Why Indiana?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Allisha Gaynor on August 29, 2009 at 11:55am

Indiana is conventiently located near major cities like Chicago, St. Louis, and Louisville. We have several major corporations, and smaller businesses that are counteracting a struggling economy. Things are bad, but not as bad as they are in our neighboring states. We have a great atmosphere for sporting events and great festivals.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dave Gibbs on August 31, 2009 at 7:18am

Allisha should be head of chamber of commerce. She covers the business answer.

I think a lot of people who move here have roots or want to bring their family up here.

Indiana is a beautiful state!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by David Mark on August 31, 2009 at 8:24am

"I have a gun!"

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kristen Horton on October 8, 2009 at 7:54pm

Things I love about Indy: affordable housing close to downtown - cost of living - business opportunities - arts - music - theater - Hoosier hospitality - Smaller Indiana...

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pat Coyle on October 8, 2009 at 9:37pm

Why do I choose Indy? Read this post

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Steph Woodward on October 9, 2009 at 6:39am

Some of my favorite things about Indiana have already been mentioned, but I'll include them anyway.

As much as this tends to be a downfall to some people, I absolutely LOVE midwest weather. We get all four seasons at their best. Just about the time you've stopped appreciating how beautiful the snow is in winter, it melts and spring comes around with cozy rainy days and beautiful flowers. Then you get those long, warm summer days that make everybody want to be outside running through a sprinkler and drinking lemonade. And just when you think you've gotten the perfect tan, the leaves start to turn and wow... this state can be breath-taking when that happens.

Which leads me to my second point. Indiana has a really gorgeous landscape. I know many people tend to think of us as nothing but cornfields, but again, we really do have a little bit of everything. I honestly don't think I could live anywhere where they didn't have at least as much green around them as we do. I love trees, and we have an abundance of them here. I don't think I ever really appreciated that until I started spending more time in some areas out west. And there’s plenty of water around here too. We may not have an ocean nearby, but we certainly have our fill of lakes – and they come without the threat of hurricanes. The land here isn’t flat and boring, either… we have tons of rolling hills which make for a beautiful drive any time of the year. And for me, those corn fields most people think of when they imagine Indiana, they make me feel like I’m at home. They’re comforting – and they make for some fun mazes when fall comes around and you’re looking for something to do that they can’t offer just anywhere.

Perhaps I’m somewhat biased in my next observation because I come from a smaller town in Indiana, but people who come here tend to plant their roots and stay. I like that. There’s something about the fact that you can grow up with somebody as kids and then run into them again as an adult and build a whole new friendship. And you really CAN “go home again” in Indiana. I’m not sure what it would be like to grow up in 10 different places, always having to make new friends and never really having somewhere that feels like home. When you go away to college, spending the holidays at home is something most students look forward to… and I’m not sure it would have quite as much appeal if you didn’t have a strong sense of where “home” is. I still have my Thanksgiving meal at the same table in the same dining room that I had dinner at for the first 18 years of my life. There’s a sense of revitalization when you’ve been to the place that your heart calls “home”, and it’s a rare luxury to have somewhere like that. Those roots are important, and I think Indiana has more people who decide to plant them here permanently than most places… so I must not be the only one that feels that way. Maybe it’s the fertile soil.

Then there’s the typical stuff that they’d sell you in “Money” magazine’s “100 Best Places to Live”. We have an awesome cost-of-living. Money goes further here. Whether in a good economy or bad, who doesn’t like that? And people can still leave their doors unlocked in a lot of places here. As a person who will be starting a family at a time when finding somewhere where the kids can still ride their bikes in the neighborhood without fear of abduction, gangs, drugs, and so forth is a genuinely scarce indulgence, I feel like we definitely have more than our fair share of that peace-of-mind here in Indiana. Bearing those last two points in mind, there’s a feature that a lot of people who’ve never lived somewhere that didn’t have a postage stamp backyard might not realize the value of – I love that in Indiana, you can actually own land that is measured in acres rather than feet at a reasonable cost. It’s nice to have room to breathe, and to be able to take your dogs on a 15 minute walk without leaving your yard. And finally, you have our very convenient location on GPS. We’re not “too far” from much of anywhere in the U.S., which makes for great long weekends and lots of opportunity to travel inexpensively.

So anyway, there you go. I really do love Indiana. I wouldn’t have known it a few years ago, but the older I get, the more I realize how lucky I am to live here.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Phillip Archer on November 10, 2009 at 7:05pm

Steph, you pretty much covered my reasoning for enjoying this area in paragraph one. The snow being atop of my list of weather enjoyment though. I enjoy the variety of temperature, the different states of life a tree goes through, the leaf covered grounds below the naked trees in the fall, and the immense greenery as they grow spirit in the spring... I enjoy the different smells around the state, whether it be; a backyard cookout, the smell of dew in the morning after a thunderstorm the night before, the mysterious smell during Thanksgiving everywhere you turn, and the fresh sanitary smell (or there lack of smell) in the winter, the scent of evergreen trees as they cook in the summer. Alright, I will stop.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Janet Falkenberg on October 12, 2009 at 12:16pm

Indiana just has so much to offer to families and businesses due to our diversity. Indiana has really good colleges and universities where education is affordable. Our cultural diversity includes the arts - music, theater and sports. Outside of the major cities, there is still a lot of farmland, open spaces and small towns. You can put down roots and become part of the community in our small towns.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Steve Thalls on October 16, 2009 at 5:59pm

One of the best reasons is that is a great place to raise a family. The business climate is basically healthy. Small business thrives with all the tools and opportunities available. Come on in...the water is fine.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Melinda Cooper on October 16, 2009 at 8:01pm

I have always lived here so that of course makes me biased. Personally, I like it in Indiana because I can't stand the cold for a long time or the hot for a long time. I feel like Indiana offers a perfect balance of temperature and seasons. We have snow, heat, leaves changing AND flowers blooming. It is the best of both worlds! You don't have to drive somewhere to sled or drive somewhere to relax in the summer. It's all here. It makes vacationing and getaways a lot easier. And it has the cutest little towns to look through. I moved from Elkhart (grew up) to Muncie (college) to Anderson (current) and each one offered me something different from antique shops to old movie theaters to night life. I can drive less than a hour to the city for shopping, nightlife, great restaurants, theater, music, arts. I can drive to a hour to Ivanhoes in Upland. I can drive 10 minutes to a state park (Mounds) which has the prettiest hiking paths and a nice pool area. It's just homey in Indiana, no matter where you are.

Business-wise, I would say there is something to do for everyone if you need or want something.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lorraine Ball on October 18, 2009 at 6:57pm

Why Indiana? Because we get days that look like this:

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bill Bean on October 19, 2009 at 7:09am

I can't speak to Indiana as a whole. Frankly, (or Shirley) I miss being in the South. However, we've been in Indy for over 22 years and I can definitely say it is a great place to raise a family. Great combination of big city amenities and small town comforts. Highly practical city to be located in.

▶ Reply to This

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next ›
• Page