ILoveRitalin Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 So my wife and I are thinking of a move out of California and I've been seeing a lot of Indianapolis on various t.v. shows and online lately. It looks like a nice city and it looks much, MUCH cheaper to live than here in Cali. What I want to know is, what's it really like? Are the winters harsh? How are the people? What are some of the areas around Indy that people recommend, like for schools, safe neighborhoods, red light districts, etc.? Seriously, I'm very interested in learning more about Indianapolis and life in Indiana. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scaparri Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 So my wife and I are thinking of a move out of California and I've been seeing a lot of Indianapolis on various t.v. shows and online lately. It looks like a nice city and it looks much, MUCH cheaper to live than here in Cali. What I want to know is, what's it really like? Are the winters harsh? How are the people? What are some of the areas around Indy that people recommend, like for schools, safe neighborhoods, red light districts, etc.? Seriously, I'm very interested in learning more about Indianapolis and life in Indiana. Cheers. Hey, up until this past January, I had lived my entire life within an hour of Indianapolis. I actually lived in urban Indianapolis from 8/06 to 12/07. It's a nice medium-sized city. It has all the luxuries of a major city, but with fewer people and less hellacious traffic. The downtown area is also very nice and seems to impress a lot of visitors. As far as areas to live, if you can afford it, the Carmel/northside area is the most popular, but also the richest and most expensive. Another popular, nice area is the Plainfield/Avon area on the west side. Honestly, if I were to live in Indy, that's the area I would choose to settle down in. Depending on how far out of the city you want to live, Greenwood is another nice option. It's a fairly large city that is about 20 minutes to the south of Indy, but not quite a suburb. I've had family there my entire life and I've always really liked the area. Try and avoid most areas within the 465 Loop unless they are on the northside. The nicer neighborhoods and schools are outside of the interstate loop. A lot of the schools within that loop are IPS (Indianapolis Public Schools) which are reportedly quite dreadful. Well respected high schools in the Indy area include Carmel, North Central, Hamilton Southeastern, Ben Davis, Lawrence Central, Cathedral (private), Bishop Chatard (private I believe) among others. I recommend Center Grove in Greenwood as well. The city is also very sports oriented. Indy is home to the NCAA headquarters, and because of that, the men's basketball Final Four is held every four years in the city. The Indianapolis Colts are also very popular, and auto racing has put Indy on the map for the last 100 years. It is actually known as the racing capitol of the world and is home to the highest single-day attendance sporting event in the Indianapolis 500. With the exception of the Colts, life in Indiana revolves around basketball (watch the movie "Hoosiers" with Gene Hackman and Dennis Quaid). High school basketball games are social gatherings in most towns and everybody loves either IU or Purdue basketball. Basketball is to Indiana what football is to Texas. Hope that helps a little. Let me know if there is anything else in particular you would like to know about. That is just a brief synopsis of some things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveRitalin Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 Thanks, Scaparri. That was quite detailed and exactly what I had in mind. How about the weather? How harsh are Indiana winters? My wife says not too much snow wherever we move. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceace12 Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 I live an hour south on 70. As Scrappi said, very sports town (Go Colts) and winters, if you are in the suburb, shouldnt' be bad. I know my town, the suburbs are not bad on snow removal. Winters, it can get as cold as about -5 extremely, but averages about 20 to 30 in the winter and snow wise, probably about 20 inches. Summer can get hot, 90's and hot and humid. OR can be like a few days ago, 70's and nice. The zoo has a credit! Park wise, within 5 hours you got Six Flags St. Louis and Kentucky Kingdom, Kings Island, Holiday World, Six Flags Great America and I think Cedar Point. Also, there is two ski places in Indiana. One is at Paoli, called Paoli Peaks and one is near Cinci call Perfect North Slopes in Lawerenceburg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scaparri Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 ^^No prob. Oh yeah, I forgot about the winters. I hate Indiana winters, but I'm sure they aren't bad compared to many places. The thing I don't like about them is how up-and-down they are. One day, it'll be 25 degrees and snowing, then the next few days it'll be -10 with the windchill and absolutely brutal, followed by a day where it is nearly 50 and all the snow turns to a muddy sludge. Then, repeat that process. Honestly, it really doesn't snow that much though. Usually, there are only 10-15 days where it snows to a point that you need to actually shovel your driveway and pathways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnage Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 (watch the movie "Hoosiers" with Gene Hackman and Dennis Quaid).. Boo!! I can't stand that movie. My parents made me watch it WAY too many times. I've heard way too many times how my parents first kiss was at that trophy case that the kid gets thrown into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveRitalin Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 Yeah, not a big fan of Hoosiers either, or of College Basketball. Oh well, at least I'd be close to several of my favorite parks and housing is dirt cheap. Thanks for all the great tips, guys. Keep them coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfBeastSucks Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 The weather isn't up and down only in winter, it is like that the entire year. As long as you don't live in a rural area, the city usually is good about snow removal, but it will definitely be a big change moving from California. Most of the time in winter, there isn't much snow. Despite that, the weather is usually very gloomy, which gets to me sometimes. It has rained a lot this year. Some days are sunny, but that doesn't mean that there won't be a major storm later in the day. Don't let your views on sports affect your decision. You can easily live a life here that isn't involved with sports in any way, except for the newspaper...and your taxes going towards building football stadiums. The front page of the Indianapolis Star much of the time is reserved for sports stories. We will be hosting the Super Bowl in '11 and because of that the downtown area is having a lot of things added and work done to it. I'm not much of a fan of the south side (Greenwood, Southport, etc) but it would be a decent choice for less traffic than the north side. Greg Ballard, the mayor of Indianapolis, is a nut case, but that won't affect you too much. Without a doubt, you should definitely spend a couple weeks here to see how you like the city and the varried weather before you make any major decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveRitalin Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 ^ Yep, we're definitely planning on checking it out for an extended period of time before we move. We've actually got a few cities in mind, but Indianapolis is the front runner which is why I'm so interested. I'm trying to convince the wife to visit near the end of August so we can get a taste of summer and maybe drive to Holiday World and maybe SFStL too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 We've actually got a few cities in mind, but Indianapolis is the front runner which is why I'm so interested. Just curious, what are some of the other cities in the running? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveRitalin Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 ^ Hartford, CT (big in the insurance industry, which is what I do ) Cedar Rapids, IA (my wife has family close to there) Somewhere either in New Jersey or across the border in Pennsylvania (my wife has family there too) Reno, NV (I know, don't ask...) Basically, those are the places we're considering because cost of living is much cheaper. Now you see why Indianapolis is HIGH on my list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceace12 Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 If you do choose Indy, I suggest trying to find a place to live in Plainfield. 10 minutes to the airport (around 15-20 for downtown), they have a water park, and major shopping outlets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 ^ Hartford, CT (big in the insurance industry, which is what I do ) Hey, there's nothing wrong with insurance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveRitalin Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 ^ Nothing at all wrong with insurance, it's just not something I ever wanted to do with my life. I don't think anyone ever wakes up one morning and says, "I think I want to work in the insurance business the rest of my life..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piggy4891 Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 As scaparri said in his first post, Carmel is probably one of the best places to live in Indiana. Technically, I live there because I have a Carmel address, but i go to Westfield schools which are among the most friendly and well-rounded in size in the state. Google Westfield, IN and Carmel, IN on Google Maps and you will see the distance between the two cities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angryemobeaver Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I live in the suburbs of Indianapolis (Greenwood). The southside of town is mainly suburbs. The southeast side is Beech Grove, which is a mix of suburbs and ghetto. The southwest side is corn and the airport. Downtown is really nice and barley ghetto. The north sides is.. well idk. The very north side (Carmel) is very nice, filled with rich people. My cousins used to live there but they moved to an even nicer huge house outside of Atlanta. The winters are pretty bad, we sometimes get no snow, and sometimes over a foot. Its very cold (can get below 0º), summer is usally in the mid-late 80's. It can get in the late 90's and in the low 50's in summer. It will be sunny and 90º once minute and the next it'll be a tornado and 60º! The good things are.. KI is only about an hour away, CP is only 5 hours away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveRitalin Posted July 9, 2008 Author Share Posted July 9, 2008 ^ Ummm, tornadoes? I thought that Indy might get tornadoes but I wasn't sure. That like, kind of sucks if tornadoes are a common occurrence... I'm not sure if I'd like that very much. Ok, let me rephrase that... I'm pretty DAG NABBIT GOL BLAM DARNIT sure I wouldn't like that very much. Everyone in our family that lives outside of California always questions how we can stand all the earthquakes. And I always tell them, better than friggin tornadoes or hurricanes... at least we don't get major 6.0 or 7.0 tremblors that cause major devastation every friggin YEAR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 ^ But hurricanes are still slightly better than tornados or earthquakes, because at least you have plenty of notice before the devastation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scaparri Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 ^ Ummm, tornadoes? I thought that Indy might get tornadoes but I wasn't sure. That like, kind of sucks if tornadoes are a common occurrence... I'm not sure if I'd like that very much. Ok, let me rephrase that... I'm pretty DAG NABBIT GOL BLAM DARNIT sure I wouldn't like that very much. Everyone in our family that lives outside of California always questions how we can stand all the earthquakes. And I always tell them, better than friggin tornadoes or hurricanes... at least we don't get major 6.0 or 7.0 tremblors that cause major devastation every friggin YEAR. Tornadoes aren't nearly as common as his post make them seem. Yes, tornadoes occur, but the chances of a tornado touching down more than once in the same area in a short period of time is highly unlikely. Not to mention, not all tornadoes tear the living hell out of a town like in Twister. In the 21 years I lived in my hometown, a tornado touched down once within the city limits and my house was perfectly fine, despite being within a quarter mile of the pathway. Yeah, there are a lot of "tornado watches" (Conditions are favorable for a tornado) throughout the year as well as the occasional "tornado warning" (take cover because a potentially tornado has been reported near the area) but they really don't pose that much of a threat. Nowadays, it's the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone that you should be worried about. We had a 5.0 earthquake back in 2002 and a 5.4 quake this past April. Who knows when that 8 pointer is going to rock the state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceace12 Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I second the fact about tornadoes occur, but not that often as it seems. Tornado warnings are issues more frequently now due to doplar radar indicting rotation, but that just means there is rotation. I have lived in my town, Terre Haute, for my whole life. I have never been in one, but a few have touched down that I know of. Most rarely do any major damage except Joe Bob's barn got destorys and his fences messed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveRitalin Posted July 9, 2008 Author Share Posted July 9, 2008 ^ That sucks for Joe Bob... Great, so now there are tornadoes AND earthquakes. Jeebus, can't a guy just pick a place to live where there aren't any worries about natural disasters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfBeastSucks Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 If you can handle heavy rain, thunder, and lightning, then you can handle a tornado. If you can't handle heavy rain, thunder, or lightning, then you shouldn't come anywhere near Indiana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angryemobeaver Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 ^ Ummm, tornadoes? I thought that Indy might get tornadoes but I wasn't sure. That like, kind of sucks if tornadoes are a common occurrence... I'm not sure if I'd like that very much. Ok, let me rephrase that... I'm pretty DAG NABBIT GOL BLAM DARNIT sure I wouldn't like that very much. Everyone in our family that lives outside of California always questions how we can stand all the earthquakes. And I always tell them, better than friggin tornadoes or hurricanes... at least we don't get major 6.0 or 7.0 tremblors that cause major devastation every friggin YEAR. We just had an earthquake in May. I think only a few people died, it wasnt major though. And i think we had a tornado a few days ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnage Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Just remember that tornadoes love trailer parks. So as long as you don't live in a trailer park you should be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBru Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Ever considered moving to Williamsburg, VA? I've heard that the climate up there is pretty steady, and never hear of Tornadoes, Earthquakes, or Huccicanes (ha) occuring there. With plenty of money, I'm sure you could buy a wonderful place in Kingswood (BGE would be in your backyard)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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