OFB 50 States Project: Indiana


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OFB 50 States Project: Indiana

In The OFB 50 States Project, you the readers spill the beans about your state: the good, the bad, and the delicious. And thus provide “forever place” seekers (like yours truly) a useful resource in their search. We’d love to hear about your state! To be a part of this project, click here to fill out the form!

The Facts

Low State Taxes Ranking:  28

Low Cost of Living Ranking:  7

State Economy Ranking:  11

Average Temperatures (Indianapolis):

  • Winter:  34°
  • Spring:  62°
  • Summer:  84°
  • Fall:  64°

The Nickname

The Hoosier State

The Short of It

The state of Indiana is brought to you by the following awesome OFB readers:
1) Casie  //  2) Brian // 3) J.Mill // 4) Kelly G.

What food best represents Indiana?

  • Corn 1, 3
  • Pork tenderloin or corn 2
  • American. Or Japanese (I’m clearly very decisive so far…) 4

What song best represents Indiana?

  • That’s What I Love About Sunday – Craig Morgan 1
  • Anything John Mellemcamp… But we are also home to Michael Jackson, Axl Rose, Babyface and Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon 2
  • Merry Go Round – Kacey Musgraves 3
  • Proudest Monkey – Dave Matthews Band 4

How does IN refer to a carbonated beverage drink?

  • Pop 1, 3
  • I have heard soda, pop, soda pop, and Coke. 2
  • Completed divided. I say “pop” but most of the state says “soda.” 

If you could take a friend to one place in IN, where would it be?

  • Holiday World 1
  • Take them to the Indy 500 during the race, especially the Friday before for carb day, and then camp out that weekend. 2
  • Lake Wawasee 3

Indy 500Indy 500 (photo by momentcaptured1)

The Long of It

Biggest misconception about IN?

  • That we have no teeth and marry our 1st cousins. It’s *mostly* a misconception… 1
  • That we are a bunch or rednecks or white trash idiots who lack culture. 2
  • Everyone’s Christian, grows corn and owns a gun. 3

Best aspect about living in IN?

  • Bonfires on a crisp spring night. Rocking chairs on the front porch. Colors of the leaves in the fall. 1
  • Indiana has some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. Indianapolis is a big city, but you still get a small-time feel because you can walk everywhere downtown. We have great restaurants (St Elmo for the win!) and plenty to do every weekend. We have great communities that come together to support each other and their love of high school basketball. Seriously, we have 9 of the 10 largest high a school gyms in the country. We also have some pretty solid wineries and we make a very excellent Traminette (it’s the official wine of Indiana). We also have the great Indiana State Fair which is one of the best in the country and totally worth going to every year. You can head up north to God’s Country and visit my alma mater Purdue University, one of the finest public schools in the country. Purdue is the home to the first and last men to walk on the moon and their engineering programs are all top notch. While you are up there, you can stop by a Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives stop, Triple-X and get a Purvis (double steak burger with peanut butter, it is amazing). You can also make a stop by Harry’s Chocolate shop and have a drink. I could go on and on but I’ll stop there. 2
  • Lots of natural lakes, affordable in-state colleges with awesome professional programs (Purdue, Indiana University, Ball State, Wabash College), diverse terrain (plains, caves and auto-tracks!). Indiana is really family friendly. There are lots of support programs for families who need it. The state also balanced its budget during some of the recent tough times for our nation and generally has good leadership. It’s been an outlier of fiscal success in the recession. 3

Worst aspect about living in IN?

  • There is nothing to do within 300 miles! Also, drastic weather changes from day to day wreak havoc on your sinuses. And oh, the tornadoes. 1
  • We are pretty land locked. Also, Indianapolis is the second largest city in the world without a navigable waterway (fun fact). Our weather gets a little crazy in the spring, but if you wait an hour, it will probably change 2
  • Most everyone’s Christian, grows corn and/or owns a gun. Nothing wrong with any of that, but diversity is healthy. 3

Summarize your feelings about Indiana in five words.

  • Where everybody knows your name 1
  • Corn, racing, basketball, Hoosier, hospitality 2
  • Grow up here, all-American 3

Our Freaking Take

Neither Johnny nor I have ever lived in Indiana. That said, we did spend a night there on our move out to New York in 2010. More specifically, we stayed in South Bend, and made a quick stop at Notre Dame’s campus (per Johnny’s insistence). I remember thinking, Hogwarts is a real place! That’s as far as our knowledge of Indiana goes. But after hearing about the great economy and low cost of living, our interest is piqued. Indiana, we loved learning more about you!

How did these answers line up with your perception of Indiana? Have your thoughts on the state changed after reading this? Could you see it fitting your forever-place bill? 

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4 Comments

  • Reply J.Mill November 8, 2013 at 9:29 am

    Thank you for including my submission. It was really nice to see what people think about IN.

    I’m a Purdue Grad too, Brian! Boiler Up!!

    • Reply Johnny November 20, 2013 at 1:48 am

      Thanks for submitting it! Y’all represented your state well.

  • Reply Andi November 9, 2013 at 4:42 pm

    My family moved to Indianapolis when I was in college, so I spent a few summers there, and still get back about once a year. I love it! I always felt like Indianapolis was the perfect mix of big city and midwest/small town friendliness. I could definitely see myself moving back there someday!

  • Reply Adam November 21, 2013 at 10:54 am

    I grew up in the area around Bloomington, Indiana, and I dearly dearly love the state, even though we are Texans now.

    I agree with your readers’ assessment in general. The pork tenderloin is great, and there is lots of corn. Indiana also has great apple orchards and you-pick farms in the fall. The southern third of the state begins to get pretty hilly as you approach Kentucky, and the terrain there is just beautiful, especially when the colors start to turn.

    I have to disagree with one thing, though. One reader says there’s nothing to do within 300 miles. Indianapolis is within driving distance to Chicago, Cincinnati, Dayton, Louisville, Columbus, St. Louis, Nashville, Gatlinburg, Lexington, Ann Arbor (even Detroit), and other Midwestern cities are not too far.

    Indy is one of the world’s best hosting cities for events, so there’s always something going on downtown, and they do it like nobody else when it comes to opening their city to guests. Look at the media write ups of the 2012 Super Bowl. They loved it!

    The Children’s Museum, the race track, the Colts, the Pacers, and especially the Indianapolis Indians are great fun. The Eiteljorg, the State Museum, I could go on and on.

    Purdue certainly graduates some smart people who fly planes and stuff, but the Indiana University campus in Bloomington is just gorgeous. Worth a visit for an IU basketball game and a trip down Kirkwood.

    The job situation outside Indianapolis can be difficult, but on the plus side, Indiana is one of the most affordable states to live in. Indy consistently ranks as the #1 or #2 most affordable housing market in the country. The tax burden is reasonable, with homestead property tax capped at 1% of very modest home values. Sales taxes and state income taxes are also reasonable and very rarely change.

    Finally, I think your readers missed some very important Indiana theme songs, although I basically agree with the “anything John Mellencamp” comment. But don’t forget these:

    Jackson 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AahnIYN4Ic

    Rockapella: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXUgjU-MeK4

    The Elms: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AkjV7k1RUE

    and of course, Jim Nabors:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdLBLwk0V94

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