Indianapolis is just awful
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10/11/2014
I moved to Indianapolis based on glowing reviews I read online. Silly me. This city is a failure by any reasonable measure. It does a good job of managing its online image. It does a poor job of just about everything else.
People here love to go on and on about downtown, and they'e done a lot of building there, but downtown is surrounded by crime-infested and largely abandoned neighborhoods. These are dangerous places that you have to drive through to get downtown. The population of Center Township is less than 50% of what it was in 1950. Two of the most dangerous neighborhoods in America are located just north of downtown. The east side is a war zone. Infrastructure is crumbling. Nobody seems to care.
There are new stadiums and national chain restaurants downtown but the mall that everyone talks about is failing. Nordstroms has closed down, and the local newspaper and a for profit college have moved in. Does that sound like a thriving retail scene?
Locals prattle on endlessly about the local microbrew scene. They claim to be a national leader, but most don't realize that the microbrew revolution happened like 30 years ago in places like Portland and Denver. It seems like everything happens in Indy about 30 years after it happens someplace else. Take Jack in the Box, for example. Not long ago, Jack in the Box opened their first local franchise. Locals lined up around the block...to go to Jack in the Box. That's Indy.
This is supposed to be Sportstown USA, but even the 2 local pro franchises have trouble selling out. Locals are proud of the fact that they have bought more NFL jerseys than people in any other city. Yeah, that's something to be proud of, if you are a conformist and just want to follow the crowd.
Indy might possibly be the worst city in America. I am counting the days until I leave. I no longer care where I go next, as long as it is far from here. I honestly don't know what people who post positive comments see about this place that I'm missing. Heaven knows I've tried to like it, but there's nothing here to like. It's a miserable little place full of people who all think alike, and I can't wait to get out of here.
Ira | San Marcos, TX