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I can't speak on Indy but I live in Columbus and love it.
1. Don't do use or sell hard drugs or associate with gang members and your chances of being a victim will be reduced exponentially. Cbus is a metro area of 2 million+ people so there will always be some random crime but I have never felt unsafe in the city. A lot of the violent crime is on the east and southwest sides of the city. Pretty easy to avoid since highways and rivers form physical barriers between "good" and "bad" neighborhoods here. Almost all of Columbus's interesting core neighborhoods and 98% of the suburbs are safe.
2. Are you interested in an urban neighborhood? Streetcar suburb? or an exurb? Columbus has plenty of options for all those. Just depends on how much you're willing to pay and what vibe/amenities you're going for. The "family friendly" urban areas of Columbus/the inner-ring suburbs are fairly pricey. This would include Grandview, German Village, Upper Arlington, Clintonville/Beechwold and Bexley.
Other further out suburbs include...
Dublin- Mostly generic but very upper-middle class suburb, great schools and lots of jobs, developing a mini-urban core of its own
New Albany- Master planned community, one of the wealthiest suburbs in the Midwest, proximity to Easton Town Center (great shopping destination)
I prefer Indy because it's closer to Chicago for a weekend getaway for convenience. Driving to Chicago from Columbus would be a stretch. Although Cleveland is just up the road it is much smaller and doesn't offer the bigger city experience like Chicago but that's just my opinion.
1. Indianapolis- We pay $317 a month for healthcare (my husband and I) through my job. Is this about right or are premiums a lot higher in Indy for 2 people through employment?
3. Indianapolis- I am an Administrative Assistant who works in a hospital. What is average income for this trade? Internet gives lots of different answers ranging from $25000/year to $35000/year. I plan on working in a hospital.
Just so you know, Indiana University has a campus in downtown Indy which is known as IUPUI, it is a joint campus of IU and Purdue University. IU actually runs and manages the university, Purdue chips in with their science degree offerings. The main IU Med school is located here, and they have faculty that practice, teach, and do research. Not only that, the other undergrad schools and offices have numerous admin jobs. Healthcare through IU is pretty good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thegreenbeaner
2. Indianapolis- Are the violent crimes random crimes or are they usually crimes committed by someone the victim knows? I know it is a strange question but here in Vermont we don't see a lot of Violent crimes and when we do usually it is drug related or family related. The victim knew the person.
The violent crime is mostly people in the drug trade. Those that aren't are usually people trying to rob others or businesses, either for drug money or because they heard "So and so shop has a stash of cash." Same goes for home invasion robberies. I'm sure a fair amount are actually stash houses and are targeted solely due to the idea there are drugs and money inside.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thegreenbeaner
4. Columbus or Indianapolis-which is more a family oriented area and which is cleaner/better air quality?
I've only driven through Columbus, OH. It reminds me of Indy. I will say that I know Ohio State pays certain positions better than IU does. Not sure what the total benefit package is though.
I drove through both cities. I keep reading that Indy has a better downtown and Columbus has better neighborhoods. As it turned out, I didn't quite see it that way myself.
What I liked about Columbus' downtown was that, while it's basically one long street, that street is quite beautiful. The buildings are pretty, the street is landscaped (street trees and decorative brick work), and it feels clean and fresh. Secondly, the downtown extends directly into Short North without having to go through a bad area or an empty area.
Short North feels clean, fresh, festive and modern. My only complaint is those arches over the street which give the area a contrived, phony, entertainment-districty vibe. But overall it's an impressive area. After passing Ohio State, the city is nice all the way up to the suburbs. The bad parts of Columbus are there, but there is no reason to drive through them.
I will say that Bexley was possibly my favorite area of Columbus. While you have to drive east through a semi-rough area, it's actually not that rough. The botanical garden is right there with a gorgeous park and behind that are neighborhoods with homes from the 19th century, many of which have been renovated. Bexley is elegant, charming, and lush green.
The suburbs of Columbus were fine. They are a bit on the generic side but they are nice.
Indianapolis' downtown by comparison is larger in that it is three-dimensional, being several blocks long and several blocks wide. I kept trying to figure out why I didn't adore Indy's downtown as much as I felt that I should based on what I had read, and I think I landed on the issue.
Unlike Columbus, downtown Indy doesn't have landscaping except that very center part where the circle is located. I also didn't find the buildings to be quite as fresh-looking as Columbus, with more buildings from the 1970s etc. And I didn't love that Indy's downtown streets are wide and often one-way for traffic purposes, thereby taking away the ambiance. In comparison the main street in Columbus was two-way and lined with street trees, brick accents and fresh, modern buildings, thus feeling cozier and cleaner.
Indy does have the river and canal just off downtown, with many apartment complexes along the canal as well as the canal trail. That is nice. And Indy has Mass Ave with most of the city's best restaurants. But unlike Short North, Mass Ave is not adjacent to a pretty area.
To get from downtown Indy to the best residential areas, you drive north past 38th and on up past 46th street, after which the city is safe and pretty. My favorite thing about this area was the little intersections with restaurants on the corners. Right in the middle of these pretty residential neighborhoods with historic homes, they have allowed these restaurants and shops, and especially at night it's by far my favorite feature of Indy. It feels sophisticated and cultured and charming and makes you want to move there.
I also loved the rapid bus transit down College Ave with stops at each of those little restaurant and shopping districts. I found myself thinking that if they double or triple down on these little neighborhood districts throughout this area, this city can become a very cool place, very quickly. Those little restaurants tucked away in those neighborhoods with outdoor seating, patios and umbrellas etc, and even better with the mass transit zipping by, definitely made me think I might like to live there if they were to really expand those areas significantly.
The Indianapolis suburbs do seem bigger and more developed than Columbus. Carmel seems to be attempting to create a vibe similar to Short North with modern buildings, lush landscaping, and decorative brick work. I'd love to come back in 50 years and see how this area fills out. With the huge amounts of money in this area, if they play their cards right they might just fill in those gaps for Indy, which was desperately in need of a fresh, new-feeling area full of restaurants, shops, and hotels. Meanwhile if the Meridian area can take their neighborhood model and extend it all the way to downtown along those mass transit routes, it will be really cool to see what this is like in another 50 years.
I drove through both cities. I keep reading that Indy has a better downtown and Columbus has better neighborhoods. As it turned out, I didn't quite see it that way myself.
What I liked about Columbus' downtown was that, while it's basically one long street, that street is quite beautiful. The buildings are pretty, the street is landscaped (street trees and decorative brick work), and it feels clean and fresh. Secondly, the downtown extends directly into Short North without having to go through a bad area or an empty area.
Short North feels clean, fresh, festive and modern. My only complaint is those arches over the street which give the area a contrived, phony, entertainment-districty vibe. But overall it's an impressive area. After passing Ohio State, the city is nice all the way up to the suburbs. The bad parts of Columbus are there, but there is no reason to drive through them.
I will say that Bexley was possibly my favorite area of Columbus. While you have to drive east through a semi-rough area, it's actually not that rough. The botanical garden is right there with a gorgeous park and behind that are neighborhoods with homes from the 19th century, many of which have been renovated. Bexley is elegant, charming, and lush green.
The suburbs of Columbus were fine. They are a bit on the generic side but they are nice.
Indianapolis' downtown by comparison is larger in that it is three-dimensional, being several blocks long and several blocks wide. I kept trying to figure out why I didn't adore Indy's downtown as much as I felt that I should based on what I had read, and I think I landed on the issue.
Unlike Columbus, downtown Indy doesn't have landscaping except that very center part where the circle is located. I also didn't find the buildings to be quite as fresh-looking as Columbus, with more buildings from the 1970s etc. And I didn't love that Indy's downtown streets are wide and often one-way for traffic purposes, thereby taking away the ambiance. In comparison the main street in Columbus was two-way and lined with street trees, brick accents and fresh, modern buildings, thus feeling cozier and cleaner.
Indy does have the river and canal just off downtown, with many apartment complexes along the canal as well as the canal trail. That is nice. And Indy has Mass Ave with most of the city's best restaurants. But unlike Short North, Mass Ave is not adjacent to a pretty area.
To get from downtown Indy to the best residential areas, you drive north past 38th and on up past 46th street, after which the city is safe and pretty. My favorite thing about this area was the little intersections with restaurants on the corners. Right in the middle of these pretty residential neighborhoods with historic homes, they have allowed these restaurants and shops, and especially at night it's by far my favorite feature of Indy. It feels sophisticated and cultured and charming and makes you want to move there.
I also loved the rapid bus transit down College Ave with stops at each of those little restaurant and shopping districts. I found myself thinking that if they double or triple down on these little neighborhood districts throughout this area, this city can become a very cool place, very quickly. Those little restaurants tucked away in those neighborhoods with outdoor seating, patios and umbrellas etc, and even better with the mass transit zipping by, definitely made me think I might like to live there if they were to really expand those areas significantly.
The Indianapolis suburbs do seem bigger and more developed than Columbus. Carmel seems to be attempting to create a vibe similar to Short North with modern buildings, lush landscaping, and decorative brick work. I'd love to come back in 50 years and see how this area fills out. With the huge amounts of money in this area, if they play their cards right they might just fill in those gaps for Indy, which was desperately in need of a fresh, new-feeling area full of restaurants, shops, and hotels. Meanwhile if the Meridian area can take their neighborhood model and extend it all the way to downtown along those mass transit routes, it will be really cool to see what this is like in another 50 years.
This is a pretty in depth and accurate description. I grew up just north of Columbus and attended Ohio State but I haven't been back to Columbus in the last 8(ish) years. I live south of Indianapolis now (having previously lived also near Chicago and Nashville, TN). I would agree that most of "downtown" for Columbus is connected to high street (which runs right next to OSU's campus). That is sort of a nice feature I never thought of much.
Indy's downtown is much more centralized around monument square but then you have other gentrified pockets like fountain square and Broadripple.
I feel like the suburbs between the two cities are a wash (both having nice suburbs). Carmel and Fishers get a ton of press for Indianapolis and for good reason but Columbus's suburbs have been improving themselves over time.
Indy definitely has the pro sports thing going for it (even though the BIG10 conference is headquartered in Indy ironically). Whereas the Buckeyes are the "big deal" in Columbus (you also have the Blue Jackets, the Crew, etc. but without a doubt college football is king in Columbus).
I've always seen these two cities as sister cities with a lot in common but some distinct differences. Both, as mentioned, have crime problems. I feel that Indy's are highlighted more often, maybe they're worse... honestly not entirely sure but I've never felt terribly unsafe in either city when I'm near downtown. Both are affordable places to live without a doubt.
Quite honestly I like the idea of moving back to Columbus or somewhere in Ohio (probably near Cincinnati near the river) but my wife prefers the homeschooling laws here in Indiana so she wants us to stay here for the time being.
Indy's downtown is much more centralized around monument square but then you have other gentrified pockets like fountain square and Broadripple.
Uh, that would be "monument circle", as in the Soldier's and Sailor's monument.
I think the assessment is pretty much spot-on. While Indianapolis has a lot of nice gentrified and updated areas, they're a bit of a hodgepodge as far as location. I had a business associate who lived in Bexley, and it was a beautiful area, not something I think is comparable t anything in Indianapolis.
I will say that while dated, the collection of monuments and historical buildings in the downtown area are pretty cool. Places like the Scottish Rite cathedral are pretty darned impressive and beautiful to look at.
Uh, that would be "monument circle", as in the Soldier's and Sailor's monument.
I think the assessment is pretty much spot-on. While Indianapolis has a lot of nice gentrified and updated areas, they're a bit of a hodgepodge as far as location. I had a business associate who lived in Bexley, and it was a beautiful area, not something I think is comparable t anything in Indianapolis.
I will say that while dated, the collection of monuments and historical buildings in the downtown area are pretty cool. Places like the Scottish Rite cathedral are pretty darned impressive and beautiful to look at.
RM
You're totally right. I meant to say Monument circle but was thinking fountain square so I messed that up while typing haha.
You're totally right. I meant to say Monument circle but was thinking fountain square so I messed that up while typing haha.
Hee. No problem. I can understand the confusion.
RM
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