Indianapolis is a great place to visit. But what makes Indy such a splendid place to stop over makes it an even better place to live. Home to the world's largest children's museum, as well as professional and college sports teams and miles of recreational trails, Circle City has plenty to keep locals entertained. Secondly, if you are serious about moving to Indy, but are afraid of moving to a crime-ridden snake pit, sit down for a moment and dive into the statistics of the area you really want to live in.
With some of the best suburbs in the world, you can imagine that there are many extremely safe places to live in Indy, with very low crime rates. Areas with a higher population density, such as the center, will always have higher crime rates, this applies to any major city. Take a look at the neighborhood you want to live in and even ask if you're still undecided. Better yet, call me, I know Indy like the back of my hand, and I can help you make sure you feel good about your new neighborhood and your new home.
We have initiatives like Nine13sports that promote health, wellness and exercise through an innovative approach to cycling and technology; Keep Indianapolis Beautiful works with diverse communities to create vibrant public places, plant trees, develop community spaces, clean up neighborhoods and engage students in nature; People for Urban Progress rescues discarded materials (such as the iconic RCA Dome ceiling) and redesigns them for public benefit, ultimately making great products forever. Arts for Learning offers hands-on visual arts experiences that enable children to achieve their creative and intellectual potential. For more than 100 years, the Indianapolis 500 has been our main claim to fame. It is the largest single-day sporting event in the world and attracts more than 300,000 fans to the famous Indianapolis circuit on the west side of Indy.
The name Indiana means “Land of the Indians”, so it shouldn't be surprising to learn that Native Americans (Shawnee, Miami, Illin and others) occupied this land when the French first arrived in the early 18th century. By 1800, most Native Americans had lost their title deeds through illegal purchase, treaty, or seizure. Indiana joined the Union as the nineteenth state in 1816 and the state capital was moved in 1825 to present-day Indianapolis. On the positive side, the population is not very dense, so it seems that you have room to breathe and traffic is light.
Crime is low because corn outnumbers the bad guys. Schools are decent and universities are great. Sports offer a good distraction from corn. The downside is having to look at all the corn while driving to the Cracker Barrel for the fourth time this month, where you'll enjoy fried chicken and another discussion of conservative politics.
Indiana's low cost of living can also be attributed to its reasonable tax burden. With a total tax burden of 8.9%, the state ranks 11th in the country with the lowest taxes in the country, and only a few tenths of a percent from being in the top 5 in the country. Overall, statewide, Indiana statistics show that the state has an average level of crime, ranking 22nd best in the country. However, half of Indiana's crimes take place within the capital city, Indianapolis.
Unfortunately, the city of Indianapolis is ranked as the tenth worst city in the United States for crime. In addition, the state has several well-ranked liberal arts colleges, such as DePauw (the top 80% in the U.S. (USA) and Wabash (the highest 75%). Not only do Indiana universities offer top-notch education, they are also known for their college sports.
In college football, it's often Norte Dame that gets the most attention, playing football in South Bend since 1887, making it one of the oldest football programs in the country. Overall, Indiana ranks 16th in the nation as the best state to be in if you're a sports fan. School systems in Hamilton are excellent, ranking 12th best in the United States. Crime statistics show that crimes fall far short of pro.
Hamilton is in the top 90% of several other categories, such as buying a home, starting a family, staying healthy and being a young professional. On the bright side, Indiana has more than 300 schools (out of a total of 1965) ranking 8th out of 10, scattered across the state. New residents looking for good schools will have many towns to choose from. Indiana is considered to be in a humid subtropical climate region, with mild winters, warm summers and rainfall evenly distributed throughout the year.
Summer highs average around 85 degrees and winter lows around 19 degrees. Rain, snow and sun are similar to national averages. State residents experience the four distinct seasons. Out of the few big cities, Indiana residents are heavily Republicans.
They are also very religious, with 72% of residents attending a Christian church. The unemployment rate in Indiana is around 2%, which is about half the national rate. Manufacturing companies find the state attractive due to lower wages and taxes. As a result, Indiana has been able to avoid most of the economic collapse of the Rust Belt.
Indiana doesn't have mountains or much forest, but it does have many natural water resources, with a border on Lake Michigan, more than 900 lakes and 24,000 miles of river. Its largest lake is Lake Monroe, which is nearly 11,000 acres in size, and its deepest lake is Lake Wawasee, which is 120 feet deep. Indiana ranks second in the country for being a good state for drivers, with low cost of ownership, decent traffic and reasonable safety. It is not surprising to learn that the rural area has a decent traffic flow, but even the city of Indianapolis ranked in the Top 10% of cities with the least traffic congestion.
As a result of smooth smooth roads, the Indiana resident enjoys a travel time of 23 minutes, just below the national average. One hundred years ago, Indiana lost most of its forest land to over-harvesting timber and logging for farms. The state now has a total of only 156 thousand acres of forest. Compare this to a state like Arkansas, which has 19 million acres of trees.
The Indiana government has a policy of providing at least one park within a 60-mile radius of each resident. Compare this to the city of Portland, Oregon, which has a park less than half a mile away from every resident. As a result, the state ranks 33rd in the nation for parks, with only 0.81% of its land protected as a park. Compare this to California, which has parks in 7.49% of its territory, almost ten times more than Indiana.
Indiana ranks 13th most boring state. Indiana residents can experience miles and miles of flat corn lands. They often live in small towns with a restaurant and a pizzeria. His social life revolves around church and high school sports.
Their lives get a little more exciting when it's time to charge the car and drive more than 1 hour to visit the Walmart area. It may be better that Indiana does not have access to public parks because the state's air is not good for breathing. The Indianapolis area is in the bottom 5% for having the worst particulate pollution and in the bottom 20% for the worst ozone. The reason for this air pollution is because the state is operating 24 coal-fired power plants, including the largest plant in the country and the country's most polluting plant.
Given the fact that the state has invested heavily in coal mining and its 24 coal-fired power plants, it's no surprise to learn that Indiana isn't investing much in sustainable green energy. It is currently ranked as the eighth worst state for green energy, as it obtains only 6% of its electricity from sustainable sources. Indiana also ranked 15th for having the highest number of drug overdose deaths and has one of the highest numbers of opioid prescriptions. Overall, 83% of Indiana residents are white and 9% are black.
But keep in mind that the vast majority of African-Americans live in some of the big cities, leaving rural areas almost entirely white. In addition, only 2% of the population practices a religion other than Christianity. Indiana is a heavily dependent state on cars and is ranked as the seventeenth worst state in public transportation infrastructure. Much of the public transport that does exist is in larger cities, so rural people will have very limited public transport options.
Indiana ranks 14th worst state for its restaurant dining scene. This score would probably be much worse if Indianapolis were not included. The state doesn't really excel in any genre of food. Try the sugar cream cake and the fried loin, but stay away from the fried brains.
When in doubt, the state has a generous amount of Cracker Barrel restaurants to enjoy. You should be safe in any neighborhood in Indiana, except in some bad parts of Indianapolis. The city of Indianapolis is ranked as the tenth worst city for crime. The total cost of living in Indianapolis is about 12% lower than the national average, making it one of the most affordable cities in the country.
Healthcare, food and utilities are significantly cheaper in Indianapolis, but what really matters is the cost of housing. Nearly 66% of Indianapolis's population lives in family homes, and over 35% of residents are under 25. According to Forbes magazine, the cost of living in Indianapolis is 7.6% below the national average, making it a great place to live and work. But, as in many metropolitan areas, choosing to live in downtown Indy's, the Wholesale District, will cost you a pretty penny. The downtown area is best suited for using Indianapolis public buses, so if you live and work in downtown Indy, it's definitely possible to use the bus to and from work.
So if you're willing to live far from Indianapolis, the state has many very safe cities to choose from. Because if moving to Indianapolis is a possibility in your future, you'll need to know not only the things to do there, but also what it's like to live there. . .
