A lovely place to live
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6/8/2005
We relocated to Bloomington -(from Glenview, IL) seven years ago, and are very happy here. We live in an intellectual oasis, and are surrounded by the arts: symphonies, amazing opera, theatre, galleries, museums, and more. The cost of living IS higher than we expected (especially utilities), and the job prospects for a porfessional are limited (and underpaid) but once we freed ourselves from the constraints of the local economy, that all turned around: We provide professional audio services to a global client base, and thanks to the internet, our client is as easliy served in Thailand as he is in Indianapolis.)
If you enjoy/need/crave natural beauty, you;d be surprised at how lovely this part of Indiana is! We have several state parks and a national forest -- all within 30 minutes. The rolling hills of central Indiana are a shock to those who think this is the prairie. We have the state's largest lake (Monroe), located 20 minutes to the south, with excellent fishing and boating.
The weather, to be fair, can be GHASTLY. Summers can be HOT, HUMID and miserable for days at a stretch. Winters are mild and not terirbly snowy (but I'm a Colorado girl, so my benchmark is pretty high!). Spring and fall are perfection, though.
I can't speak to schools, as we have no kids, but I've heard mixed reports re Bloomington public schools.
As I said earlier, the job market in this area is grim: there are few "good" jobs, and those that do exist are poorly paid. We can thank Indiana University for that, which sets the wages for this area -- and considering that IU is notororious for underpaying its people, that is the core of the problem. There are plenty of low-paying service jobs (fast food, retail, and the like), but the average, experienced admin asst here is LUCKY to pull down $12 an hour, for example. Weep for the future.
Housing costs are VERY VERY affordable, and property values are improving. We built our 4 BR, 2,800 SF home in 2001 for just shy of $130K, and it appraised at $165K in 2004. Rents can be pricier, but a recent GLUT of downtown "luxury" apartments (priced WAY above market and too many of them) should level out in the next few years.
If you enjoy eating out, look no further. Bloomington has THE best variety of restaurants I've ever encountered, especially international foods. We have not one, but TWO TIbetan restaurants (thanks to our large Tibetan population -- we have a monestary and a cultural center here, and the Dalai Lama's b
Dana | Bloomington, IN