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Railroader · Mar 24, 2007, 11:18 AM

So, as the thread title suggests, does anyone live in or near Indianapolis?

I have a job offer that I am considering and it is just West of Indianapolis. I will be living as close as possible to the job in Brownsburg.

What are the school systems like?

What are the cultural aspects of the area like? Arts? Recreation?

What is the overall feel of the area like?

What Higher Educational opportunities are nearby?

Thanks.

Thorzdad · Mar 24, 2007, 02:15 PM

Brownsburg schools are okay. IPS is not.
I can't speak for the cultural points of Brownsburg, but Indy has some stuff you might like. The Indianapolis Museum of Art recently completed a huge renovation/expansion. It's a great museum.
If you have kids, they'll love the Children's Museum.
There's a small arts community in Indy, but it's not as big or vibrant as in other larger cities.

The area, like most of Indiana, is fairly conservative.

Higher education in the area would include Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana University in Bloomington, IUPUI in Indianapolis, etc.

Have you visited Brownsburg? It's a nice, small town.

Railroader · Mar 24, 2007, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by Thorzdad

Brownsburg schools are okay. IPS is not.

I assumed as much. From the wikipedia entry on Brownburg it appears to be a very white, somewhat wealthy area.

Originally Posted by Thorzdad

I can't speak for the cultural points of Brownsburg, but Indy has some stuff you might like.

Seeing as Brownsburg had 90% growth in the 1990's, I figured that I would have to go out of town for some culture.

Originally Posted by Thorzdad

The Indianapolis Museum of Art recently completed a huge renovation/expansion. It's a great museum.
If you have kids, they'll love the Children's Museum.

Excellent. This is what I am interested in. what about smaller art galleries or community art schools?

Originally Posted by Thorzdad

There's a small arts community in Indy, but it's not as big or vibrant as in other larger cities.

Room to grow!

Originally Posted by Thorzdad

The area, like most of Indiana, is fairly conservative.

I see that. You don't hear a lot about the area on the news.

Originally Posted by Thorzdad

Higher education in the area would include Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana University in Bloomington, IUPUI in Indianapolis, etc.
What about smaller colleges or private universities? For instance, around here Delta College is a small community college, but they offer a great education.
Have you visited Brownsburg? It's a nice, small town.

I have not.

More questions:
What is the parks and recreation activities like? Farmer's markets? Crafts or art shows?

And lastly, and a bit more specific, are there any lumber yards for higher quality wood (NOT Home Depot or Lowes-type places)? Places where I can buy furniture grade raw lumber stock like quarter-sawn oak, maple, cherry, walnut, or teak.

residentEvil · Mar 24, 2007, 03:40 PM

(my neighbor orders all of his wood online now; waits to put multi wood orders to save on shipping)

Railroader · Mar 24, 2007, 04:43 PM

Originally Posted by residentEvil

(my neighbor orders all of his wood online now; waits to put multi wood orders to save on shipping)

I don't order enough to make that practical. I also very much enjoy going to the mills and hand picking pieces and selecting from a single stack and making sure the lumber has come from the same tree.

Having ordered online I know that the store is not as picky as I am and that I rarely get matched pieces, even when I specifically order it that way.

Thorzdad · Mar 25, 2007, 08:55 AM

Originally Posted by Railroader

I assumed as much. From the wikipedia entry on Brownburg it appears to be a very white, somewhat wealthy area.

That's generally correct, though I'd say Brownsburg is "wealthy" in the way most small towns surrounding Indy are...through suburbanization. I think you'd find that the "native" population of Brownsburg isn't nearly as wealthy.
Definitely white. Though Indiana in general has seen a huge increase in its hispanic population.

Originally Posted by Railroader

Seeing as Brownsburg had 90% growth in the 1990's, I figured that I would have to go out of town for some culture.

90% growth was good for a lot of small towns in Indiana. Most small town in Indiana were (or still are) manufacturing towns. The 90's, of course, saw a lot of change...offshoring, NAFTA, etc. A lot of towns experienced some very bad downturns in their economies. The ones closest to Indy, thanks to a decrease in property values, became bedroom communities. A lot of McMansions popped-up during those years all over the place.

Originally Posted by Railroader

Excellent. This is what I am interested in. what about smaller art galleries or community art schools?

There is an area along Massachusetts Ave. In downtown Indy that is the city's "gallery row" That's the epicenter of the arts community there. You can find other small galleries scattered around town, primarily in small areas trying hard to gentrify. But Mass. Ave. is the place to go for gallery action.
For a dedicated art school, you'd want to look at the Herron School of Art. They recently moved into a new facility. It's a very good, nationally-recognized, school. All of the state universities have fairly strong art schools, as well.
And don't miss the Eiteljorg, if your tastes run to the southwest and native-american side of things. Incredible collection there.
There is also the Indianapolis Arts Center, located in the Broad Ripple area of Indy. It's an extremely good learning center. I'm especially impressed with their glass-blowing classes. Broad Ripple itself tend to be the most eclectic area of the city.
Once a year, the IMA plays host to the http://www.penrod.org/artsfair.html Penrod Arts Fair. Easily the single largest event of its kind in the state. Stupid-huge crowds. But, if you are an Indiana artist, it's where you go to be seen.

Originally Posted by Railroader

Room to grow!

Most definitely.

Originally Posted by Railroader

More questions:
What is the parks and recreation activities like? Farmer's markets? Crafts or art shows?

Being on the west side of Indy, Brownsburg is very close to a really nice, large park. Eagle Creek. As for Brownsburg, I can't really say. here is the town's website. You have to dig a little, but there are sections on parks and activities.
There are farmer's markets scattered all over the place. They tend to be located near more affluent areas. I have no idea about Brownsburg itself. You are more apt to find the occasional roadside stand selling seasonal items...mostly sweet corn, tomatoes, and melons.

Originally Posted by Railroader

And lastly, and a bit more specific, are there any lumber yards for higher quality wood (NOT Home Depot or Lowes-type places)? Places where I can buy furniture grade raw lumber stock like quarter-sawn oak, maple, cherry, walnut, or teak.

Can't help you there. That's way out of my league. I have one friend who does some minor woodworking, I can ask him. But he's not located anywhere near Brownsburg. Still, I would wager that there are an extremely small (if any) number of resources throughout Indiana.

Hope this helps.

Railroader · Mar 25, 2007, 03:02 PM

Awesome, thanks for your post Thorzdad!

SeSawaya · Mar 25, 2007, 11:01 PM

a little late to the party, but a short drive south gives you IU and Brown Co State Park. Really worth checking out in the fall. Downtown Indy has a surprisingly great zoo. I'll be performing there for the 3rd year in a row coming this Memorial day weekend. (not to mention a brand new stadium next year for the colts/indiana marching bands/drum corps!

I like Indy and used to go there several times a month, now my town is Chicago so Indy is it's little brother to me. Have fun!!

besson3c · Mar 25, 2007, 11:21 PM

Indy has done a pretty good job increasing the amount of culture available in the city so that everything does not revolve around football and basketball. Indy is the home of many jazz legends, it is a shame that there are basically only one or two venues in town seeing how this may very well be one of the city's strongest historical cultural points arising out of a time where the city was sharply segregated.

They have done a good job cleaning up the river area, the downtown has gotten nicer over the years. There is still a lot of extremely bland sprawl and suburbia, a severe crime problem (I have a family member who is a cop in Indy), a meth problem, a lot of trash throughout Indiana, a lot of SUVs, soccer Moms and conservative opinions, one of the poorest states in educational ranking, and a really schizophrenic climate and weather that makes it really easy to get sick...

It's not all bad, there are things I like about the city, but I would not want to live there myself.

besson3c · Mar 25, 2007, 11:29 PM

Originally Posted by SeSawaya

a little late to the party, but a short drive south gives you IU and Brown Co State Park. Really worth checking out in the fall. Downtown Indy has a surprisingly great zoo. I'll be performing there for the 3rd year in a row coming this Memorial day weekend. (not to mention a brand new stadium next year for the colts/indiana marching bands/drum corps!

I like Indy and used to go there several times a month, now my town is Chicago so Indy is it's little brother to me. Have fun!!

What will you be performing there? What do you do?

Railroader · Mar 26, 2007, 12:45 AM

Originally Posted by besson3c

What will you be performing there? What do you do?

Please don't derail this thread.

Railroader · Mar 26, 2007, 12:48 AM

Originally Posted by besson3c

Indy has done a pretty good job increasing the amount of culture available in the city so that everything does not revolve around football and basketball. Indy is the home of many jazz legends, it is a shame that there are basically only one or two venues in town seeing how this may very well be one of the city's strongest historical cultural points arising out of a time where the city was sharply segregated.

They have done a good job cleaning up the river area, the downtown has gotten nicer over the years. There is still a lot of extremely bland sprawl and suburbia, a severe crime problem (I have a family member who is a cop in Indy), a meth problem, a lot of trash throughout Indiana, a lot of SUVs, soccer Moms and conservative opinions, one of the poorest states in educational ranking, and a really schizophrenic climate and weather that makes it really easy to get sick...

It's not all bad, there are things I like about the city, but I would not want to live there myself.

Basketball and Football? Don't forget car racing!

Meth problems are everywhere.

Sounds like a perfect place for me! My wife is a soccer mom who wants to own an SUV.

My kind of weather.

It's too bad about that jazz. They should be bale to get rid of all of it if they try.

Railroader · Mar 26, 2007, 12:50 AM

Originally Posted by SeSawaya

a little late to the party, but a short drive south gives you IU and Brown Co State Park. Really worth checking out in the fall. Downtown Indy has a surprisingly great zoo. I'll be performing there for the 3rd year in a row coming this Memorial day weekend. (not to mention a brand new stadium next year for the colts/indiana marching bands/drum corps!

I like Indy and used to go there several times a month, now my town is Chicago so Indy is it's little brother to me. Have fun!!

We will be checking out the zoo as soon as possible.

What is the Brown Co. State Park like? Camping and hiking trails? Swimming and fishing?

Thorzdad · Mar 26, 2007, 07:15 AM

Originally Posted by Railroader

We will be checking out the zoo as soon as possible.

What is the Brown Co. State Park like? Camping and hiking trails? Swimming and fishing?

Brown County is heavily wooded and has tons of trails to hike. I used to go there as a kid a lot. I think it has a pool somewhere for swimming, and fishing is allowed in one of the small lakes. You need to get a fishing license, though.

I totally forgot about the Indy zoo. Nice facility, if a bit small.

The sprawl Besson points out is an issue. I grew up in Indy, and remember it as a nice, well-maintained small city with some beautiful parks. It's not as pretty now and the strip-mall-sprawl is one of the reasons. And the traffic. A lot of heavy, angry traffic.
But, that's Indy. You'll be in Brownsburg most of the time.

shifuimam · Mar 26, 2007, 01:17 PM

There are other things to consider about Indy that haven't been mentioned here - things like taxes, cost of living, weather, etc.

Sales tax is a pretty standard 6.5%. Property taxes vary widely, and some of the poorest areas (IPS) saw tax hikes while the wealthier areas (Carmel) saw tax cuts. The west side of Indianapolis is more or less the hood until you get north of about 56th street. The south side and north sides are the richer areas; the east side is mostly white trash, meth addicts, and farms.

Cost of living is (IMO) generally lower than other large metro areas. Things in general aren't ridiculously expensive - parking downtown is quite cheap and readily available if you want to go to a baseball game or just shop downtown on a Saturday. Traffic isn't near what it's like driving in a bigger city, like Atlanta or San Francisco. It's bad in the morning and afternoon, but depending on where you live is really quite tolerable. I live north of where I work, and my drive is always opposite rush hour - everyone's slowly going north when I'm speedily heading south.

There are several interstates that run through Indiana, so sometimes there are major construction projects (like right now) that can cause some traffic jams, but overall it's not all that stressful.

For kids, the Indianapolis Zoo is okay, but expensive for what it offers. I'd recommend driving up to Chicago one weekend and going to Shedd Aquarium. It's really nice. There are several beautiful state and city parks. Brown County is the most famous, but there is also Turkey Run to the south (great canoeing/kayaking) and Eagle Creek to the north. I wouldn't really recommend the west side for schooling. The northern part of Indy is better - North Central, Pike, Lawrence North, and Lawrence Central high schools are all pretty good. There are also a number of private schools available if you're interested in that route - both religious and nonreligious.

If you want *a lot* of culture, you'd probably fare better in Chicago or San Francisco or Manhattan, but Indy has some great stuff. The race is always fun (expensive but worth it to go at least once). We have a world-renowned full-time orchestra and a really excellent art museum that is situated on beautiful grounds and gardens. There are bars and clubs downtown that provide excellent jazz and blues music, as well as both mainstream and independent movie theaters. There are several comedy clubs that do provide family-friendly shows in addition to the standard fare. There are some good local restaurants, but like the rest of the midwest (Chicago excluded), people in the area tend to like chain restaurants more, so there's not as much of a draw for gourmet or local places to open.

Indiana weather isn't particularly bad. It *can* get bitterly cold in the winter and blistering hot in the summer, but it's generally tolerable. Chicago is only a few hours away, as is Ohio (King's Island, Cincinnati, etc) and Kentucky.

I really love Indianapolis. I've lived here since I was two years old (I'm 22 now), and I've lived on the northwest, far east, and near east sides, and I've lived in downtown Indy for the past two years. Although suburban sprawl could be a bad thing, to me it's not necessarily a disadvantage. Indianapolis is a large city without being too urban, which keeps costs down. There are plenty of options for any preferred living situation - country, suburban, urban, etc. Indy has the fun of a larger city with the advantages of suburbia (again, things like cost-of-living and lower-priced real estate). I've thought about looking for a job somewhere else, but I have yet to find a really good reason to leave.

Good luck!

Thorzdad · Mar 26, 2007, 01:43 PM

Good points, shifuimam.
He mentioned baseball, and I can't believe I forgot the Indianapolis Indians. They are pretty darn good minor league team (I believe they are a farm team for the Pittsburg Pirates right now...they've been associated with several other major teams over the years) and their home, Victory Field, is one of the best fields in the country.
And I forgot to mention the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Great orchestra. Really.

Obviously, everything tend to be in downtown Indy.

shifuimam also mentions the weather. We've been pretty lucky with the winters lately. Summers, though, have tended to the very hot and very humid, especially in August.

aglaia68 · May 27, 2007, 11:21 AM

I've live in Indy all my life. I've traveled alot, Europe, Mexico, and went to school in N.Y.. I love indy. Although it probably depends on your age. If you are a family person, kids, etc. There is tons of stuff to do. Lots of trails for bike riding, rollor blading, parks, The Childrens Museum, oh, and the Colts. My brother lives in Brownsburg and loves it. Night life isen't so bad either. I think it all depends on your life style. My husband is in real estate if you would like to look around.
Good Luck!
Aglaia68

slpdLoad · May 27, 2007, 12:01 PM

The Keystone Crossing Apple Store is nice...and the only one in Indiana, so good choice.

Railroader · May 27, 2007, 03:01 PM

Moving day is this coming Saturday! We ended up on the far south-east side of Indy. Actually in Warren Township school district, but our kids will probably go to a private school.

The area is wooded and also surrounded by farm fields. We are outside the freeway loop a few miles. The house is huge, 7 bedrooms, 4 baths, office, two HVAC systems, living room, family room, pantry the size of another bedroom, laundry room the size of a bedroom. Large paved driveway with a basketball court. It sit on a few acres, with only about an acre to mow.

I will have to hit that Apple store. My MacBook screen is flickering again.

We plan on going to the zoo on June 7th, my birthday. We'll be looking into tickets for some minor league baseball games as soon as we unpack. Looking at the calendar though, there are only a few days left that aren't spoken for during the whole summer. Ugh.

The worst thing about this move, I have to find a new Church. I have been attending mine since 1991.

pooka · May 27, 2007, 03:19 PM

I think you'll be happy there. While visiting the state, I was arrested in North Vernon, Seymour, Columbus and good ole Indianapolis. The Columbus officers were probably the nicest. While I was handcuffed and making smartass comments to one of the female officers, she slammed me across the trunk of the cruiser and gave me a good man-handling. I highly recommend this if you get the chance.

Long story short, law enforcement in that state don't like freaks or dark people that like to start trouble. Great place for vanilla family stuff.

Oh, but keep your kids out of the country areas. Those little buggers are so bored all they tend to do is buy/sell drugs and spread STDs. Of course that could be a problem just about everywhere.