Olorin wrote:I found it interesting to read Rev's comments about Carmel, being myself semi familiar with Carmel or at least its reputation. Several times a year I make it over to Indianapolis for day trips and sometimes pass through Carmel on the way back, depending on which way we come back. Also, I have a friend who currently lives in Carmel, although I only see him maybe once every five years, and another friend who is from that area originally. I don't think first friend is too keen on Indiana, although he likes it better than Kentucky, where he finished college and had his first real postcollege job. Second friend is always going on about how great and wonderful Hamilton County is (where Carmel is located), particularly Noblesville where he is originally from. To me, it sounds like a somewhat snooty, country club Republican type of area. I also find it very interesting that in this area where Republicans reign unchallenged, Carmel has managed to spend itself billions of dollars into debt.
On the plus side, Carmel seems to be very progressive in the use of roundabouts, or traffic circles as you may know them, which are a really great idea in terms of saving gasoline, saving money, saving air pollution, etc. The Indianapolis area as a whole also seems to do really good job with its ongoing highway reconstruction program, including making the retaining walls and so forth visually appealing instead of just being featureless concrete faces. Indianapolis is also a fun place to go to shop and eat, and it is so much easier to get around in than Chicago.
So here is my take on Carmel and Indianapolis...
Why we originally moved here from Orlando (Pros):
- Higher paying jobs: $75k for EE right out of school vs $60k in Orlando.
- Lower cost of living: $1400/month for 1900 sqft house built in 2002 vs $1450/month for 1500 sqft house built in 1950 in Orlando.
- Virtually no crime: actually Carmel and Fishers tied for safest cities in America vs Orlando being one of the most dangerous cities in America
- Forbes rated Carmel as best city in America to live standard of living wise
- I love round-a-bouts
All of the above are great IF you go to church and have kids, and have a low standard for food quality. The schools are great, there are tons of Christians to chat about Jesus with, and if Olive Garden is your nice restaurant out place then Carmel is it for you.
The cons:
For a young married, Buddhist couple with no kids, it has been virtually impossible to make friends here since we do not go to church or have kids to drag us to PTA meetings. The restaurants seriously lack even downtown Indy. We have tried 8/10 of the top 10 restaurants in Indy, one night dropping $250 on a meal for two and it was still just bleh. Everything here is just drenched in oil and salt and no one uses spices and herbs. It is sad when the best restaurant in a 50 mile radius is Chipotle. Oh and "Hoosier Hospitality" is a joke. Yeah, compare people from Indiana to Chicagoans and they are "polite," but compared to Southern Hospitality, Hoosier Hospitality is sad. I mean, one day in Charlotte, I received more please and thank yous than a year in Indiana. Also, EVERYONE HERE SMOKES! It is horrible especially outside of restaurants where the law only requires an 8 foot distance from the door to smoke and it is WINDY here. Smoke constantly all around us when we go out. Ick...
And Carmel itself is very, very snooty as you say. We are very happy to be moving. We have also had a hell of a time with our HOA here trying to tell us our flowers are "weeds." Total BS. Nevertheless, we were really considering Washington state, but the pay wasn't there and the days seem a bit too cloudy for the wife (a born Floridian). We hope to find a nice piece of property to finally settle down on outside of Charlotte so I can build my castle and gun range out in the back yard
Oh and so this is still remotely on topic, far enough away that I can shoot off fireworks whenever!
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