A friend is trying to convince me to move to Indiana

[rox63]

One of my best friends is planning to relocate to the Muncie, Indiana area in the next year. We both currently both live in eastern Massachusetts. She went to Ball State University in her younger years, and still has friends out there. Her main reason is that the cost of living is much lower out there. And I have to admit, the cost of housing is many times less than where I live. I could buy a house in that area for less than the 20% down payment for a comparable house here.

I was born and raised in MA, and have lived here my whole life. She was born and raised in rural PA, and has lived in several eastern and mid-America states. I'm reluctant to relocate for a number of reasons, even though the economic incentives look attractive. After all, I currently live in what is possibly the bluest state in the country, the only place where same-sex marriage is legal. I have a long history here, including family and friends.

Opinions, anyone?

[Voltaire]

1. Delaware County ain't the bluest in the world

I'm from Philadelphia originally and moved to Indianapolis 12 years ago. So the politics were a little different at first to say the least. But things are changing and its a good opportunity to join the Indiana Democratic Party and shove aside some of the dead weight. I hear Muncie is a good college town. Perhaps some born and bread Hoosiers can give you a better feel though, I'm only a transplant. I will say this though, after living in Indiana. I love to visit Philadelpha each year....but I can't wait to get back home to Indiana. It grows on you.

[rox63]

2. She said that if I wanted to find a liberal haven in Indiana

I should look into Bloomington.

[aggiesal]

5. Bloomington, no way, ...

Indianapolis, Evansville, & Northwest Indiana near Chicago,
are the largest liberal havens in Indiana.

[provis99]

11. northwest indiana liberal?

I'm not sure I'd consider former sundown towns like Valparaiso and Hammond to be liberal. More like mini-Mississippis. Bloomington is the liberal bastion of Indiana, along with Brown County (aka Hippyland).

As for Indianapolis being liberal, forget it. The white neighborhoods might as well be Klan strongholds, with the number of rebel flags I see on the porches, especially in the Southeast sector.

[LiberalFighter]

13. Indianapolis has turned Democratic the last few years.

The only reason Ballard won the mayoral race last year was because of the property tax backlash and Peterson running an ineffective campaign taking Ballard for granted.

But Marion County is considered the doughnut hole with the surrounding counties where Republicans have fled to.

[suziedemocrat]

6. Yes, Bloomington, or possibly West Lafayette or Indy

But I just spent a year in Massachusetts, and I doubt you would like it here in Indiana. The biggest difference I noticed was that in Massachusetts (I was up near Lowell and Chelmsford) people left you alone. People can be nosy and full of unsolicited advice in Indiana. No subject is private enough to prevent questions and unsolicited advice from strangers. Have a health problem? Lets discuss it in detail so I can tell you if you are taking the right medications, etc. Financially strapped. Let me tell you which jobs to consider, groceries to buy and give you loads of other free advice because I have $25 in a savings account, so I am an expert on finances. It is the thing that bothers me most about it here. The people who do this sort of thing are in the minority, but there are still enough of them that it makes me crazy! I have found my neighbors leave me alone, but at work I feel bombarded.

Indiana seems to have many more right-wingers than it actually does, because the right-wingers are VERY vocal, and the liberals speak in hushed tones once they know you are on their side. Also, liberals and conservatives often dress identically. In Indiana, liberals don't wear dread-locks or tie-dye T-shirts. Everyone looks the same. Toned down. (In fact, the more flamboyant dressers are usually conservatives.) But I noticed people in Massachusetts were fairly toned down in their dress too, so this would be the same. But, the liberals I know in Indiana are liberal to the bone. And they aren't that unusual, just hard to spot.

What I like about Indiana is that you leave the rat race. For the most part, compared to other areas of the country, conspicuous consumption is frowned upon. Hard work is valued for the moral, almost Calvinistic aspect of it. You will find in the smaller towns, it is difficult to tell who is poor and who has millions sitting in the bank. Also, organic farming is catching on here, and they have a fantastic dairy in Indianapolis, with a restaurant and farmer's market. http://www.traderspointcreamery.com/ In fact, farmer's markets are common throughout the state.

If I had enough money saved already, I would move to Indiana from Massachusetts to semi-retire. If you need to get a job to pay the mortgage, you will find the cost of living decrease is eaten away by the wage decrease.

[Gemini Cat]

8. That's Indiana!

Your description is perfect.
When I moved here (much to my surprise) I suddenly discovered I was an endlessly interesting person and I needed a lot of advice!

[spooky3]

20. I would agree with that - but it will still have more Repubs. than you're used to.

[PVnRT]

3. It has it's bonuses

...and it's minuses. Housing is cheaper, and, outside of Indianapolis, you can generally find a place to live fairly close to where you work, which I like.

Working, though, is a problem. The jobs aren't coming here, and don't look to be doing so anytime soon (at least with Daniels in office). I would love to stay here, but engineering is not a growing field in this state.

[caraher]

4. Hard to say...

I moved from Ann Arbor to rural Indiana almost five years ago to teach at one, then another, small liberal arts college. Certainly the politics are a big change! The fraction of lawns with signs exhorting us to "Support Our Troops" (or even more disturbing, the ones adding "and Our President!") here was comparable to the antiwar sign density in Ann Arbor.

Last fall RFK Jr. gave a talk on our campus and said something that in his experience in "red" states there were very few real Republicans, only grossly misinformed Democrats who thought they were Republicans. In deciphering local politics that's important, because you will find good people with an "R" next to their names because that's pretty near to mandatory if you want to hold office. And this works both ways - I think our current mayor is a DINO who won office by knocking off the incumbent (who really was a Democrat - though not a liberal) in the primary; usually the hurdle for candidates is getting through the Republican primary, and it's not unusual to see someone either crash the Democratic side of the ticket or run as an independent if they don't want to compete in two elections to win one office.

When we moved in our neighbors on either side brought us some goodies to eat. My wife's first reaction was, "I'm not nice enough to live here!" We got lucky - it's very hard to find a primary care physician here, but when your next-door neighbor is a doctor they'll squeeze you in.

You say this is "one of" your best friends? If she's just "one among many" I don't think it makes sense to follow her; on the other hand, if this is a deeper relationship then it makes sense to give this serious thought. I think you do want to be sure you have a job lined up before committing to a move, because good ones are scarce.

In my case working in higher education helps; college faculty tends to have a pretty similar range of beliefs and values regardless of those of the student population...

[caraher]

7. Oh, one more thing I forgot

The divorce rate around here strikes me as awfully high. Which is consistent with the overall observation that "far-left liberal" states that failed to "defend marriage" have significantly lower divorce rates than the places where continuing to keep GLBT folks in a second-class citizen status is considered a moral imperative...

[Kevin Cloyd]

9. What area are you thinking about?

If you’re financially independent move here, if you need to earn a living don’t. Fort Wayne Indiana is having a gang war, Monday there were 5 murders in one day, 6 in a 30 hour period so do not move to an inner city area just because housing prices are cheap.

The northern Indiana lakes region is pretty good if you’re looking for a more laid back attitude and with the glut of foreclosed homes in Indiana there should be some bargains even on the lakes.

[izzybeans]

10. I moved back to Indiana after five years in New Jersey. I recentlymoved to Chicago for work reasons.

well among other reasons. I like to be able to walk to the grocery and take a cab to see a good band, on any given day of the week.

Two of my top 10 favorite breweries are in Indiana. Barley Island and Three Floyds.

You can find democrats everywhere. Just need to hit the meet ups and keep your ear to the rail. You will have to say goodbye to interesting architecture for the most part and get over a fear of wide open plains, unless you are in the hills of Southern Indiana.

Vonnegut said it best in Cat's Cradle when he depicted running into a fellow Hoosier, whose hoosier pride led her to believe that there were fellow Hoosiers in positions of importance worldwide. he called it a false Karass, or granfalloon. But it is an endearing one. Hometown proud is a common mantra.

I'm a big sports fan but the sports culture can be a bit much. They run coaches and players out on a rail for a less than squeaky clean image. And race car culture abounds. That can be a culture shock. If you want to fit in a good way to go about is to watch the movie Hoosiers and then forget the point of the movie (i.e., that's it about the players and not the fans). This will allow you to by into the small town John Cougar Mellencamp mystique.

But the good things mentioned above are definitely true and well worth the visit.

On edit: If you wind up in Indianapolis. I have a house to sell you. It's a historic home in a southside suburb. :)

[rox63]

12. Thanks for your opinions, everyone

I've done some more thinking about it, and I've decided to stay put for now. I'll visit my friends a couple of times after they get settled, and see what I think of the area. But I'm a New Englander to the core, so moving out there would be a huge change, and apparently quite a culture shock. I'm starting to hate the rat-race and the fast pace of life around here. I'm tired of having to work so hard just to keep my head above water. But I may have to put up with it for a while longer, and wait until I get closer to retirement age before seeking out the slower pace I might find elsewhere.

[tulip]

16. Good decision.

Hi Rox,

It's true that the cost of living is much lower along with housing prices but I think a few visits may be a good idea. I can't imagine living anywhere else............mostly because of the landscape and slower pace. I traded driving in congested traffic to work for country roads. I see more deer then I do other cars. I'd definitely suggest several visits before you even begin to think of making such a drastic change.

[spooky3]

19. agree--sorry I didn't see the OP's follow up post previously.

[LiberalFighter]

14. I'm moving the hell out of Indiana back to Wisconsin by next year.

And sure as hell wouldn't move to Muncie.

[LiberalFighter]

15. Hoosier values are not better than the values of many other states.

[faithfulcitizen]

17. Muncie, Bloomington, & Indy are all "liberal" by Indiana standards. I grew up in Muncie,

went to college in W. Lafayette, and now live outside Indy. The cost of living in Indy is great, and a lot of jobs are moving in. Downtown Indy has a lot to offer.

[spooky3]

18. Does it bother you if people talk about their religions a lot?

This is another topic not considered private there (I grew up there). It is VERY different from in blue areas. It does feel very different to live where progressives are the "norm" vs. Republicans are, to be in the minority (or in another minority, if you already are in one).

As someone else said, people are very open there vs. eastern cities. If you are a (white) woman, other women and some men will frequently call you "hon" or "sweetie" without meaning harm. On the other hand, sexism is also more out in the open. Notice that I didn't say there was necessarily any more sexism than elsewhere - it's just less covert.

Are you sure you will be able to have the career opportunities that you want there? Indianapolis has some great strengths for the cost of living and isn't too far from Muncie. You can find neighborhoods with very sophisticated people (and because of low land and housing costs, who can afford to indulge their sophistication and artistic/architectural tastes, unlike many cities in the east). Do you like to garden or want to live far from your neighbors? Easy. Traffic is relatively light, costs are low, and you have so much more space than in expensive eastern cities. But if you are unhappy with your job (current and future), or can't find one, a low cost of living won't make up for it.

Bloomington is wonderful--beautiful and the best small town you could live in, but it is too far from Muncie for you to consider.