It’s official. I’ve now lived in Indianapolis longer than I’ve lived anywhere else.
I’ve lived in just three cities, all in Indiana: South Bend from birth to age 18, Terre Haute thence to age 27, and Indianapolis since. I came here because I make software for a living but wanted to stay in Indiana. Almost all of those jobs are in this state capital.
But I miss the small-city lifestyle. Very little was more than a 15-minute drive from my homes in Terre Haute and South Bend. In both cities I could walk to a grocery and a pharmacy and a few other stores if I wanted. Traffic was seldom heavy when I chose to drive, and late at night I often had city streets to myself.
Indianapolis is always busy and crowded. I’ve driven in thick traffic at 3 am! Outside of downtown and a few popular neighborhoods, you can’t walk anywhere. It’s common to spend 20 minutes to an hour in the car for everyday trips. Most things are more expensive, especially homes. It took me years to adjust to these changes.
Of course, there’s so much more to do in Indianapolis. In Terre Haute, there were three decent places to meet my buddies for a beer. Here, I could visit a different interesting venue every night for a month, easy. Almost everything is found in greater quantity and quality here: museums, shopping, amusement, theater, dining.
My friends who live in even larger cities are used to even better amenities, but grow jealous when I mention how comparatively little I paid for my house and remark often about the easy traffic when they visit. Clearly, it’s all relative!
Yet I wish for the easier, slower-paced lifestyle I once enjoyed. My oldest friend moved from Indianapolis back home to South Bend several years ago. I’ve never told him that I’m still a little jealous.
I don’t miss the snowy South Bend winters, though. I survived the Blizzard of ’78 there. Read about it!
