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Indianapolis, Indiana -- What is it like to live there?


Catwoman
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It's me again, starting my second "what's it like to live in this place" thread. :blush:

 

As I have mentioned in other threads, we are planning to move to a new place within the next year, so we can be near a good liver transplant center for my dh. One of the centers we are considering is Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis. They have a great reputation, extremely high success rates, and they seem very friendly and helpful.

 

So.... what's it like to live in the Indianapolis area? We would prefer to live within an hour's drive from the hospital (closer than that, if possible.)

 

We will be homeschooling ds13 through high school, so it would be great if there were other families hsing high schoolers there, as well. One of our main concerns is finding a place that will be good for our ds.

 

Crime rates are a big concern for us, and I'm also worried about things like tornadoes (mainly because they aren't really an issue here in the NYC area, and I don't know that much about how prevalent they are in Indianapolis.)

 

We are still at a very preliminary stage right now, and we haven't visited the area yet, so I don't have any super-specific questions, but we will be visiting transplant centers within the next month or thereabouts, and any information about nice towns and neighborhoods (or places we should avoid) would be incredibly helpful. When we visit, we will be there for at least a week, so we will have time to meet with a Realtor and see some homes, but rather than simply trusting an agent I don't know, I wanted to post here and get some advice from people I trust.

 

Any info at all would be very helpful.

 

Thanks!!! :)

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I've lived within an hour of Indy my entire life.

 

As far as crime, it depends on where you are. I'd avoid the Eastside of Indianapolis if at all possible---there have been about a dozen shootings in the past month or so (mostly gang related, but still). You might want to try the suburbs on the north side of Indy (Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield, or Zionsville) all are really nice places, and about a half hour or so from the hospital.

 

Tornadoes: Yes they do occur, mainly in the spring (but can happen anytime, there was one here last week). I'd recommend getting a weather radio, it'll alert you if there is an issue. The threat of tornadoes doesn't scare me all that much mainly because you really can't do much about them---you get the warning, take cover, and hope for the best.

 

There is quite a bit to do in Indy---lots of parks, an orchestra, and a free art museum.

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We live just north of Indianapolis (about 30 minutes) in a city called Carmel. We love it here. Some other areas you could check out are Westfield, Fishers, Noblesville and Zionsville. I no longer homeschool but I know there is a homeschooling presence. 

 

Further north (about 1hr and 45 min) is Fort Wayne. We loved it there too. 

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

ETA: Tornadoes can happen. We haven't experienced one in our 5 years of living in Indiana. However, I would recommend a basement and a storm radio :)  

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We just moved to Carmel, IN (less than 30 min. north of downtown Indy) back in November. I recommend looking at the suburbs of Carmel/Westfield, Noblesville, Fishers and Zionsville.

 

My older son, who just graduated from our homeschool, took 2 classes in the spring at a homeschool program in Fishers. It's a GREAT program, but does cost.

 

My younger son ran track in the spring with a similar type group that meets in Carmel. He'll be running Cross Country with them in the fall and also taking classes. It costs also.

 

There's a couple of more homeschool classes where you pay for the classes and then at least one true-blue co-op (moms teach) that also include middle and high school classes.

 

There's some homeschool sports teams also (football and basketball). The program that meets in Fishers that I mentioned has a tennis team.

 

The area is nice. I know that the suburbs I mentioned have low crime. There's always something fun going on in these communities and in Indy.

 

We just moved from an area in TN that had been hit HARD by tornados a lot over the past 10 years. They do have them in this area, but I've not heard sirens yet since I moved here.

 

 

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Thanks for all of the suggestions! Until now, the only place I'd been considering was Carmel, but now I have some other ideas as well. I am also very relieved that tornadoes are a possibility,but not a definite, frequent occurrence.

 

What's the story about the Carmel Arts and Design District? Is it a fun, busy area, or is it nothing special? All of the photos I have seen of Carmel, and many of the Realtor.com listings, have been very nice!

 

Also, does anyone have any opinions on Indiana University Hospital? Is it in a safe area?

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Years ago we lived in Danville - Hendricks county - short commute out...or at least it was back then because Avon, which we passed through to get to Danville, hadn't grown up much. We went to church in Plainsfield. We loved it! It has always been our favorite location of all the places we have lived and that says a lot because we adored Newburg, Oregon. Danville was quiet living, close enough in to take advantage of the city without experiencing city life. We had a lovely and affordable three bedroom house with a huge yard on a cul de sac down by the town park which was wonderful for dd. When we had to move because of dh's job, I was heart broken. Our neighbors were the best we have ever had hands down and it was just one of those "salt of the earth" kinds of places. I substitute taught in the public school and at a private school not far from Avon and back then, thoroughly enjoyed it and rarely had problems with children or administration. My music studio was full and the parents paid on time! It was kind of idyllic.

 

Shoot, if it weren't for elderly relatives here, I'd be very, very tempted to dump everything and run back. It will always feel like home.

 

Oh, and the children's museum was wonderful as well as the zoo. Race weekend....well, everywhere around the city, even the outlying areas can get very hectic, so we always planned to just stay home. Other than that, we just loved Indianapolis and the westside of the loop.

 

Faith

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I've never lived in Indy, but live in Bloomington for many years and worked in Greenwood for a while.   I agree with PP - good Cost of Living, etc.   The only thing negative that I can think of it is a little bland, vanilla, and dull suburbia.   That's really not a bad criticism, especially when other things are important to you.    There are some areas that are more interesting.   They do have an awesome Children's Museum and a good Zoo.       

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I lived in Castleton during middle school and I loved it... I was sad to move away.  It's one of the places I would move to if it worked out that way.  Fishers, Carmel, and Noblesville are great cities to consider.  Let us know what you decide!  :)

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Our family is moving there in three weeks.  I've lived in West Lafayette and visited Indy a bunch, but never lived there.  It is very friendly, has four seasons, the COL is amazing (my husband laughed when he found out our new mortgage payments).  We are moving to Washington Twnsp and there are a lot of houses for sale in the neighborhood into which we are moving.  Coming from Tokyo and DC it is a liitle...slow compared but I look forward to getting there.  Anyone willing to have a meetup?  I'd love to meet other HSing families in the area. 

 

OH!  Can anyone give me any recommendations for a pediatrician or family practitioner  in NW Indy?  Vaccination flexible (especially flu, Guardasil, and chicken pox), homeschool friendly a super plus!

 

Thanks and hope to meet y'all soon,

Yael

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I grew up an hour from Indy and visit a couple of times a year since I still have family there.  My mom did a cancer treatment trial at the IU hospital a short time ago, and I was able to accompany her to one of her visits.  The hospital is not in a bad part of town, as it's right next to the IUPUI campus.  Parking was easily accessible, staff was amazingly friendly, etc.

 

There are all kinds of outlying communities that are an easy commute to the city, and if the "vanilla suburbs" thing concerns you, there are plenty of great areas nearer the city in which to live.  Of course you get less house and less land for more money there, but I have family members who live in areas like Broad Ripple and love it.  I'm more of a suburbs girl myself.

 

Oh, and tornadoes?--heard plenty of sirens growing up and had regular tornado drills at school, but never actually experienced one.  Most homes have basements, which are great tornado safety zones. 

 

Great place to live, IMHO.  I'd consider moving back except for one thing--winter!  I've spent the last 17 years in Florida, snow and cold are definitely something I do not miss.

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Hi Cat,

 

I like how you are researching these cities to discern the best fit for your dh and family needs, etc. 

 

I'm from Cols, OH (my family goes way back in Ohio for generations).  B/C that is close to "Indy", I used to travel there all the time after my sister was married.  Now, that's quite some time ago, but as I remember, Indy is a nice, welcoming city.  Much of Indiana is rural and fairly flat "prairie land" and b/c it's in the mid-west, there will be tornadoes every now and then.  Think: not often.  Don't let that stop you if you decide on Indy.  Just like any other city, there is an issue to consider. 

 

 

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Thanks for all of the suggestions! Until now, the only place I'd been considering was Carmel, but now I have some other ideas as well. I am also very relieved that tornadoes are a possibility,but not a definite, frequent occurrence.

 

What's the story about the Carmel Arts and Design District? Is it a fun, busy area, or is it nothing special? All of the photos I have seen of Carmel, and many of the Realtor.com listings, have been very nice!

 

Also, does anyone have any opinions on Indiana University Hospital? Is it in a safe area?

 

I live a couple of blocks away from Carmel's A&D District. It's really their downtown area. I think this area initially had a couple of art galleries, but they didn't do well. There's good eats and higher end shopping there. Also a gift shop, neat antique store, a barber shop, a salon, a butcher shop (neat!), couple of ice cream shops, and The Worlds Smallest Museum (cute). When the weather is nice, there's lots of weekends with music. The Monon Trail (google this...it's neat) goes through there also. The library is just one block outside the official A&D district. This library is AMAZING!  Since we are walking distance to the library, my teen sons walk there a couple of times a week (this library even has a nice large section of graphic novels and a HUGE selection of movies, documentaries and music cds).

 

If you like to walk, run or bike for fitness, you'll love this area. Carmel is set up nicely for these activities, especially the Monon Trail. Also, check out the Monon Center.  There's a monthly fee to be a member and use the workout stuff, but anyone can use the *nice* walking track above the bb courts. I head over there a lot in the winter.

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We have good friends that moved from Ann Arbor, MI to Bloomington, IN about 7 years ago. The husband is now a tenured prof at Indiana University, so they're staying :) .  I guess Bloomington has a nice college town vibe like Ann Arbor.  It's an hour away from Indianapolis.

 

They do seem to get a lot of severe weather, though!  He does EMT and weather spotting stuff on the side and is never bored.

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Wow, this is great!!!

 

Indiana sounds like such a nice place to live! I'm making a list of all the places that have been suggested, and am looking online for info about all of them. :)

 

So far, I have started checking into Danville, Zionsville, and Carmel, and all three towns look really nice, and there are some lovely homes for sale in all of them. I liked it that all of the towns seem to have a good variety of homes for sale in different price ranges, too. I showed my dh some listings last night and he was very impressed at how lovely the homes were and how well-priced they were... and then I told him the property taxes -- and he thought the amounts I quoted were bi-monthly or quarterly, so when I told him those were the annual taxes, I think he was pretty much ready to pack up and move immediately. :D. (Real estate taxes are crazy high here!)

 

I'm going to check out every single place that you guys have suggested -- I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate all of your help and advice, because I have lived my entire life in the NYC area, so moving halfway across the country seems like such a huge deal to me. I know a lot of people move around frequently, so they probably think I'm being a big baby about it, but it's nice that no one has actually com right out and told me to suck it up and deal with it (yet!) ;)

 

We are still considering the Jacksonville, FL area because the Mayo Clinic is there, but the Indianapolis suburbs seem to have far lower crime rates than I'm finding in Florida, and that's a major concern for me. Ultimately, the decision will be weighted heavily toward whichever liver transplant center seems best for my dh, and we won't have a good feel for that until we visit both places. (Statistically, they are both excellent, so it may come down to whichever place is friendliest and which doctors seem the most caring.)

 

Thanks again for everything -- please keep posting any ideas and suggestions you may have!

 

One other question -- does anyone know if a lot of people homeschool through high school in that part of Indiana? It's getting harder to find friends for my dh in our area, so I'm hoping our new location will be better.

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I don't have personal knowledge, Cat, but from the DOE and some other websites, I'd suggest it must be fairly common. The DOE lists that IU has an online high school program for homeschoolers to earn an accredited diploma from the IU high school. Also, there is more than one homeschool basketball team that plays in leagues with other schools and they have their own websites. So, some communities somewhere at least in the north burbs are homeschooling through high school in enough numbers to have teams organized and playing ball well enough to be playing class C/D schools and it looks like probably both public and private. Whether or not these are traditionally homeschooled with a parent pretty much directing everything, I don't know...could be a lot of them are using the IU program and that's how they maintain a schedule because everyone has their online courses at the same time. Just don't know, but I thought I'd throw that out there.

 

The wildcats was one of the homeschool basketball teams. Also, there is a homeschool group called "Brightstars" from Hendricks county, so that would be the Danville/Plainfield/Avon area. Here is the website with their contact information:

 

http://www.home-school.com/groups/IN.html

 

You could probably email them and ask them how many of their member families homeschool through high school or if they have any statistics on this.

 

Faith

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So I'll add my thoughts.  We currently live in Carmel, but we have also lived in Indianapolis.  We have really enjoyed Indiana.  The people here are nice -- but I've honestly never lived anywhere where I didn't find the people to be nice.  I like the four seasons and all of the trees in the fall.  I grew up in Nebraska and so I'm used to tornado warnings, but I don't worry about tornadoes too much.  

 

I don't know too much about the homeschool climate here as I am sending my son to public school.  I do know that the library has some homeschool programs as does the Children's museum, but they might be for younger grades.  One benefit of Carmel is that it has over 60 roundabouts and so traffic feels really easy here if you're just driving through town.  Even if you have to go downtown from here it's not too bad.  Fishers is another nice community as well, but you'll hit more traffic going to downtown from there, but housing can be cheaper.  

 

Another benefit of Indiana is that it's within a day's drive (which I consider 12 hours) of lots of places.  Within a day I can drive to Florida, D.C., NYC, Tennessee, Nebraska, etc.  One thing that I do wish that Indianapolis had is an Ikea.  The closest one is in Cincinnati. 

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We've always thought of Indianapolis as "the promised land" -- where we'd really like to live if dh's work would cooperate (hasn't happened yet).  I have many relatives there and in the surrounding area.  My sister is in Broad Ripple, which she really likes.  

 

My bff from high school runs an awesome children's theater group in Indy.  I know she has homeschoolers in her group, but I don't know how many or what ages.

 

The weather can be exciting at times.  We've almost always lived in tornado-land, so it's not something I really dwell on.  You learn how to prepare for it, then get on with your life.  I suspect people in earthquake areas or hurricane areas feel much the same way.

 

My aunt was treated for cancer at IU hospital, and the entire family was very positive about the care she received.

 

Overall, I'd move there in a heartbeat. 

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  One thing that I do wish that Indianapolis had is an Ikea.  The closest one is in Cincinnati. 

 

Hello from Carmel :) I feel like the lack of IKEA is the only inconvenience to living here. I can't complain though!

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LOL about Ikea! We have two of them within about a 45 minute drive, and we only go there a few times a year. We found that when we went more often, Ikea lost a lot of the fun/novelty factor for us.

 

Of course, before they opened, I was sure we were missing out on something incredible, though! :D

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