism where big government and big business are in bed together with the objective of benefitting each other while screwing the rest of us. This has worked out very well for them.
This is one complaint I have about Indy is that the dating scene just seems to suck. It seems like many folks still marry young, and that the dating scene by the time you hit 30 (if you don't want to date single parents, etc.) just doesn't have much selection.
I'll be thirty in April and it's hard to find a single woman around my age that has a decent job making $50k+, isn't taken, and doesn't have kids or a lot of personal baggage.
Look for a divorced (single) woman in her late 30's-earlty 40's age group with an established job, a good income, has a nice place to live, and her kids are gone and she's not yet a grandmother. Join a bowling league. They're all over the place. One thing about bowling is you can be a lousy bowler and still have a good time.
There's political corruption at all levels of government (federal very much included) at its intersection with business. IMO, it's one of the reasons that there are so many people willing to voluntarily support a Communist like Bernie Sanders (especially amongst younger voters). Younger voters in this country have an aversion to capitalism, which was blamed for economic problems like the '08 crisis, etc. As such, people gravitate towards someone who trashes capitalism (like Sanders).
The problem is we haven't had capitalism in the US in a long time, certainly a lot longer than youth voters have been alive. What we have now is corporatism or crony capitalism where big government and big business are in bed together with the objective of benefitting each other while screwing the rest of us. This has worked out very well for them.
You're right other than the incorrect use of the term I bolded above. Bernie Sanders is a Democratic Socialist and so are his supporters. He's honest about his beliefs and it's refreshing to people, even those who would've never considered a Socialist candidate before. People see countries like Canada and wonder why things are so different there. The answer is that corporations don't own every level of government. Do they still play some roll, yes, but their influence is extremely restricted compared to the United States.
The abuse of corporations is obvious in the Federal and State Governments. In Indianapolis, they may not have the same kind of influence in certain city council policy decisions, but big businesses being the big "job creators" that they are, rob Indianapolis and cities across the country of tax dollars that they desperately need. Entities like the Chamber of Commerce lobby for mass transit from the government, but probably lobbied lawmakers against considering an increase of corporate tax rates to pay for the Indy Connect plan. Instead, let's charge our underpaid workers for it instead, and help by spending millions of dollars to sell them on the idea. Look at all of the luxury apartment developers getting cheap (or free) land Downtown, plus tax abatements, in order to reap millions more in profits.
To be clear, I'm for mass transit and all of the apartments. Indianapolis has to play the corrupt game like most of the cities in our country until something changes in the Federal Government. That's why many people support Bernie Sanders. Sorry to continue distracting from the OP.
Same could be said for Florida. Flatter than a pancake, overcrowded swamp and the nasty bugs and critters that call it home.
When a city gets large enough (1,500,000+) the vanilla and boring argument is invalid. It indicates a problem with the individual and a very intolerant self-centered personality. Instead of the city.
Who said anything about Florida? While we know that Indiana is far from flat, I'll wager that if you ask 10 people to describe it, they'll say "flat".
Nothing negative here, just pointing out that the diversity and vibrancy of cities like San Francisco or Chicago are much broader than Indianapolis will ever be. I'll ignore the disparaging comments, considering the source.
No its just a general America misconception problem. There are at least 10+ states flatter than Indiana.
Florida, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Rhode Island, Delaware, Nebraska, and Mississippi. You don't hear many people going out there complaining about them being flat. Sometimes its best to keep things in context and be real.
You've never heard people complain about Florida, Iowa, Kansas, or Oklahoma being flat? People will complain about anything and everything. This forum is like a living bible tribute to that.
Last edited by Toxic Toast; 02-02-2016 at 06:26 AM..
No its just a general America misconception problem. There are at least 10+ states flatter than Indiana.
Florida, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Rhode Island, Delaware, Nebraska, and Mississippi. You don't hear many people going out there complaining about them being flat. Sometimes its best to keep things in context and be real.
You'd be surprised how hilly Oklahoma, Michigan, and Wisconsin are. Northern Michigan and especially the UP are gorgeous areas.
No its just a general America misconception problem. There are at least 10+ states flatter than Indiana.
Florida, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Rhode Island, Delaware, Nebraska, and Mississippi. You don't hear many people going out there complaining about them being flat. Sometimes its best to keep things in context and be real.
Wisconsin is flatter than Indiana, really ? Can't really imagine that.
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