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I think part of the problem is something you can trace back to most Midwestern cities.
Who really thinks of Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, or KC outside of their regional areas? What are these cities known for really? Most of these "two million metros" are too small to be recognized on a national level.
What do people think of when they hear Indianapolis? I'd say the Indy 500 and the sports teams are the only things that quickly come to mind.
Most of the cities in this size range just don't have anything that sets them apart. They aren't large enough to make the national news or have some sort of influence usually (somewhere like Nashville being an exception).
Exactly. And there's some truth to it. I grew up near and went to college in Milwaukee, and it's a charming city with great architecture, parks, waterfront, concerts, sports, and every basic first world amenity one could desire. A charming, lesser-known city, that will somewhat surprise even someone from a much bigger metropolis. But, when you do get to a bigger metropolis... like Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco... you start to see how these standard compact-size US cities simply do not have the expansiveness, the historical character, stimulation, people to meet, and lifestyle options of those bigger cosmopolitan hubs. Quality of life is better, since COL is much cheaper, but job/educational opportunities are often scarce and job salaries tend to be lower. You're also going to have to dig pretty hard to find people who are into some cool, subcultural music scene in Milwaukee, there's only a handful (if any?) of authentic Chinese restaurants in Kansas City, and Indianapolis will never have any near as many thin, fashionable people as a place like NY. People are unpretentious, less suspicious, and less competitive in a smaller, regional city, but also less dynamic, less energetic, and a little more provincial. If you have friends/family in the area and enjoy at least some aspects of the regional flavor, it can be comforting and livable; if you're a transplant or you have passions that go beyond the scope of the city, you'll have a hard time fitting in.
I think it's especially an epidemic of cities in the Midwest. The Midwest is, in a way, the least interesting region of America. The North (Northeast), the South, Southwest, various Western States plus California all have very distinctive regional flavors, cultures, and histories. Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin also have a history, but it's frankly a less interesting history, and culture/lifestyle that has subsequently grown out from that. Midwesterners know this, and for years have played up a certain Midwest proud-to-be-ordinary type of pride as a result, which just helps to keep the region stuck in the same old ways. You can trace the attitude back to at least the 1860s, when upper-Midwestern states were the hand maids for the East Coast elites in the Civil War. Most Union soldiers who burned down the South were poor farm boys from Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan. A largely-Illinois brigade were the men who looted and set fire to Atlanta. Now, if the Midwest had realized the pawns they were being played for and also rebelled and told both the Northeast and the South to kiss off, well, then we'd probably have an edgier, cooler region of the country here, a region that would have produced cooler cities, interesting music, food, et cetera like people have in the Northeast, the South, the West... Instead, Midwest people have been content for 150 years to be the obedience and compliance states, the ho-hum, play-it-safe, "normal" Americans, and that speaks a lot to the perceived "blandness" of places like Indianapolis, Columbus, or Des Moines. I hope newer generations of Midwest-dwelling people will ditch the "proud to be ordinary" shtick and find ways to make their local areas more interesting.
Part of my problem is that I'm not from here, and other than my employment (which I could find elsewhere, though I may not make as much money or have a higher cost of living), have zero personal ties to the area, nor is this a place I would ever have picked to live on my own, so I'm probably not as objective as most folks.
Maybe it's because I live in the suburbs and am from the South, but outside of my last job, I've met very few people around my age here to hang out with. When I try to talk to most folks, even small talk, at the bar, gym, wherever, they're not interested in small talk or look at you like you're a creep. I've met more outgoing, friendly folks that are 50+ that those under 30, and usually those folks are not from here. The sense that I get is that Indy isn't attracting young transplants like many other ~2 million metros, and the young folks who are here, are from the general area and have established, and mostly closed, social circles.
FWIW, I was checking out downtown Louisville Monday and made some small talk with strangers at a deli while eating, had a pint at a brewery, and had a bartender realize I recently had a birthday and he asked what I was doing in town, where I was from, etc. We weren't talking about the meaning of life, but it was a far different experience than I've had here. I probably talked to more people on the street in two hours there than I'd talk to in two weeks here.
I guess at this point I'm just personally frustrated with the place.
Part of my problem is that I'm not from here, and other than my employment (which I could find elsewhere, though I may not make as much money or have a higher cost of living), have zero personal ties to the area, nor is this a place I would ever have picked to live on my own, so I'm probably not as objective as most folks.
Maybe it's because I live in the suburbs and am from the South, but outside of my last job, I've met very few people around my age here to hang out with. When I try to talk to most folks, even small talk, at the bar, gym, wherever, they're not interested in small talk or look at you like you're a creep. I've met more outgoing, friendly folks that are 50+ that those under 30, and usually those folks are not from here. The sense that I get is that Indy isn't attracting young transplants like many other ~2 million metros, and the young folks who are here, are from the general area and have established, and mostly closed, social circles.
FWIW, I was checking out downtown Louisville Monday and made some small talk with strangers at a deli while eating, had a pint at a brewery, and had a bartender realize I recently had a birthday and he asked what I was doing in town, where I was from, etc. We weren't talking about the meaning of life, but it was a far different experience than I've had here. I probably talked to more people on the street in two hours there than I'd talk to in two weeks here.
I guess at this point I'm just personally frustrated with the place.
Why don't you live downtown or Broad Ripple or some other area with a concentration of young professionals? maybe your experience wouldn't be so unfulfilling
Part of my problem is that I'm not from here, and other than my employment (which I could find elsewhere, though I may not make as much money or have a higher cost of living), have zero personal ties to the area, nor is this a place I would ever have picked to live on my own, so I'm probably not as objective as most folks.
Maybe it's because I live in the suburbs and am from the South, but outside of my last job, I've met very few people around my age here to hang out with. When I try to talk to most folks, even small talk, at the bar, gym, wherever, they're not interested in small talk or look at you like you're a creep. I've met more outgoing, friendly folks that are 50+ that those under 30, and usually those folks are not from here. The sense that I get is that Indy isn't attracting young transplants like many other ~2 million metros, and the young folks who are here, are from the general area and have established, and mostly closed, social circles.
FWIW, I was checking out downtown Louisville Monday and made some small talk with strangers at a deli while eating, had a pint at a brewery, and had a bartender realize I recently had a birthday and he asked what I was doing in town, where I was from, etc. We weren't talking about the meaning of life, but it was a far different experience than I've had here. I probably talked to more people on the street in two hours there than I'd talk to in two weeks here.
I guess at this point I'm just personally frustrated with the place.
I'm getting in late on this conversation, but I think you just answered your own question there. The suburbs in most cities (with the exception of some inner ring suburbs in Chicago or other much bigger cities) generally skew toward an older, more family oriented demographic. Chances are, if you lived in downtown Indianapolis, Mass Ave, Fountain Square, or Broad Ripple, you may have had much better luck meeting young professionals with similar interests.
I'm getting in late on this conversation, but I think you just answered your own question there. The suburbs in most cities (with the exception of some inner ring suburbs in Chicago or other much bigger cities) generally skew toward an older, more family oriented demographic. Chances are, if you lived in downtown Indianapolis, Mass Ave, Fountain Square, or Broad Ripple, you may have had much better luck meeting young professionals with similar interests.
If I can't find an equivalent job in an area I'd rather live in six months or so, I might buy something in a hipper area of the city. I do like the location where I'm at in Carmel (less than five to ten minutes to anything I need to do on a daily basis) and I like not worrying about crime (leave my doors unlocked, even left my keys in the passenger seat the other night - never had a problem), but I haven't met anyone other than probably a dozen of 60+ drinking buddies.
The big problem for me living in the city is crime, but I am not running drug, in gangs, etc., and I'm probably overly concerned.
I saw this house in Bates-Hendricks on Trulia and it's absolutely gorgeous. I walked around down there when I went downtown a couple Sundays ago (parked at a park on McCarty) and walked the neighborhood - beautiful home, but still so much blight in the area. It's walkable and easily bikeable to most anything downtown or in Fountain Square. I'd say the area will gentrify over the coming years and this house will be $$$$ in the future
Serious, that seems like a solid plan for sure. As for crime, it absolutely exists and there are areas you should avoid, just like any other big city. However, the general consensus is that if you don't look and/or act like a gangbanger, do drugs, hang out in the ghetto, and take normal common sense precautions, there's a very small chance of anything bad happening to you. Good luck to you, and that looks like a damn nice house too.
Part of my problem is that I'm not from here, and other than my employment (which I could find elsewhere, though I may not make as much money or have a higher cost of living), have zero personal ties to the area, nor is this a place I would ever have picked to live on my own, so I'm probably not as objective as most folks.
Maybe it's because I live in the suburbs and am from the South, but outside of my last job, I've met very few people around my age here to hang out with. When I try to talk to most folks, even small talk, at the bar, gym, wherever, they're not interested in small talk or look at you like you're a creep. I've met more outgoing, friendly folks that are 50+ that those under 30, and usually those folks are not from here. The sense that I get is that Indy isn't attracting young transplants like many other ~2 million metros, and the young folks who are here, are from the general area and have established, and mostly closed, social circles.
FWIW, I was checking out downtown Louisville Monday and made some small talk with strangers at a deli while eating, had a pint at a brewery, and had a bartender realize I recently had a birthday and he asked what I was doing in town, where I was from, etc. We weren't talking about the meaning of life, but it was a far different experience than I've had here. I probably talked to more people on the street in two hours there than I'd talk to in two weeks here.
I guess at this point I'm just personally frustrated with the place.
Have you tried Meetup.com ? Join a group(s) that revolves something that you're interested in and you'll meet many more people.
Have you tried Meetup.com ? Join a group(s) that revolves something that you're interested in and you'll meet many more people.
Yes, I went to a meetup for hiking in Brown County. I just checked it out again and was surprised to see how many software dev meetups there were.
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