Is Indianapolis Midwestern culturally? (Columbus, Madison: neighborhood, living in, store)

[SciFiNerd1]

Thank you for sharing your perspective about Indianapolis! Based on the comments, most view Indy as Midwestern.

I had my own reasons for asking. Here are my reasons:

1. Indiana seems to be conservative politically compared to the rest of the Midwest outside the Great Plains.

2. Like Missouri, Indiana has its own share of population that identify their religion as Baptist, especially evangelicals. I believe most of the Midwest is Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and non-religious.

3. Even in Indiana, people are friendly in what you call "Hooiser Hospitality." It's similiar to southern hospitality compared to Minnesota Nice/reserved nature of most Midwesterners, IMO.

4. Indy 500 makes me think of NASCAR. Isn't NASCAR a southern orientation extremely popular with rednecks and country folks? No offense.

[kpl1228]

Except for a couple of towns like Indianapolis and Gary, Indiana is not historically very Catholic or Ellis Island Immigrant either. Some Indiana places (like Muncie) have only a marginal Catholic % for a town of its size. Other small cities in Ohio and Michigan and Wisconsin are half Catholic or more, with multiple schools and churches.
There's a great movie, I forget which one, where I think Jack Lemmon's parents come from Indiana to visit their son in NYC. they act like a couple of uptight midwestern rubes in the big city and can't believe their son would be living in such a Sodom and Gomorrah. ("Did you see all the lights? No wonder the city's going broke!")I could be getting all of that wrong, including the movie, however.
But when I come back home to visit, many people act just like them. It's 2014 but the Midwestern values and opinions about outside of Indiana and the Midwest (for good and for bad) loom large. I moved to Cleveland, for crying out loud, and people thought I was big-city wicked when I would tell them about life there. As good a movie as Hoosiers was about basketball, it really spoke volumes about the types of people living in Indiana towns. It's still there. No matter how "big-city" Indianapolis tries to be.

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by SciFiNerd1

1. Indiana seems to be conservative politically compared to the rest of the Midwest outside the Great Plains.

Yes, Indiana is conservative. Like a lot of other cities, Indianapolis tends to lean left of the state it is in. That is not to call Indianapolis liberal, because who the **** cares.

Originally Posted by SciFiNerd1

2. Like Missouri, Indiana has its own share of population that identify their religion as Baptist, especially evangelicals. I believe most of the Midwest is Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and non-religious.

According to emperical research and real data, Indiana's level of catholicsmis on par with Michigan and Ohio. By the way, you can only get gay married in one of those three states. Care to guess which one?

Originally Posted by SciFiNerd1

3. Even in Indiana, people are friendly in what you call "Hooiser Hospitality." It's similiar to southern hospitality compared to Minnesota Nice/reserved nature of most Midwesterners, IMO.

The nicest people I have ever met...............live in Boston. No joke. Is Boston southern now?

Originally Posted by SciFiNerd1

4. Indy 500 makes me think of NASCAR. Isn't NASCAR a southern orientation extremely popular with rednecks and country folks? No offense.

That is like saying basketball and soccer are alike because they use a round ball. Ever been to a NASCAR race in Michigan? Is Michigan southern now?

[W & C]

Originally Posted by kpl1228

Except for a couple of towns like Indianapolis and Gary, Indiana is not historically very Catholic or Ellis Island Immigrant either. Some Indiana places (like Muncie) have only a marginal Catholic % for a town of its size. Other small cities in Ohio and Michigan and Wisconsin are half Catholic or more, with multiple schools and churches.
There's a great movie, I forget which one, where I think Jack Lemmon's parents come from Indiana to visit their son in NYC. they act like a couple of uptight midwestern rubes in the big city and can't believe their son would be living in such a Sodom and Gomorrah. ("Did you see all the lights? No wonder the city's going broke!")I could be getting all of that wrong, including the movie, however.
But when I come back home to visit, many people act just like them. It's 2014 but the Midwestern values and opinions about outside of Indiana and the Midwest (for good and for bad) loom large. I moved to Cleveland, for crying out loud, and people thought I was big-city wicked when I would tell them about life there. As good a movie as Hoosiers was about basketball, it really spoke volumes about the types of people living in Indiana towns. It's still there. No matter how "big-city" Indianapolis tries to be.

Bolded mine.. seriously ?

Never been to Cleveland, but I've never heard of anyone (in IN or anywhere else) speak of it in a "big-city wicked" way.

Is life in Cleveland really that different from Indy ?

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by Toxic Toast

This is completely sound intellectually.

[that was sarcasm]

Use all the sarcasm you want, but the points are true. Hence, my belief that Indy has a southern-ish feel and history to it.

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by W & C

Bolded mine.. seriously ?

Never been to Cleveland, but I've never heard of anyone (in IN or anywhere else) speak of it in a "big-city wicked" way.

Is life in Cleveland really that different from Indy ?

Although it's based on Cleveland's recent past, the movie Kill the Irishman will give you a taste of Cleveland's recent past. Another favorite Cleveland movie is The Fortune Cookie (1966). You can't make these movies based in Indy. 1970s Cleveland was the U.S. version of Belfast.

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by Kamms

Use all the sarcasm you want, but the points are true. Hence, my belief that Indy has a southern-ish feel and history to it.

So................your conclusion about Indianapolis is that it is southern-ish because the klan existed in other parts of the state? That would be like me calling Ohio the Mississippi of the Great Lakes because the Klan assembled in Fountain Square Cincinnati. Oh wait, that would never happen in Ohio, no city would ever issue a permit for that, right? Arresting someone who would dare take down a klan cross, as recently as 20 years ago? No way that would happen. Right?

[that last part was sarcasm, Cincinnati totally let that happen, and Cincinnati is in Ohio]

[W & C]

Originally Posted by Kamms

Although it's based on Cleveland's recent past, the movie Kill the Irishman will give you a taste of Cleveland's recent past. Another favorite Cleveland movie is The Fortune Cookie (1966). You can't make these movies based in Indy. 1970s Cleveland was the U.S. version of Belfast.

Both of the movies are rated above 7.0 on IMDB so I'll have to put them on my list, they sound interesting.

It sounds like you're hinting that Cleveland is a lot less bland than Indy i.e. a colorful Irish enclave.. probably has more ethnic neighborhoods in general, Little Italy, Chinatown, I'm guessing ?

Has your own personal experience been that living in Cleveland feels a lot more like a big city than Indy, then?

[John7777]

Midwestern? Indianapolis is part Hillbilly, part Redneck, part Right Wing Christian Nutcase/KKK, and part Neanderthal, with a fairly large African American population. The net result is not good.

[grmasterb]

Originally Posted by W & C

Bolded mine.. seriously ?

Never been to Cleveland, but I've never heard of anyone (in IN or anywhere else) speak of it in a "big-city wicked" way.

Is life in Cleveland really that different from Indy ?

Just ask the Cleveland homers in their forum.