Indianapolis, IN Reviews

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. Read More

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 Read More

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 Read More

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 Read More

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 Read More

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 Read More

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 Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

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 Read More