Is Indianapolis a bad place to live (South Bend, Gary: apartment, rent)

[missteacherlady]

I have a cousin who lives in Indy and she says "I can't wait to leave!" She always says "there's nothing in this city." Now, having lived in Gary and South Bend, I can't figure out why she would say this... I have never lived in Indy, but even I know it has more going on than where I've lived! When I'm there, Indy is cool to me... but I don't live there so... Is Indianapolis a bad place to live?

[sweetana3]

What does your cousin want? Maybe it is because she/he has not found a relationship? Maybe it is a job issue? It could be the same anywhere they live.

Indy is fine. I have lived here since 1978 and it has only gotten better. You should have lived here in 1978, it was a lot less interesting.

[Zoo Animals On Wheels]

I've noticed that Indiana seems to have a lot more negativity coming from the people who live here than do most other places. Just a general attitude of "This is the worst state in the world," etc. The striking thing about it is, the people who say this typically have lived here their whole lives and only visited other places briefly. Thus, they seem to have the idea that the rest of the world is a magical fairyland where all things are possible. In other words, they are deluded and blame Indiana for any unhappiness or unfulfillment in their own lives while they fantasize that life would be wonderful if only they lived anywhere else. Meanwhile, they hem and haw and don't ever take any active steps to leave this horrible state that is supposedly keeping them down.

To sum up: If you like Indy, you may continue to do so without worrying that your cousin knows better.

[PixiStix]

The grass is always greener....... Yup, I was one of those. Lived in Indiana all my life-the last 12 years in the Indy (Hendricks County) area. Now I will say I never hated living here but I was so desperate to move to Florida, something I've always dreamed about. The ocean, the sun, the palm trees- Paradise right?! Wrong- I was in Florida all of 2 months before I realized "What the h*ll have we done!?" Trust me, I enjoyed Florida much more as a tourist than a resident. You get a totally different perspective when you are one or the other. Now I dream of coming back to my nice little neighborhood, the great school 5 minutes away from my house, great neighbors our age with kids ours kids age who run in packs during the summer. A nice driver who will wave you in or someone you run into by surprise that you, your brother, mom or dad went to school with, SEASONS, a sense of community- I could go on.. I've learned my lesson. I lost all that when I moved to Florida. It took me getting out to realize what a wonderful place Indiana is & Indy is for that matter. Once we move back, I'm never leaving again- & I'm great with that. This is where I know my kids should be raised. That doesn't mean I don't want to travel & get out there to experience other parts of the country & world. But Indiana will always remain 'home base' for me. We hope our kids will choose to go to college where my husband did so that may take us back to southern Indiana one day. Again, great- that's where I was raised & my family remains.

Sounds like your cousin needs to leave. Maybe Indy doesn't offer what she wants in life. That's fine. But she might just be surprised what she's taking for granted when she goes elsewhere. So to answer your question- No, Indy (& surrounding areas) is not a horrible place to live but it won't be the perfect place for everyone. No place such as that exists.

[screamingturnip]

Originally Posted by missteacherlady

I have a cousin who lives in Indy and she says "I can't wait to leave!" She always says "there's nothing in this city." Now, having lived in Gary and South Bend, I can't figure out why she would say this... I have never lived in Indy, but even I know it has more going on than where I've lived! When I'm there, Indy is cool to me... but I don't live there so... Is Indianapolis a bad place to live?

Honestly, there's stuff here but you can't always get to it. We've got a kinda padlocked cookie jar thing going on. Someone in marion county INDoT believes roads to be a privilege. Someone in INDYgo believes that buses are a punishment. I like my city, but if you're young the city doesn't like you.

[Colts]

Originally Posted by acegirl

The grass is always greener....... Yup, I was one of those. Lived in Indiana all my life-the last 12 years in the Indy (Hendricks County) area. Now I will say I never hated living here but I was so desperate to move to Florida, something I've always dreamed about. The ocean, the sun, the palm trees- Paradise right?! Wrong- I was in Florida all of 2 months before I realized "What the h*ll have we done!?" Trust me, I enjoyed Florida much more as a tourist than a resident. You get a totally different perspective when you are one or the other. Now I dream of coming back to my nice little neighborhood, the great school 5 minutes away from my house, great neighbors our age with kids ours kids age who run in packs during the summer. A nice driver who will wave you in or someone you run into by surprise that you, your brother, mom or dad went to school with, SEASONS, a sense of community- I could go on.. I've learned my lesson. I lost all that when I moved to Florida. It took me getting out to realize what a wonderful place Indiana is & Indy is for that matter. Once we move back, I'm never leaving again- & I'm great with that. This is where I know my kids should be raised. That doesn't mean I don't want to travel & get out there to experience other parts of the country & world. But Indiana will always remain 'home base' for me. We hope our kids will choose to go to college where my husband did so that may take us back to southern Indiana one day. Again, great- that's where I was raised & my family remains.

Sounds like your cousin needs to leave. Maybe Indy doesn't offer what she wants in life. That's fine. But she might just be surprised what she's taking for granted when she goes elsewhere. So to answer your question- No, Indy (& surrounding areas) is not a horrible place to live but it won't be the perfect place for everyone. No place such as that exists.

I'd give you a rep point but I have to spread it around some more

[REM]

Indy is an ok city (this is coming from a 17 year old) but it's just not for me. But even i have to say there are alot of things to do in the city just not nearly as much as NYC, which is where i want to live. Alot of people now want to live that LA lifestyle, the perfect people, perfect weather, that kind of stuff. So it's no wonder that alot of young people don't like indy.

[Zoo Animals On Wheels]

Originally Posted by REM

Indy is an ok city (this is coming from a 17 year old) but it's just not for me. But even i have to say there are alot of things to do in the city just not nearly as much as NYC, which is where i want to live. Alot of people now want to live that LA lifestyle, the perfect people, perfect weather, that kind of stuff. So it's no wonder that alot of young people don't like indy.

"Perfect" means different things to different people. For instance, NYC has lots of cultural activities and nightlife, but unless you're making $125K per year, you're sharing a small apartment over a Korean restaurant with two or three roommates to make the rent. Seriously.

L.A. has great weather and lots of sunny days - that is, the few times you can see the sun as it peeks through the miasma of brown smog that still hovers over the city. It's not exactly cheap to live there, either. And those "perfect" people start getting plastic surgery in their early 30s to try to maintain that facade of perfection.

I'm not putting those cities down...honestly. They DO have attractions, clearly. But they also have drawbacks. Just like everywhere else.

[Joe_Ryder]

Some folks are determined to be bored and unhappy anywhere they live.

The people who complain of boredom are the same ones who are shocked to discover there's a massive park two blocks from the house they've lived in for 15 years.

[REM]

Originally Posted by Zoo Animals On Wheels

"Perfect" means different things to different people. For instance, NYC has lots of cultural activities and nightlife, but unless you're making $125K per year, you're sharing a small apartment over a Korean restaurant with two or three roommates to make the rent. Seriously.

Why does eveyone think this about New York?! Yes, the rent is high (not even going to debate that) but there are many many free and cheap events in new york everyday, not to mention all the bargans like paying less than 20$ on a random friday at the MMOA.


I

Originally Posted by Zoo Animals On Wheels

'm not putting those cities down...honestly. They DO have attractions, clearly. But they also have drawbacks. Just like everywhere else.

True, but you also can't deny that there are way more opportunities in those cities than here.