Moving to Indy(maybe)

[kujito]

:wave1: kinda long, sorry
So, I'm still looking for work after graduating and the wife just got laid off. Today she was talking to a headhunter in Indianapolis. I'd prefer to not leave Denver, but whatever. Gotta work right?

I've got a few questions.
What's the cost of living like? How far will a minimum wage job get you? Just for reference. A report here last year said that, in order to live on M-W in the Denver Metro, a person would need to work 89.5 hrs/wk. That was before M-W was raised, but still.

What do houses in a safe area rent for? An apartment won't work as we've got 2 dogs and 2 cats and need a yard.

How hood is it, what parts should we avoid moving to? One thing about Denver, is the fact that there is no real ghetto/slum areas. There are sketchy parts of course, but nothing that scary.
What's there to do?:farmer: I'm gonna be kinda lost without the mountains.:tears:

I could go on and on, but it's getting sorta long.
Thanks,
Brian

 

[IllianaXJ]

I moved out of Indy two years ago, so I don't know what all may have changed.

The north and south sides of town are good; north being much more expensive. East side is going downhill (where we were). Don't know much about the west side. Like any city, the closer to downtown the worse it gets. There are so many suburbs you can find quality areas just about anywhere, as long as you are outside the I-465 loop.

Cost of living is pretty reasonable. Check out mibor.com for home prices. Wages vary; I was salaried at 38k/50hr weeks and the wife made $10/hr/40hr week and we had a nice house, vehicles and supported my Jeep habit.

 

[eleduardok]

I live on the southside if Indy, Greenwood area, and I grew up here. Left and came back several times... I like it for the midwest, and there are plenty of good areas outside downtown to live affordably. as IllianaXJ mentioned Southside is nice, northside a little snobbier and expensive... Wages vs. cost of living are pretty good, and depending on what you do, there are still jobs to be had, and as a carpenter here, I have done a lot better then other places I have lived. Lay-offs in some of the big names have hurt some, but there are decent jobs avail. Let me know if you need any research or a newspaper... Glad to send one. Ed

 

[browncountyxj]

I Lived in Indy for 20 years and the southside was the only side of town I would live on . You can nice rentals for around 700 and up . I didnt think the cost of living there was very expensive, gas is around 1.80 a gallon +/-a few cents

 

[redneckguy0404]

ive been on the westside of town for a couple years now, not too bad if you stay on the very edge, outside 465 is your best bet. living is expenses are reasonable. if you dont mind commuting a little there are plenty of smaller towns that keep you within 20-30 minutes of the city.

 

[indyjeepnut]

I would stay out of inside 465. I live on the southern tip of greenwood and love it here. If you do relocate I would rent for a year and get to know the area before you even think about buying.

Our Club is based on the southside of Indy. If you do relocate and want a place to hang out and work on stuff we always welcome new members.

If you need anything feel fee to pm me.

Our club website is www.mojooffroad.com

Andy

 

[kujito]

Thanks a lot fellas. Still trying to make it work out here, but we'll see. We'd pretty much have to rent a place. We own this house and selling it is probably not a good option these days. The guy across the street paid $99k at foreclosure auction for his house, I can't touch that.

 

[randyf]

I live on the north side and take offense to the above comments.

The above are all blatant generalizations. The cost of living is not any different on the south side than the north side. Both areas have the good and bad, the expensive and not so expensive. Southside not expensive? I have appraised a few homes in Kilarney Hills on the south side that eclipse the value and amenities of the homes on the north side.

Think of it like this, the south side is like a bizarro north side. Everything is the same, same stores, restaurants, ect. Where you want to live would probably be dependent on where your job will be. That includes inside or outside of the loop, north, south, east and west.

I should add that I will be working on the south side in the near future, the commute from my house is about 20 minutes.

 

[IllianaXJ]

Wow. I was actually speaking from experience. I grew up in Cumberland and moved with my parents to Geist in high school. I went to school with all the snooty rich kids that lived on the reservoir or in Carmel and experienced the inflated prices at Castleton Square Mall for 4 years.

After moving out I lived in the Southern Plaza area for two years before getting married and going back to Cumberland. Out of all the areas I lived in, the South side is the one place I would move back to in Indy. Yeah, there are million dollar houses in Southport, but the overall atmosphere is way more relaxed than Castleton, Carmel and Fishers.

Like you said, depends on the job where you may have to live, I just gave my opinion based on my experiences. From the comments above, I'm not alone in my assessment.

 

[Rev Den]

Having worked in Indy a few times.....

stay north.


That is all.

Rev

 

[kujito]

The wife and I always seem to end up working on opposite sides of town. How long does it take to drive across the city in morning/afternoon rush hour? I know it's a very variable thing, but what's an average?

How harsh are winters? We get some snow, but we also get 300 days of sunshine every year. We might see winter driving conditions a few times a year, but it usually only lasts for a few days.

 

[macgyvr]

The wife and I always seem to end up working on opposite sides of town. How long does it take to drive across the city in morning/afternoon rush hour? I know it's a very variable thing, but what's an average?

How harsh are winters? We get some snow, but we also get 300 days of sunshine every year. We might see winter driving conditions a few times a year, but it usually only lasts for a few days.

Get used to Indiana Gray Days if you end up here...

mac 'life long Indiana resident' gyvr

 

[Stuntman Mot]

it rains all the time on the north side but the south side has plenty of sunshine and puppies to go around. it only takes 5 minutes to get anywhere from the south, but north traffic will leave you breathing exhaust for hours on end. couldn't resist that one. ok, the "rush hour" lasts about 30-45 mins and during that period it can take a while to get through, normally though, you can get anywhere in the city in 20-30 mins.

 

[ceejus]

I live on the near east side around 10th and emerson. it's not bad at all. not ghetto or anything. if you want ghetto go to the near west side of downtown. it's like little mexico there. i don't consider carmel or fishers to be in indianapolis, or "north side". they are clearly their own towns. would i live in carmel or fishers? no f'ing way! it's too crowded, overbuilt and expensive. i know what you mean about snooty people from carmel and fishers. they do exist, but there are also some very nice people there. i love the southside and would love to live around greenwood somewhere (which is also, not indianapolis), but it just isn't gonna happen right now. east side is good and housing is cheap for buying or renting. look around in the Irvington area (where i live). cool older houses, not some thrown up in a day junky cracker box house that looks ike every other house in the neigborhood. all you guys that are saying "stay outside of the loop" obviously haven't been downtown in a while. they are booting all the rif raf out and rehabing tons of houses north of downtown. now that i think of it, the most ghetto places i can think of are west of downtown. the bottom line is, there really are no areas in indy that are scary. believe me, iv'e been to some scary places in chicago, gary, LA, albequerqe, etc.

you can go to www.indystar.com and look for rentals and houses for sale.

 

[indyjeepnut]

Looks live we have a north vs south thing going on here. Bottom line if you like snooty uppty types and traffic hell you should move to the northside. If you like down home rednecks that wave at you when you pass you should live on the southside. I would rather sell my jeep the have to drive through northside traffic everyday..

Just my $0.02

 

[kujito]

Damn, I didn't mean to start a 'hood war! I live on the north side of Denver Metro and work south. It can take as little as 25-30 minutes for me to get to work(about 25 miles), but has taken as much as 2.5 hours(ice).

it rains all the time on the north side but the south side has plenty of sunshine and puppies to go around.

lol Don't need any more puppies, but the south side sunshine sounds good!

believe me, iv'e been to some scary places in chicago, gary, LA, albequerqe, etc.

Ya, I grew up in NM, and the Cracky has been a shithole as long as I can remember. There are jobs, but they can't pay me enough. It's currently as bad as almost any city I've been to. I'd rather live in L.A.

 

[macgyvr]

It can take as little as 25-30 minutes for me to get to work(about 25 miles), but has taken as much as 2.5 hours(ice).

I think that you just described the Indy commute from one side to the other. 465 is a great beltway around Indy, but one good wreck or mother nature and you have a mess on your hands...

mac 'Indiana...where you can watch your dog run away from home all day long' gyvr

 

[FlexdXJ]

Wow. I was actually speaking from experience. I grew up in Cumberland and moved with my parents to Geist in high school. I went to school with all the snooty rich kids that lived on the reservoir or in Carmel and experienced the inflated prices at Castleton Square Mall for 4 years.

After moving out I lived in the Southern Plaza area for two years before getting married and going back to Cumberland. Out of all the areas I lived in, the South side is the one place I would move back to in Indy. Yeah, there are million dollar houses in Southport, but the overall atmosphere is way more relaxed than Castleton, Carmel and Fishers.

Like you said, depends on the job where you may have to live, I just gave my opinion based on my experiences. From the comments above, I'm not alone in my assessment.

I have cousins that went to school at Lawrence Central and lived maybe a hundred yards from Geist reservoir, Byron. How old are you you might know my cousins?

To kujito i have lived 40 miles south of Indy my entire life and i must say living in Indiana is pretty cheap i see plenty of houses for sale around here that are around 2000 square feet for less than 100k all the time!

 

[eleduardok]

I say just move to Brown County, Nashville IN, like I am in a few months, and JUST SAY NO to traffic! Actually tourist season is a bitch, but I will put up with them for peace and quiet. Still agree the southside is great for all purposes, and will keep my house here if I can. AND as a carpenter, I work on the northside a lot, hate the traffic, commute, and pretty much everything there. Some nice people there, lots there for image. And those Carmel cops,Hamilton county sherriffs are something else...... Know the truck laws there, hehe.
Just added a nickel to my .02$ hehe Ed

 

[kujito]

Location will mostly depend on where we end up working. An Indy company is on the short list for a big project out here, and they want Jess to help them open the new Denver office.