The worst choice we ever made - 8/18/2022

No car? This city is built for cars. Not friendly to pedestrians; the lack of sidewalks is confounding. Public transportation is limited, with a "spoke wheel" layout that is clunky and inefficient. Resources are not walkable unless you live downtown or near north. Make sure you've got $$$$ to spare, nothing is reasonable in those areas. Downtown? There's no there there. Mostly dark lawyer storefronts. The circle mall is a ghost town. Not pedestrian friendly. Add to all this, an underlying will towards resignation, a place where the town motto should be 'eh, we've always done it that way.' On a scale of 1 to 10, it gets a negative 3 and a bonus 'ick' for state politics.

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A little bit of it all. - 8/25/2021

This is a response to another review, but everything I say here is true and I have been a lifelong Indy resident and feel this needs said. The only factual part is about potholes and crime. The city needs to do better with the roads, that is a fact. The dumbass Mayor needs to let IMPD police the city and hire more officers and crime would be less. Just like any big city though, there is crime and murder. Many of the murders are located in certain areas and the crime are typically gang related and committed against other gangs. This is just the way big cities are. The IMPD does a great job with the resources they have. IFD is a top tier fire department and IEMS is a great medical provider. As for the water, Citizens gas/water is run by the city which helps keep the prices of natural gas and water reasonable. I have been drinking the city water for 40 years now and it tastes just fine. Unless you are a water snob like my wife who will only drink bottled water, the water is quite good. IPL/AES is pretty average for pricing and do a fairly good job with outages. To address the parks, Indy has many wonderful city and state parks within the county. One simply needs to.go find them. White River State Park contains the Zoo, an Ampitheather hosting the smaller crowd mainstream concerts and the downtown canal for a nice stroll. Eagle Creek Park has so many wonderful trails, as well as a sailing club. Ft. Harrison State Park is beautiful as well for hikes and bikes. Holiday Park on the north side is beautiful as well and this just names a few. Some parka have litter and aren't as well kept as they should be, but as a whole it's a good park system. Housing on the other hand, it all depends on what you can afford as to how well it is kept. There are many apartment communities that have option less than $1000/mo acroas the city. The nicer the area and the better the school district, the more you pay. It is simple supply and demand. Homes range from the upper $100k and up. In my area home values have risen quite a bit in the last 10 years to the average price between $185-250k and the newer homes being built nearby can range from the upper $200s up to $500s. Last but not least jobs. Jobs are plentiful right now if you are willing to do the work. Amazon hasany facilities around Indianapolis paying $16+/ hour. IU Health starts all at $16/hr.even Popeye's Chicken fast food is hiring managers at $16/hr and chick fila full time pay $15/hr. There are many warehouse jobs with starting pay around $20/hr. Everyone was wanting a $15/hr minimum wage and there are plenty in and around Indy that offer that. But that isn't last but not least. Let's speak of the big businesses that are here, Eli Lily, Cummins, IU Health, Athem, Sales Force, Amazon, Chewy, Ulta Beauty, Full Beauty Brands and many more. Let's also address the fun, Indy 500, Brickyars 200, Colts, Pacera, Indians, Fuel, PGA tour, Olympic qualifiers at the IUPUI Natitourim. More fun, The zoo, ISO including symphony on the prairie, art museum, world's largest children's museum, Major Taylor Veledrome and skate park, many nearby aquatic centers. Even more fun for grown ups. Restaurants, bars and breweries in Broad Ripple, Downtown w/ Mass Ave, Fountain Square, Ft. Harrison, Irvington and the nearby areas like Greenwood, Speedway and Carmel that all offer so many different options for a cocktail or meal. We also have two casino's within an hour drive from downtown. And we haven't even spoken about the many different conferences the city holds every year. We have a conference for everything, from Firefighters to the FHA and many of them offer day passes so you can check something out. Collegiate sports are in the city and nearby as well, including Butler, IUPUI, UINDY and IU and Purdue are just over and hour away from Indy as well. We have Big 10 and NCAa final four championships held here. The NCAA Hall of Champions is located downtown too. If you're looking for a little bit of everything Indianapolis and the surrounding area has it to offer.

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Shit hole city - 7/6/2021

Housing is overpriced unless you want to live in a **** hole with cockroaches, mold, cars broken into. There's way too many potholes. Theres a deadly shooting everyday. Jobs arent great unless it's healthcare. Parks are full of litter, air quality is bad, and you can't drink the water.

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Others have tried - 5/18/2021

One comment stated Indy wasn't a tourist town compared to Nashville. Perhaps, but tourism is actually the third largest industry in Indianapolis. It centers on convention business, sports, and the arts. There are now three different vibrant downtown areas with urban density and foot traffic. There are wonderful history and art museums, a cultural trail, a downtown state park with a canal and a centrally located, non-exhausting zoo. You can park in the downtown mall's many garages for $3 for three hours--which means you can go downtown frequently. If you want dramatic hills and hiking, go to Fort Harrison State Park, which is inside the county and borders Indianapolis. Or Eagle Creek, which is in Indianapolis. For washboard hills and caves go south about 35 miles to Brown County and the Hoosier Hills. While there's not much of a country scene compared to Nashville, there is a world-class orchestra and and several excellent live theater choices. Although the recent plague has paused things, a string quartet of orchestra members and jazz and roots acts play at the central library for free. The minor league teams are outstanding, cheap, and heavily supported, so you're not priced out of the excitement. Absolutely the best city in the country for a person who wants an affordable but rich cultural life and built environment, along with a variety of places to walk, hike, spectate, or just people-watch. Other cities are trying to copy this model, but none of them has succeeded in getting so many people to live or even to just park, eat and stroll downtown again.

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Not a tourist destination - 12/30/2020

I feel the need to write a review after reading so many blasts on Indianapolis. Some background - I grew up in Fort Wayne, IN, lived in Indy for 2 years post college, and have lived in Nashville, TN for 4 years. I plan on moving back to Indy next year to be closer to family and for the more affordable housing. Indianapolis is not a tourist city, but it is a pretty good place to live. Let me break down some positives and negatives. The Good: - It's still affordable. I am a teacher and my partner is an OT. We cannot afford a decent house in Nashville but have many options in Indy. This is a big one. - Great restaurants, seriously. Better than Nashville in my opinion, and I am a foodie. Also - more affordable options. - Somewhat of an arts scene. I haven't lived there in almost 5 years but Fountain Square and South Broad Ripple both have mild artsy vibes. The IMA is a great museum and has an awesome beer garden area. I am not an artist so I cannot truly attest - but as an appreciator of the arts I felt there was a decent amount to see. There is a music scene. It pales in comparison to Nashville, but I think most places would. - Trails and Parks - I walked/biked the Monon every day when I lived there. Most cities have some good trails. I personally am a fan of how flat Indiana is for biking. In Nashville it is often way too hilly/hot to want bike anywhere far. - A good amount to do - Pre-Covid - It's a big enough city that there is usually something new to explore. - Jobs / Growth - It's not a touristy place - After living in Nashville, I find this to be a bonus. I am tired of bachelorette parties. The Bad: - Nature - The Broad Ripple area is kinda pretty landscaping wise. Meridian Hills area is woodsy and bougie. Other areas lack natural beauty. It's Indiana. It can't compare to places that are mountainous or coastal. Even Nashville is much prettier than Indy. However, it is CHEAP so you can save some money and travel. - Crime - Indy has a high violent crime rate. When I taught there, several of my students suffered from this. That being said, this high crime rate it impacting low-income communities far more than others. In terms of my lived experience - I have never felt unsafe when out in Indianapolis. The violent crime is a big problem but is unlikely to have any real effect on a person who isn't living in an area with high crime. The "cool" areas - Mass Ave., Fountain Square, Broad Ripple, Irvington - are fine. - Schools - As mentioned above, I taught high school English in IPS. It's a troubled system, underfunded and struggling to get by. Voucher programs and the abundance of charter schools have hit it hard. This is an issue that comes from living in a red state where "school choice" runs rampant. I do not see this turning around in the near future - but I also know that this is an issue in most larger cities. The suburban schools are great. The township schools system are better and diverse. - Abandoned stuff - The city is large in terms of land. Driving through some areas is pretty bleak. Others are more aesthetically pleasing. - The climate - It gets pretty cold in the winter. Many of the reviews I read said that "the people" in Indy are awful. I find this claim bizarre because there are almost a million people in the city, and so I am sure there is a true mix. I grew up in Indiana, so maybe the "reserved" nature of hoosiers is normal to me. In general I have found people in Indianapolis to be friendly, hard working, and helpful. Some of the best people I know live there, but there are probably some bad apples as well. There were some reviews that claimed that people with "different opinions" were ostracized. Honestly, most people I've met in Indy are true hippies or punky artist types or sweet retirees. In terms of viewpoints - within the city most people are liberal - other parts of Indiana are more conservative. Indianapolis is not a great place for a vacation. It's worth a visit if you have a friend to show you around or if you are coming for something specific. I think it's a better than average place to live! Sorry h8rs!

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Beware all who enter this dark hole - 1/25/2020

Indiana is a place where ideas go to die. The people here think creativity is a personality disorder. Yes, the cost of living is lower. Yes, there are material comforts such a numerous places to eat and drink--as confirmed by rampant obesity. Yes, people are polite in a superficial way. But...violent crime in Indy rivals the south side of Chicago and much larger metro shooting galleries. Racial divisions are reminiscent of the Jim Crow era. There is a strong sense of social hierarchy based on family and school ties. It should be noted there is a growing international population downtown thanks to companies like Salesforce, Rolls Royce and Cummins. But if you're not a Millennial IT guru or entrepreneurial wiz kid, you'll not fit in. The age divide mirrors the racial divide elsewhere in the city. In short, if you've lived in other parts of the U.S. where people are open to new ideas and supportive of unique personalities, your spirit will wither day by day. This is a culture that prides itself in being the last to try anything, that views nonconformity as a venal sin, that slowly beats you into submission. You know you've bottomed out when you find yourself saying "why bother."

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Bottom feeder city - 7/13/2019

I've been to just about every big city and with the exception of St. Louis and Baltimore, Indianapolis is at the bottom of my list of America's urban places. It's a very immature city in the sense that it has supporters and if you say something negative about it they're all over you. The only other city I've ever seen that mindset in was Denver...also very immature. You don't see it in really great places. You can criticize Seattle or Portland and people will listen and engage without turning into emotional basket cases. Not in Indy. No way. The city has a lot of problems and they get glossed over by the marketing people who are trying to present it as a hip, compact, walkable urban destination. They've built the Cultural Trail, for example. They think this makes them Amsterdam, but it's really nothing more than a glorified sidewalk with a nice brick inlay. Lots of those bricks are crumbling and they won't get fixed because maintaining what you build is not the Hoosier way. Speaking of which, potholes and hotpatch. Yeah. You go, Indy! If you do decide to walk around downtown, take some comfort in the fact that it's relatively easy to legally carry a firearm in Indy. You're going to need one, because there are an awful lot of people illegally carrying firearms and they are not afraid to use them. As long as you're quick on the draw and not afraid to fire back, you should be okay. That said, this city in murder central. You have been warned. I could go on about the lack of social skills so common among Hoosiers, but that's just piling on. I don't want to be mean. That said, local officials spend a lot of time marketing their city nationally and globally. If they spent half that time maintaining and fixing what's broken instead, Indy could be a pretty nice place. But they don't. It's just not in the Hoosier DNA to take care of things. So if you're from Paris, see the glowing ads and come, it has to be quite a shock. I'll betcha don't come back. I haven't. Life is way too short to spend in a place like Indianapolis.

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Do your homework before moving here?? - 4/16/2019

Every comment on this feed is true about Indianapolis. I’m just adding my two cents..lol! This city has jobs yes. Decent housing yes. Public transportation is becoming more convenient. Pot holes galore, DEEP ONES! I mean the ones that literally pisses you off, and they will not reimburse,.if they do it takes MONTHS! The growth is coming from Michigan, and Illinois..BAD NEWS! Multiple murders daily. Shootings every day of the week, especially when we get the first brush of good weather. “Good places” like the Monon Trail, and the newer edition of the Canal downtown is made for people to jog,bike,enjoy nature..and suddenly you get robbed or attacked. Most people are rude, mean, and defensive. Don’t get me wrong there are nice people here, but to me personally it’s not worth it if you can’t really enjoy where you live.

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Terrible, Horrible, Sad excuse of a small city... - 4/13/2019

WORST PLACE EVER!!!!!!! If you are thinking about moving here don’t!! All the reviews about the city being boring, people are super rude and unfriendly, crime is so high. If you have liberal views or vote democratic people here will hate you. It’s sad because Indianapolis has some rich history and has the potential to be better but it will never happen. I hate that I let my husband talk me into moving back here. I want to move far far away from here the cost of living being low is not enough reason to stay. Besides the cost the living here is on the rise. I’m from northern Indiana and up there is so much better then here. I lived only an hour away from Chicago it was nice.

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Horrible town - 3/29/2019

I have lived here almost 7 years now and have hated every minute of it. So let's start with the weather. It starts to get cold by the end of October and will not warm up again until sometime in April. Being from Florida that just doesn't work for me. Then lets talk about tax. They love to tax here. You will pay City, County and state income tax on your paycheck and that would be great if Indiana didn't have the worst roads in America. I have never seen so many holes in roads in my life including the interstate. They are constantly out there with miles and miles of road construction signs up but you cant ever tell that they did anything. Let's move on to politics, if you are not conservative then this is definitely not the place for you. This is Republican territory for sure. Most definitely a waste of your time to vote if you aren't voting Republican here. Trust me I have voted every election here for 7 years now. Some will probably try to argue that there is diversity here in this state but there really isn't any. Very narrow minded people living in this state for sure. No rights or protections here for the LBGTQ community which is shameful. There are few places in this state that are really beautiful. The areas down near Bloomington and Nashville area are pretty nice. Lake Monroe is beautiful. Indiana is definitely not going to win an culinary awards here. The food and restaurants are pretty bad with a few exceptions. Now for things that Indiana has going for them is housing is some of the most affordable that I have seen. You can own a home here reasonably. There are several communities in the area that have some great school districts if you have school aged children. The Indianapolis Zoo is pretty good. The River Walk (canal) downtown is nice to get out and walk around during the few months a year we have nice enough weather to do so. I am sure there are worse places to live but Indiana sure ranks high on the list of places not to live.

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Counting the Days... - 9/12/2018

I was transfered here from Arkansas last year. I only mention that because if you live in Little Rock and move somewhere else it doesn't really matter where you go. Everyplace is an upgrade. Everyplace except Baton Rouge...and Indianapolis. In hindsight, I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't this. I think Indiana is the Arkansas of the north and Indianapolis is its Little Rock. It's just as unhealthy here as it is back home. Everybody drives everywhere, even across the street. The winters are gawdawful and the streets are all crumbling. I've never seen so much road rage in my life. I just get the feeling people are really frustrated here. I don't know why. They all go on about how great it is but it sure doesn't feel like that's real to me. Some other things that won't come as a surprise if you read the other comments. Crime is really bad. Folks are nice once you get to know them but before that they're downright mean and nasty. The blank eyed stare thing when you say hi to people here is a real thing. I read that and laughed until it happened to me. I think it's all the meth. Like I said, it's hard to trade down when you come from Arkansas but I;m afraid I managed to do it. Story of my life. Thankfully, I rented and my lease is up in a couple of months. The job market is booming everywhere. I'm gonna look for a city with a higher quality of life and active people, even if it costs a little more. No offense Indianapolis. Sorry it didn't work out. Lesson learned.

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boring city - 7/17/2018

The cost of living is starting to go up.A lot of people say they want to leave,many have.I left three times in seven and a half years.There are more than enough jobs.I've noticed an increase in population.I grew up in a big city.

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Just another Midwestern town - 7/1/2018

Indianapolis is basically confused on what it wants to be. It tries to be progressive and fast-paced like Chicago but its conservative and still stuck in 1988. It doesn't have the resources to another Chicago. I would compare it to Cincinnati, Kansas City, Omaha or Oklahoma City, but those cities aren't trying to be a alpha city they are midsize and they know their place. But, Indianapolis hasn't figured that it is not an alpha city. So, why try to be one? It's basically a Oklahoma City on steroids. Infrastructure... Bad roads, crater sized potholes, many streets in the out lying areas lack sidewalks but are assessible by public transportation. It has a bus only network that runs east/west and north/south, no transfer points but downtown. This causes long bus rides for a trip that should take only 20-30 minutes. Culture.... The culture in Indy is very conservative. Socially and politically. It is a fiscally conservative state. So, the poor are treated like disposables. Homelessness is everywhere. The minimum wage is only 7 dollars and some change. As a result, marriage is encouraged at a young age. Which is why single people who move here that is over 30 will never have a chance. Single women are shunned. Single women are hated by married women here. You will be treated like garbage. They are plain nasty, two-faced, fake and backstabbing. They seriously think that you're a man stealer because you're a single woman over 30! Talk about weird and backwards. I've already accepted the fact that I probably will not ever have any friends while I'm here. I've made plans to travel back and forth to my native city when I have time from my work. People.... Well, I've touched on a bit on the people above. But, to put it brutally honest...they are WEIRD. Most are reserved when it comes to their opinions. It can be something as simple as giving your honest opinion about a movie and they will look at you with this empty stare and say "humph". The people are very passive aggressive, fake friendliness, rude or just plain evil. They have boring personalities that consist of bad-mouthing someone behind their back... gossiping and rumor mills floating around like a bunch of high schoolers. WEIRD. I guess they think Indy is in the league with NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, LA, Boston, Miami... because they have the Colts. Not by a long shot! The Colts will probably eventually return to Baltimore when the first opportunity comes. Conformists, herd mentality and passive aggressive idiots are everywhere. Even some friendly and smart Hoosiers have approached me since I've been here and told me they're dying to leave, usually move to California, Chicago, Florida even Georgia. I guess it's their fundamental conservative politics and harsh winters...maybe. But, when I leave Indy, I'm out for good. My heart belongs in my native southern state that has culture, charm, friendliness, good food and music and most of all mild winters.

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Not My Kind of Town, Yeeesh - 7/1/2018

I've been thinking about getting out of Seattle lately. Too crowded. Too expensive. Too weird. So I have been reaching out to people I met in college. I attended this future government conference in Nashville and people from all over came. I'm pretty good with names so I've kept in touch. One of the guys was from Indianapolis. Nice guy. Down home. I'll never forget his nickname at the conference....Gomer...that's what we called him. Really. So anyway, as part of my effort to find a new home, I reached out to Gomer. He said I should come to Indy and so I scheduled a trip. Before I hung up, I asked him what he really liked about the place. Here's what he told me... 1. It's really cheap. 2. The people are nice. 3. There's this really cool district called Mass Ave. 4. Pacers and Colts and Elevens, oh my. 5. The freeways. I kid thee not. He really said this. So anyway I thought it a little strange. What I like about Seattle is the people, first and foremost. The geography and weather are also nice. Still, like I said, I liked Gomer and he was offering to put me up and show me the town for a few days so what the heck, right? Oh. My. God. Just. No. I visited and now I'm back in Seattle. Not happening for me. Now I understand that bit about the freeways. They'll take you away...any direction you want to go. God's honest truth, I've never seen crime and abandoned buildings and litter and rudeness like Indianapolis. I thought I was in Baltimore again, except there's no harbor. Mass Avenue was nice in a quaint sort of way. I didn't have the heart to tell him that we have districts like that scattered all over Seattle. Everybody lives near one. Pretty much everybody, anyway. And you don't have to worry about being jumped or having your car stolen and then having to walk home through some sketchy neighborhood. I understand the cheapiness, too. It's mostly because there's so many vacant lots where houses used to be. There are also a lot of houses that just seem to be crumbling into the earth. I don't know why people let this happen. It seems so wasteful. In Indianapolis though it's everywhere. So needless to say, it's not going to be Indy for me. I had a nice trip to St. Paul Minnesota. I like it there. Kansas City was kind of surprising too. It's still in the running. I just want to end this by saying that Gomer is still a friend because he didn't really misrepresent his city. He told me about the great freeways. True, he forgot to tell me about the great potholes, but after spending a few days with him I'm convinced he doesn't see them any more. I imagine if you live long enough in Indianapolis, life is like that. It's a survival thing. At least that's what I think.

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Not a fan...leaving again - 6/26/2018

I grew up in Indianapolis. Back then it was a sleepy city and kind of boring and so I moved away after college. A few years later, I had an opportunity to come back and since I knew the city and it's cheap to live here, I did. Big mistake. It has changed and not in a good way. Like most cities, there's lots of new building going on downtown. People here think it's unique to Indy, but it isn't. This is happening pretty much everywhere, even in cities like Dayton and Toledo. One unintended consequence is that prices have gone up dramatically. You can still pick up real estate cheap in the south and east suburbs, but everywhere else has gotten kind of expensive. Downtown is ridiculously so. Yes, I know it's cheaper than Chicago but that's a ridiculous comparison. Indy is not and never will be Chicago. Except when it comes to crime. Crime is horrible here. Violent crime like murder and rape. It's just off the charts. So is poverty. The city school system is failing. Infrastructure is crumbling. When you get out of downtown, there are large numbers of abandoned homes. This is especially true to the east and north, but even west side neighborhoods like Haughville and along 16th have a lot of abandoned properties. If you have to drive through these neighborhoods, lock the doors and bring a firearm with you. Seriously. I think what bothers me most is that most of my peers have put the blinders on when it comes to this sort of thing. If you bring any of this up, their standard response is to deny it or brand you a hater, so I've stopped because who needs that? Of course, if you don't recognize your problems you have no chance of fixing them. I don't hate Indy as much as I pity it. It's a very insular place that's very comfortable with what it is, warts and all. Hoosiers aren't big on change, so I expect it to continue to slide in terms of quality of life. I think the city is one recession away from a full blown economic disaster. If you want to move here, you really need to do your own research. Don't believe the stuff you here from the mindless cheerleaders and boosters. They don't have your best interest at heart.

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Weirdest city on the planet... - 5/31/2018

I met this guy from Indianapolis online and we kind of hit it off so he suggested I come for a visit. I currently live on the East Coast and travel a lot but I had never been to Indiana so sure, why not? I Googled it and came across a bunch of positive reviews of the city and this guy literally gushed about it. No. Just no. I get off the plane and we're barely out of the airport when a pothole almost swallows the Uber guy's Prius. Then another, and another and another and so I ask him what the deal is. "Its our weather" he says to me like I'm from Mars. I'm actually from Providence, so I know a little about cold weather and freeze-thaw cycles. I also know that Indianapolis potholes are the worst on the planet. Ever hear of hot patch? You might want to try it, Indianapolis. Or not. Like I said...not my car. The drive in from the airport was pretty interesting. Except for the lack of incoming rockets, I could have been in Aleppo or Damascus. I've been to both and the comparison is perhaps a bit unfair. People in Syria have a little pride. In Indiana, not so much. I've never seen so many burned out, bombed out houses in my life. I finally make it downtown to my hotel and later I meet this guy and he suggests that we go to Mass Avenue and Fountain Square. Both were fine but hardly exceptional. He went on and on about them like no other city has neighborhoods and brewpubs and bars. Ever hear of Portland, Indianapolis? The Pearl? Hello? Turns out Junior (that's my new name for him) lives in Carmel with Mom and Dad. In addition to Indianapolis, he said he loves IU basketball, the Colts (Go Peyton) and genuine people. He digs on sunsets. He asked me if I wanted to go up to Carmel and meet his parents. I didn't. So all in all, I feel a little like I got gamed. Not just by junior but by those glowing reviews. Indianapolis is very much an adolescent city. It's like Denver was in the early 1980s but Denver grew up. I don't think Indy ever will. Too much inbreeding. No blood from outside the area. Not my problem. I've seen it and I'm not coming back. In hindsight, I should have chosen the guy from NOLA. That would have been a fun weekend...even if he lived with Mom and Dad in Metarie.

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Bunch of whiny ass bitches - 5/25/2018

Indianapolis is a good city. It’s not for the mentally ill. If you’re mentally ill then you would be better served in a place where it is acceptable to be mentally ill. By the way, it should not be ok to be mentally ill. Society is going downhill.

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Severe Problems - 4/16/2018

I'm 24, just graduated university, have lived in Indiana my entire life, and am moving to Florida once my lease is up. I'm desperate to get out of Indy, like everyone else I know, because it doesn't serve anyone who deviates from the norm whatsoever. A few examples: I came here without a car and didn't have one during an internship I had last summer. To get to and from the internship, one would think that I'd be able to rely on mass transit, but this is nonexistent in Indy. A ride to my workplace, from downtown to west Indy, would have taken 2.5 hours; add another 2.5 if you intend to get home after work. Meanwhile, people who do own cars, especially on the east side, deal with inexcusable potholes, whose claims the city almost always rejects. And forget about reporting one on the city's website; they've all been reported, and the city doesn't take care of them. Full-time jobs are nearly restricted to factory work, extremely picky corporations, and healthcare. If you have an Informatics degree, like me, you'll have to reduce yourself to helpdesk work to get by in your industry. Meanwhile, you might be wondering about the people. You have northsiders, who grimace at anything different than them, and whose problems are typically restricted to taxes. On the south and west sides, you have your typical Indiana people, who are almost invariably from where they currently live. Then, on the east side, where I've lived for a while, you have your minorities and pretty typical families, but there's little to no opportunity. And as someone who's been a trans woman singe age 19, there's nothing here, as far as community and resources go. LGBT seems to be nonexistent, and trans women are quite a lot older (and offer less-diverse experiences) here. My friends and resources have all come from nearby Chicago, which - by the way - most Indianapolis residents haven't ventured to. A good way to summarize the people of Indy: I was once walking on IUPUI campus, and the wind was so strong that my bangs were blown into my face. I took a second to move them back in plafe, which prompted a woman walking past me to stop dead in her tracks and stare at me as I figure out my hair situation. That's how little people around here have going on in their own lives. Pros: downtown is cool in certain parts, the "State that Works" sign is humorous, quite cheap rent, more diverse than the rest of Indiana, not quite as bad as Missouri

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Eh, It's Indianapolis. - 3/21/2018

Indy probably won't impress anyone from a major city like New York, Chicago or San Francisco but I will say this, it's pretty cheap to live here. If you love sports like auto racing or basketball, then you'll be in heaven. There are some nice museums here and an average night life, but nothing mind blowing. Only a few "progressive" areas in the city but mostly, it's filled with right wing, bible thumping nut jobs. They're friendly, but your mind will melt when you hear them start talking politics. Yeah, in many ways it's still 1955 here but we're trying to evolve. If anything, Chicago is only a 3 hour drive away.

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A cesspool of idiots - 2/9/2018

I have lived in Indianapolis most of my life. I left for college and said I would never come back, but long story, here I am stuck in this cesspool! Anyone who says it is great is lying or one of the people you want to stay away from. The people are the worst! God forbid if you say "hello" to anyone they will look at you like you are a seven eyed monster for even talking to them. They are the rudest people in the world. If you have any intellect, for example, let's say you like to read, you will be alone because most of the people here are functionally illiterate and wouldn't know what a book was. And if they do read, it's fifty shades of gray. If you try to have any sort of intelligent conversation they get the strange, far off, zombie look on their faces. I honestly think they are too stupid to understand politics, culture or any slightly intelligent idea. If you have an alternate view point, you are subversive(my word, they don't know that word). Because of their zombie lives and thoughts any type of intelligence, political thought, philosophical idea(my word, they don't know that word), etc is squashed and you are left a zombie yourself. It is wildly conservative. If you are a democrat you are the devil. They do exist here and you can talk to them, but once again, the culture leaves these people completely stripped of all hope and it is difficult to even talk to them. They have to fit in. Everyone has to fit in. We all must be a like. We all must think the same, eat the same, drink lots of alcohol; stand and love the USofA and jesus. We must not complain. We must not dream. We must go to work, come home, watch netflix, eat fatty foods, get drunk, go to bed. We must go to work, come home, watch netlix, eat fatty foods, get drunk go to bed. Then to top it all of it is terribly crime ridden. We have the highest black infant mortality rate for a city our size. We have the most african americans living in poverty. We have the largest income gap from poor to rich for both white and black people. If you make $10.00/hour you are rich and an apartment costs as much as Chicago. It has become that bad! Driving here is like driving through the third world. The roads are horribly bad. You basically drive through one big pot hole. My advice don't move here. Don't do it!

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