Moving from small town KS to Indy? (Indianapolis, Bloomington: fit in, transplants)

[augentier]

Hey everyone,

I have a very close friend who has lived in Indianapolis for a few years. She actually lives in Westfield with her husband and child. She loves it. She and I are very similar and she is trying to convince me that I would really enjoy Indy.

However, because I am already a Midwestern girl, I'm afraid it won't be different enough to really inspire me (I am an artist), or help me grow. Don't get me wrong - I realize that any big city is going to be a lot different than my small Kansas town and that in itself is challenge enough. I have lived in Portland OR, Houston TX, and Colorado Springs, as well as two very small Northern California towns. All of these moves were brief, the longest I lived anywhere else was in PDX (1 year).

What I have found is that I want the following...

-Traffic that is manageable. I thought PDX and Houston traffic sucked.
-Lots of trees, greenery
-Some options for outdoors things to do within the city AND/OR within an hour outside the city (camping, trails, lakes). This isn't a huge dealbreaker for me because I'm used to flat farmlands, which I actually really enjoy sometimes, but I would like at least some woods and lakes to camp in!
-Great food scene (I work mostly in Food Service and I love to eat try new cuisines)
-Ethnic diversity
-Neighborhoods/areas that have cool quirky little shops
-Variety of live music and bars
-Cheap-ish cost of living. (Under 800 for a 1 br apt in a safe area)
-Public Universities/colleges
-FRIENDLY PEOPLE
-Safe enough to take my dog (german shepherd) on walks in the early mornings or evenings.

That's the main criteria for me. I will be working in food service (hopefully management), customer service (admin assistant), or anything artistic (graphic design, embroidery & screenprinting). I am considering returning to school for Physical Therapy Assistant, but I haven't decided for sure on that one.

I'm hoping to get a roommate simply because it's cheaper and I like living with others. I have a 50 lb German Shepherd who is very active so I'm hoping to find a room in a HOUSE that has a large fenced in yard for under 700/month. Keep in mind, I am talking about ROOM SHARES, not getting my own place. At least not right away!

Weather isnt a huge dealbreaker because I'm used to extreme heat, cold, wind, and storms. My main concern about Indy's weather is winter. I hate cold and snow and wind but I can handle it if it doesn't last more than a couple months. I also REALLY REALLY want sunshine and the ability to garden for at least part of the year.


Oh yeah, I should mention I am a 30 year old single female with no children. I would like to be in an area of the city that is good for mingling with other singles and meeting new people in general.


So..basically...

Are people in Indy friendly or more aloof/standoffish?
Could I probably find a safe, clean roomshare in a house with a yard for under 700/month (for my share)?
Are there a lot of food service/customer service jobs that might pay me more than 11/hr?
Do traffic and commute times take a lot of time away from you?
Are there a lot of activities/festivals/fairs/shops/restaurants/bars/etc to keep people entertained and involved?
Is it safe, in general?

Anything else worth mentioning is greatly appreciated. Yeah, I have moved a lot, but I am a risk taker whose taste for adventure is close to her heart. I want to take advantage of being unattached to explore some places that might offer more opportunities to grow, learn, meet others, and get involved. Thanks!

[Sincerely_Megan]

I think Broad Ripple may be a great area for you! It has a bunch of bars, cute little shops, and a lot of singles go there or live there. The area is relatively safe. If you have a room mate you should be able to afford it. Indianapolis people for the most part are friendly I did grow up here in Indiana but moved out of state (WA, TX, and SC) when I was in the military. One thing I have noticed is that we have a very clean and friendly city compared to others.
I do garden myself and it is easy to grow things here. When it comes to a commute it isn't the worst depending on where you are going and when. There are a lot of back roads, you just have to learn them. That may sound funny but there was literally only one highway in WA state to get anywhere and it was always jammed packed. I have gone to many festivals and actually there is a great book that Indiana publishes every year talking about festivals and lists them by counties.
You mentioned hiking and camping. We went every summer as kids to various camp grounds that were great. When you go into northern and central Indiana you are looking a lot of flat land. The more south you go, you will find the big hills. Brown county has a great state park. It is only like 30-45 mins south from downtown Indy. There is so much to do here you just have to find it.
I hope this helps!

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Most people in Indianapolis and Central Indiana and Hoosiers in general are very polite and have good manners and are more fair minded people than most states. They will treat you the same way you treat them. If you treat them friendly, they'll be friendly with you. If you're stand offish, then they will be stand offish too. If you're rude with them, they may not be rude back to you but you'll definitely feel the cold shoulder, in a very polite and well mannered way, of course.

[Serious Conversation]

I'm from Tennessee and lived in Carmel for about three years, so take that for what you want.

As far as friendliness, I found that people in the city of Indy, south side, and small towns in Indiana to be much friendlier than people in the north side suburbs. Westfield/Fishers (to a lesser extent) and Carmel/Zionsville are all very affluent with lots of transplants, and with that can come some pretense and attitude. I'm a middle class, conservative, 30 year old single white guy, and fit in well with that demographic, but it was still less friendly than I'd expect. I was in Bloomington last summer and had some guys offer me a boat ride and we partied all afternoon. That type of "never meet a stranger" is common in southern IN - much less so in Indy IMO. I did meet some good friends in Carmel, but most of them were old enough to be my parents.

If you stick to the hipper neighborhoods in the city (Irvington, Broad Ripple, Fountain Square, possibly others near downtown), I think you'll find more people like yourself. The quirky shops, cuisine, and art just screams Broad Ripple. Broad Ripple has had some incidents over the last couple of years, but it's almost always outside college geared bars well past midnight. I've never felt the least bit unsafe there. Broad Ripple is also pretty close to Butler University. IUPUI is a joint Indiana-Purdue effort located downtown. BR has great bars (not all college themed) with some concerts and a terrific farmer's market in season.

The budget should be doable with one roommate, definitely with two additional roommates, but finding a landlord to take a German Shepard might be a problem. Try getting on craigslist and Trulia rent to check that piece out and make calls if you need to. I don't know what food service pays, but I'd think $11/hr would be doable, and I know some warehouses and distribution centers that seem to always be hiring at $15-$17/hr. No idea about gardening in a rental. Indy has a good wage/cost of living ratio.

Traffic wasn't terrible, but worsened over the years. Avoid 465/69 on the northeast side at rush hour if at all possible - that's the worst area, especially with the new IKEA coming in at exit 205. There are other trouble spots, but it's not Houston or Atlanta. Still, coming from someone else who is from a small town, it can be irritating, but is probably better than most cities its size.

Outdoor activities in central IN are not great, to be honest. Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis is a great city park. The Monon Trail is a great asset for daily use. Still, more serious outdoor stuff is a way's off, and just isn't as good as many other states. You're probably an hour from Brown County Park if starting from Broad Ripple. McCormick's Creek, Shades, Turkey Run, and Clifty Falls are all great state parks, but at least an hour away. Can't imagine it's worse than KS though. If you're willing to make a weekend out of it, there are some great hidden gyms in southern IL (Garden of the Gods), southern IN (Hoosier National Forest) as well as the west coast of Michigan. A full weekend trip would also open up lots of KY/TN.

What got me with the winter is the lack of sunshine. Indy isn't that much colder/snowier in general than where I'm from in TN - you're not likely to have snow on the ground all season - but seems much cloudier for longer.

I'd definitely make the trip to Indy if I were you - it should tick a lot of those boxes.

[augentier]

Thanks everyone. My friend also suggested Broad Ripple!

Is crime in Indy really as bad as I'm finding in my research? I have looked at the crime maps and it seems concentrated in certain neighborhoods but those neighborhoods seem spread out.

Is the city generally unsafe for a woman to walk alone with her dog at night or early mornings?

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by augentier

Thanks everyone. My friend also suggested Broad Ripple!

Is crime in Indy really as bad as I'm finding in my research? I have looked at the crime maps and it seems concentrated in certain neighborhoods but those neighborhoods seem spread out.

Is the city generally unsafe for a woman to walk alone with her dog at night or early mornings?

In general, no, as the worst of the crime is concentrated in certain areas, and these are not areas most transplants would move to, and are generally not places you would go to without a definite reason to be there.

I really don't think you'd have a problem in Broad Ripple, provided you aren't out at two in the morning drunk or putting yourself in vulnerable situations. There have been drinking related incidents with violence, but anywhere with a high concentration of bars will have that.