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Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

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  • #16
    Re: Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

    Originally posted by Peck View Post
    BTW, I love Georgetown. Great great part of the DC Metro area. However going a few blocks north and south of there made me very very nervous.
    when i think of sketchy parts of dc, bethesda tops the list...

    what do you mean by nervous? north along wisconsin avenue you go georgetown to american university / tenleytown then to bethesda/chevy chase to rockville and gaithersburg (the last 3 are similar to the castleton-carmel area). south you get to the national mall or the potomac and arlington. when was the last time you were in DC, because a lot has changed. 10 years ago the area i work in (gallery place / chinatown) was quite seedy and unsafe. but now the verizon center is right here, the new convention center, streets are lined with stores/restaurants ... it has changed dramatically.

    i'm not gonna say DC is really safe: the bank in the bottom of our building has been robbed 6 times (not to mention various other fatal stabbings and shootings) in the 16 months i've been here.

    Is there nightlife here? We will never be confused with southbeach but again it is there.
    just find foul monday, you'll have a blast

    Traffic is no real problem. Believe me when we b@tch and moan about 465 and all of the other artery roads we really don't have a clue. I know people who have to sit for up to 2 hours almost every Monday trying to get on the Dan Ryan in Chicago.
    oddly traffic isn't horrific in DC. it is mainly that the people on the road don't know how to drive. DC/MD/VA also have no idea how to handle snow. the federal gov. completely shuts down after an inch or two.
    This is the darkest timeline.

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    • #17
      Re: Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

      Originally posted by avoidingtheclowns View Post
      oddly traffic isn't horrific in DC. it is mainly that the people on the road don't know how to drive. DC/MD/VA also have no idea how to handle snow. the federal gov. completely shuts down after an inch or two.
      *nods head*

      Today should be really fun...can't wait to leave work...thank god I can walk and take the metro.

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      • #18
        Re: Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

        I've lived in Indy, Detroit, and New Jersey. No way do I want to ride a commuter train. My brother did it when he lived in Chicago. I don't think he minded it. It's just not for me. When I lived in Detroit walking ANYWHERE was the LAST thing I would have done.

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        • #19
          Re: Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

          I moved from Indy to Charlotte, NC in 1999 due to my job relocating. The first year or two we hated it. Now I wouldn't change the move for anything. I love the Charlotte area, there is lots to do, although we're not the partying kind, we're the raising a family and set in our career types.

          We loved Indy too and it was hard to move away from family, but over time, most of my family has moved away due to jobs or retirement. Out of my 5 siblings, only one remains in Indy now, all the others have moved all over the country.

          I had the opportunity about 2 years ago to move back to Indy, with a really good job offer. But after my wife and I talked about it, we decided that we enjoyed the Charlotte area too much and decided to stay here.

          The weather was a factor in it, as the weather in Charltte is great. There is a long spring summer and fall, and very little winter. I started playing golf when I moved down here and thanks to living in Charlotte, I play pretty much year round now. As a matter of fact, I was on the golf course on Christmas eve.

          Also we are less than 2 hours form the mountains and 2.5 hours from the beachs. So we can go either route for quick get aways with completely different activities.

          The fact of the matter is the decision has to be based upon what you are looking for out of your city. We liked Charlotte alot because the city is similar to Indy, but not overgrown yet. Still a lot of areas where you can be out of the hustle of the city, but still have access to all of the city amenities.

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          • #20
            Re: Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

            Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
            But the deal clincher for me is that the Pacers are here, so I stay here. (I won't admit to that in my real life, but in this forumn, I'll admit the truth - pacers are a big reason why I stay
            I'm glad I'm not the only one that has this mindset.

            Personally, I'm from Chicago, I live and go to school there now. So I'm totally used to being in a massive city, and I really prefer that type of a life. However, I am moving to Indianapolis to work in talk sports radio after I graduate, and I have been there extensively. I love the downtown Indianapolis area as much as almost any city I've been to, and I've been all around the world frankly. I've honestly had (almost) as much fun in Indianapolis as I have in Hong Kong, Barcelona, Chicago, New York, even Amsterdam and Vegas.

            I love that the downtown area is very compact, because it is so lively and has such a nice small big city feel. Leading up to Colts games is so cool, their success has done wonders for Indy's atmosphere.

            Its also really amazing to me how much the city is developing. I remember Indianapolis very well the first time I came for a Pacers game over 15 years ago, and the city has changed so much. I think in 15 more years it will be even better, it really is a city on the rise.

            Granted though, if it weren't for the Colts and especially for the Pacers there is no way I'd be moving there. I'd probably live in San Diego, Seattle or here in Chicago if the Pacers were to not exist.

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            • #21
              Re: Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

              I didn't give the Pacers or Colts any thought at all when I decided to move down here to Florida. I kept getting a bad cold every winter and it started hanging on longer and longer. The last winter it happened I vowed I was moving to Florida the next time I felt one coming on. I moved down here Dec. 11, 1994 and I haven't really regretted it. The main reason is I truly think I would be dead if I had stayed in Indiana.

              I've been here over 13 years now and only had one mild cold, and my sister brought that down here with her on a visit.

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              • #22
                Re: Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

                I decided to bump this because I am still weighing my options.

                I was looking at real estate in Broad Ripple yesterday online and was just amazed by how low some of the prices are.

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                • #23
                  Re: Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

                  Yeah - the real estate sticker shock going from the coast to the rust belt can make you giddy. You could buy a sizable portion of Marion County for what a small condo in Chinatown costs in DC.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

                    Originally posted by dcpacersfan View Post
                    I decided to bump this because I am still weighing my options.

                    I was looking at real estate in Broad Ripple yesterday online and was just amazed by how low some of the prices are.

                    1. Indianapolis is THE most affordable large city in the US. That is a solid, perennial fact.

                    2. Peck's comments above still hold true. Indianapolis doesn't offer you as many things to do as Washington, but there is plenty to do here -- more than you will ever be able to actually keep up with. The theater does really well here. We've got enough venues for live music to keep you interested, with the same caliber of artists as come to Washington. Indy has a great variety of community activities, from the ordinary to the eclectic. There is ballroom dancing with a live orchestra every Friday night at Fountain Square. There is a huge interest in canine agility and herding trials. There are folk music societies of all kinds. If you like car racing, we've got some of that, too.

                    3. I'm not sure what work you do or what you've studied. But the job market here is pretty good, and is expanding in several lucrative industries.

                    4. No beaches? No mountains? No problem. Living here, you can afford to travel to Colorado for a week every winter, or to the Eastern Shore for a week every summer. That is more than 95% of the residents of Denver/Washington do in a typical year, anyway. If theater is your thing, you can save the money and take a trip to New York a see a couple of shows every year more easily than you can save the money living in Manhattan. And I might add that we've got magnificant forests here, and plenty of recreational water.

                    5. I left Washington DC in 1992 after living there 5 years. I attended Georgetown grad school and then worked on K Street. I loved the Red Line train and wish I was riding mass transit today instead of driving 96 miles a day from the country to downtown Indy. My wife had never lived in Indiana before, but she says it is just fine. The worst thing about Indiana, she says, is that Hoosiers can be annoying with the way they moan about not being as good as Ohio.

                    6. If you decide to move, be sure and spend a lot of time at ALL of the Smithsonian buildings. There is nothing like the Smithsonian Institution and you're lucky to be near it. Don't move until you've exhausted those opportunities.


                    What town did you live in before moving to Washington?
                    Last edited by Putnam; 07-10-2008, 02:20 PM.
                    And I won't be here to see the day
                    It all dries up and blows away
                    I'd hang around just to see
                    But they never had much use for me
                    In Levelland. (James McMurtry)

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                    • #25
                      Re: Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

                      Originally posted by Putnam View Post

                      2. Peck's comments above still hold true. Indianapolis doesn't offer you as many things to do as Washington, but there is plenty to do here -- more than you will ever be able to actually keep up with. The theater does really well here. We've got enough venues for live music to keep you interested, with the same caliber of artists as come to Washington. Indy has a great variety of community activities, from the ordinary to the eclectic. There is ballroom dancing with a live orchestra every Friday night at Fountain Square. There is a huge interest in canine agility and herding trials. There are folk music societies of all kinds. If you like car racing, we've got some of that, too.
                      When I was a kid my parents would always get seasonal tickets to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. I always enjoyed that, I was really into Symphony on the Prairie, and a few times a year we would go see something at Clowes Hall. As long as those things are still there and the live music is to the caliber it was a couple of years ago before my sister moved to Chicago, I think everything in that regard will be okay. Besides, from talking to her I know there is way more than that out there. With more disposable income (I think I will have more) I'd even looking into possibly getting Pacers season tickets in a couple of years. Also I come from a pretty close family, most of who live in Indiana, and frankly at times I get frustrated listening to the small trips and other things they go out and do together because that was an important part of my childhood and I know now I am missing out. So I think everything will be fine regarding entertainment.

                      3. I'm not sure what work you do or what you've studied. But the job market here is pretty good, and is expanding in several lucrative industries.
                      I was an IR major in college but I sort of lost interest near the end of my time at GW and just finished it out because of the time and money it would have cost to switch majors during the second semester of my junior year. Really, I am unsure of what I want to do...what I can say is I guess I am more social science oriented.

                      One quick question, though. Did you get a job in Indiana before moving there or did you start searching for a job when you moved?

                      4. No beaches? No mountains? No problem. Living here, you can afford to travel to Colorado for a week every winter, or to the Eastern Shore for a week every summer. That is more than 95% of the residents of Denver/Washington do in a typical year, anyway. If theater is your thing, you can save the money and take a trip to New York a see a couple of shows every year more easily than you can save the money living in Manhattan. And I might add that we've got magnificant forests here, and plenty of recreational water.
                      One really frustrating thing for us is that we can't travel hardly at all, mostly because of money. Not to mention she hasn't left the DC area in a couple of years now, she is just working constantly, and I can tell that it is eating at her more every day. So more disposable income to be more fluid would be great. Her family is in Jamaica so we need to have more money to travel.

                      5. I left Washington DC in 1992 after living there 5 years. I attended Georgetown grad school and then worked on K Street. I loved the Red Line train and wish I was riding mass transit today instead of driving 96 miles a day from the country to downtown Indy. My wife had never lived in Indiana before, but she says it is just fine. The worst thing about Indiana, she says, is that Hoosiers can be annoying with the way they moan about not being as good as Ohio.
                      I have a love/hate relationship with Metro, that will be the hardest part about leaving if I decide to. I am incredibly tight with money, and while I hate the constant darn train delays Metro is a cheap option and I love not having to pay car insurance or have a car payment like I did back in High School. I guess though, with the extra money, it will be affordable.

                      6. If you decide to move, be sure and spend a lot of time at ALL of the Smithsonian buildings. There is nothing like the Smithsonian Institution and you're lucky to be near it. Don't move until you've exhausted those opportunities.
                      The Smithsonian is awesome and will be hard to leave behind if I choose to go. I love art and the art collections they have there are top notch.

                      What town did you live in before moving to Washington?
                      Shelbyville, which if you don't know it, is the seat of Shelby County, has about 18,000 people, and something like 25-30 miles southeast of Indianapolis.

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                      • #26
                        Re: Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

                        Like you're going to do what we say anyway.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

                          Originally posted by btowncolt View Post
                          Yeah - the real estate sticker shock going from the coast to the rust belt can make you giddy. You could buy a sizable portion of Marion County for what a small condo in Chinatown costs in DC.
                          I know, you see a million dollar townhouse in Foggy Bottom and then a much bigger home in Broad Ripple for like a 10th of the price, it gets very tempting.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

                            Originally posted by Twes View Post
                            Like you're going to do what we say anyway.

                            I need some unbiased commentary. My friends from Indiana yell COME BACK where my friends in DC want me to stay.

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                            • #29
                              Re: Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

                              Originally posted by dcpacersfan View Post
                              I need some unbiased commentary. My friends from Indiana yell COME BACK where my friends in DC want me to stay.
                              My advice would be to check out areas of the country you have interest in when you are young with no ties.

                              Sounds like you already have ties.

                              The reality is most of us have to go where the jobs are too.

                              I tried hard to find a job long distance in Alaska years ago but never made it.

                              Obviously we're all so different it's impossible to chose for someone else. I've found even different stages of life you have very different thoughts on where you'd live.

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                              • #30
                                Re: Thinking about a move "back" to Indianapolis...should I or shouldn't I?

                                Originally posted by Putnam View Post
                                My wife had never lived in Indiana before, but she says it is just fine. The worst thing about Indiana, she says, is that Hoosiers can be annoying with the way they moan about not being as good as Ohio.

                                What?

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