Learn me: Indy / Greenwood / Southport, IN

So, DD#2 announced at dinner last night that she and her bestie are moving in together, with bestie's boyfriend, to a 2BR / 2B apartment in what looks like a nice complex in Southport, Indiana.  They've signed the lease and are moving out there from Delaware the first week in October.

Bestie is a 24-year-old flight attendant with United.  She is expecting to be furloughed at some point but she has been guaranteed employment at least through the end of 2020.  She was previously stationed in Ohio but regularly spent some time with here parents here in DE.  Bestie has some... minor oddities, but they've been friends for a long time, she's a known quantity, and fundamentally a good young woman.  They get along well and have planned to live together for a while now.  Unknown Boyfriend is a 27-year-old commercial pilot who apparently comes from money.  He has a small plane and hangar near Greenwood, which is prompting the location choice.  We've already warned DD#2 about the dangers of bizarre love triangles and to have a Plan B if bestie and her beau implode.

So, what is Greenwood and surrounding area like?  Crime?  Cost of living?  Employment opportunities?  Anything else an inquiring parent wants to know?

DD#2 is currently unemployed and living at home.  She's also 24, with a bachelor's in Psychology.  She has a ton of experience in event planning, including promotion, graphic design, talent handling, coordination, etc from college.  She's interested in marketing but not really sales per se.  Her only previous regular job was in retail (1+ year), but since COVID she's been doing some freelance promotion and design work.

Anybody have leads or suggestions on where she can look for work?  She'd like to start now since she has a location and availability date set.

Thanks!

I used to be in Indy often for work.  The city itself reminds me a lot of Columbus, OH (which is a compliment.)  Both cities have very good "Midwestern values" and you can find at least a small version of anything in the town.  I do have one unscientific observation of both towns...

In both, the fresh water reservoirs (drinking water) are in the north of town.  The water treatments (poop) are both in the south of town.  Similarly, in both the North Suburbs are the "mega-hot" places to be and the southern suburbs have a more "working class" vibe.  Just my outside opinion/vibe. 

Eli Lilly and Company is HQ'ed in downtown Indy and is a mega-employer if she's interested in going the "corp-gig" route.  

I wish I had some information to share, but the area is pretty pumpkin spice(basic) mix of city and suburbia. I have no connections in her fields of interest.

Welcome to the neighborhood, anyhow!

Hopefully Bobzilla knows something, but I'll ask my cousins about it. I have a bunch of family there, and a few friends too. 

Indy in general, she's probably going to get a bit of culture shock as once you get outside of Indianapolis. Compared to what I would assume Delaware is like, I would expect it is a much smaller town/area, likely more conservative, and there is very little diversity. COL is generally pretty low, especially outside of Carmel/Fishers/Zionsville/Noblesville (which is on the north side of the city). Decent economy there, everyone I know with a college degree who wanted to find a job there has done so. I'll put some feelers out to see if anyone is hiring. 

I like Indianapolis. On the list of places I'd move if a job pops up. Coming from Chicago, there are no places that I've been that I felt were unsafe in the entire area - but I haven't been to even 25% of the city. I'm sure they're there, but based on a friend who lives in Indy who is a recovered addict, you have to search them out rather than worry about accidently ending up there. 

Oh, she'll need a car. No way around that really.

I grew up 5 minutes from that complex. Parents still live there. Those apartments are nice, and everything in the immediate area is newer. 20-25 years ago most of that area was cornfields, but now there's a lot of retail, restaurants, strip malls, etc. There's easy access to I65, and getting to downtown Indy should be a 10-15 minute drive outside of the heaviest rush hours, or Columbus about 40-45 minutes south. Should be able to get to the airport (which rocks) in 20 minutes or so from there on a good day, or 1 hr in rush hour on a heavy day. They'll be 10 minutes from the best bakery around (Long's and if anybody argues they'll get struck!).

The southside in general isn't as glamorous or expensive as the northside, but it's probably pretty typical, middle class suburbia. The township 15 minutes west of that complex has the largest population of Burmese immigrants in the state, which adds some cosmopolitan feel in an otherwise predominantly white, lower-middle class area. You'll see lots of international businesses, hear lots of non-English speakers, and deal with some unconventional driving techniques in those areas. Seriously, have your head on a swivel and take a defensive approach when driving in that part of town.

Greenwood is technically a suburb of Indianapolis, but they run together to the point that you can't tell there's any difference if you don't know it. Greenwood has a few more upscale areas and neighborhoods than the southside of Indy but it's the same basic vibe. Schools are generally decent, it's pretty safe, lots of growth in the last 25 years or so.

If DD is into autocross, the Columbus region would be much closer for her most of the time than the Indy region which often runs a couple of hours to the north.

The biggest employers around are probably Eli Lilly, Cummins, Salesforce, Rolls Royce and IU Health. I have several friends in the graphic design/web design/social media marketing circles but I'm not sure if any place is hiring right now, and I'm not sure what kind of qualifications they'd be looking for. They all seem to end up @ SalesForce eventually.

General Indy/Central Indiana stuff:

The city is clean and very walkable with trails that connect a lot of attractions. There's typically a lot of convention and sporting business but COVID has paused all of that. There are a bunch of nice museums and a decent zoo. Just about any type of food you'd want is available. Lots of car and motorsports stuff based in and around the city but most of that takes place between April and November. Like any city there are good parts and bad parts. Be prepared for 4 seasons, and possibly more than one season in a day. If large concerts are a big deal, Indianapolis is often skipped over but Chicago is 2.5 hours away, Louisville and Cincinnati are both ~1.5 hrs away and seem to give some options.

Feel free to PM me if you need anything more specific or detailed

My church is right over I65 from there. I have a buddy that lives in another complex next to the Meijer there on Southport Rd.  My wife lived in that same complex next to Meijer when we met.  Crime isn't a big deal.  I don't really know that particular complex other than I was there for work a few months ago.

Living in Chicago most of my life I like Indy as I found it easy to get around.  A big city but not too big.  I've traveled it a lot for work and I continue to like the general size.  Some folks work up in Muncie.   Lafayette is an hour away with a ton of good sized employers.    
 

I was in a production meeting with sales in 1994 and the sales chick was telling us they were out with a customer and ate 12 dozen shrimp then turned around and ordered 12 dozen more.  That was my "ah ha" moment and I said berkeley this and got into sales.  Tell DD #2 to get into sales.  

Sounds like a good excuse to attend PRI....

Its weird to me that someone young, single, and unemployed would lock in their location before locking in their employment.  Especially something more speclialized like a Psych major.

minivan_racer said:

My church is right over I65 from there.

SPC?

I'm staying on the other side of the interstate from that Meijer right now, Southport area is pretty laid back. Hardly any crime to speak of, more young working people and retired hanging out people. I stay here and drive into Indy for work because it's got everything without being oppressive. 

Thanks, everybody, for the prompt and detailed input!

Their previous plan was to move to Philadelphia, but even though they will be 10 hours farther away, I will say this idea makes me happier than that one.

It actually sounds a lot like the area we currently live in, maybe a little more conservative and a little safer.  The newly-developed-farmland comment is very much like the area just south of where we live now.  For that matter there has been a lot of that kind of development all around our town.  "Pumpkin spice suburbia" with a larger city nearby sounds good to me.  It's good to know access to a bunch of stuff will be pretty convenient.

DD#2 has a reliable car, so that won't be an issue.  I plan to sign the title over to her.  After she turns 25 (end of this year) I will move her policy off to her own name so she is off our car insurance.  She can then decide for herself if she wants to register it out there or leave it registered in DE for now.  Bestie also has a car, and so does the Unknown Boyfriend.  They plan to rent a truck for the move and tow one of the cars out, driving the other.  I am not sure if UB is coming east to help or not, but I assume if he does he will fly here and help drive back.

I'll forward the employer recommendations to her.  I know she has a vision of her ideal job but I also know that she's going to have to compromise on that and take what she can get.  DW and I were gearing up to have that conversation with her in the near future when she laid this news on us.

Thanks again - any other info is sincerely appreciated.

ProDarwin said:

Its weird to me that someone young, single, and unemployed would lock in their location before locking in their employment.  Especially something more speclialized like a Psych major.

Well, she's not particularly interested in Psych as a career.  Her interest is more in the data interpretation / trend spotting side of marketing rather than the sales or advertising sides.  More behind-the-scenes work than direct client interface.  Like I said, that's her ideal, and she's going to have to take what she can get.

As far as taking the plunge before having the job, being young and single is to her advantage if it doesn't pan out.  She's tried to pick a place that has some opportunity, some interest, and a lot of affordability.  She'll have some support network from her friends.  And it's a commitment she can use to make herself get off her ass and move forward.

Tons of opportunity here for sure, heck it's hard to hire someone because so many companies are vying for the same people.

In reply to STM317 :

IBT behind 5/3 and McDonald's

In reply to Duke :

If it comes down to it and she needs a J-O-B there are tons of warehouses in g'wood and Whiteland that start around 13 an hour.  She'll be fine as long as she stays in Southport or Greenwood for shopping. Use the Walmart at I65 and county line instead of Beech Grove or Southport.  There is a Meijer across from where she'll be and a Kroger south on Emerson.  If you can get ahold of SF1 somehow, he lived in that area longer than I did.

In reply to Duke :

Additional thoughts.  Price out renting a truck.  This can be expensive, like $1k+ expensive.  At the age of 25 she might not have a lot of heirlooms so if not, consider bringing the bare minimum and spend that $1k at Ikea, Target, CL/FB replacing what you didn't bring.  Just start with a temporary big air mattress bed that when still in the box will just take up a little trunk space. 

Your daughter's work goals seem like the might align with Salesforce which is really a data company. 

In reply to minivan_racer :

Definitely the same stomping grounds! I spent some time in that building before it was a church, and worked out across the street.

In reply to Duke :

If it comes down to it, I've got friends that own a couple of pizza places a short drive from that apartment that treat their employees pretty well. Don't know how many strings I could pull but I could at least point her in the right direction if nothing else is panning out.

In reply to STM317 :

Yeah the wife lived in lakes of Windsor when we met and we lived in Keeneland Crest after we got married and then moved out to Decatur and I'm over by Mooresville now.

STM317 said:

I grew up 5 minutes from that complex. Parents still live there. Those apartments are nice, and everything in the immediate area is newer. 20-25 years ago most of that area was cornfields, but now there's a lot of retail, restaurants, strip malls, etc. There's easy access to I65, and getting to downtown Indy should be a 10-15 minute drive outside of the heaviest rush hours, or Columbus about 40-45 minutes south. Should be able to get to the airport (which rocks) in 20 minutes or so from there on a good day, or 1 hr in rush hour on a heavy day. They'll be 10 minutes from the best bakery around (Long's and if anybody argues they'll get struck!).

The southside in general isn't as glamorous or expensive as the northside, but it's probably pretty typical, middle class suburbia. The township 15 minutes west of that complex has the largest population of Burmese immigrants in the state, which adds some cosmopolitan feel in an otherwise predominantly white, lower-middle class area. You'll see lots of international businesses, hear lots of non-English speakers, and deal with some unconventional driving techniques in those areas. Seriously, have your head on a swivel and take a defensive approach when driving in that part of town.

Greenwood is technically a suburb of Indianapolis, but they run together to the point that you can't tell there's any difference if you don't know it. Greenwood has a few more upscale areas and neighborhoods than the southside of Indy but it's the same basic vibe. Schools are generally decent, it's pretty safe, lots of growth in the last 25 years or so.

If DD is into autocross, the Columbus region would be much closer for her most of the time than the Indy region which often runs a couple of hours to the north.

The biggest employers around are probably Eli Lilly, Cummins, Salesforce, Rolls Royce and IU Health. I have several friends in the graphic design/web design/social media marketing circles but I'm not sure if any place is hiring right now, and I'm not sure what kind of qualifications they'd be looking for. They all seem to end up @ SalesForce eventually.

General Indy/Central Indiana stuff:

The city is clean and very walkable with trails that connect a lot of attractions. There's typically a lot of convention and sporting business but COVID has paused all of that. There are a bunch of nice museums and a decent zoo. Just about any type of food you'd want is available. Lots of car and motorsports stuff based in and around the city but most of that takes place between April and November. Like any city there are good parts and bad parts. Be prepared for 4 seasons, and possibly more than one season in a day. If large concerts are a big deal, Indianapolis is often skipped over but Chicago is 2.5 hours away, Louisville and Cincinnati are both a little under 2 hrs away and seem to give some options.

Feel free to PM me if you need anything more specific or detailed

I got nothing more to add than that. Wrong side of town for me (we're NW) and still view greenwood as the hicks..... Coming from rural putnam county that may be a bit hypocritical. Indiana in general is not the backwards redneck-ville that the coaster's (east and west) like to make it out to be. There is culture here, there are plenty of things to do, lower CoL and reasonable taxes. I have literally lost count of the east coasters that JEn knew/knows that have moved here from the NY/NJ area and are so pleasantly surprised at how nice it is. It's like theyve been told their entire life that we're all buck toothed, rebel flag waving, cousin marrying hillbillies. That's not us... that's Kentucky. 

In reply to minivan_racer :

You and Gumby are neighbors then. Do you know each other?

John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) said:

In reply to Duke :

Additional thoughts.  Price out renting a truck.  This can be expensive, like $1k+ expensive.  At the age of 25 she might not have a lot of heirlooms so if not, consider bringing the bare minimum and spend that $1k at Ikea, Target, CL/FB replacing what you didn't bring.  
 

My son left grad school in SoCal and moved to Boston for a 2-year project.  Sold everything and brought it all home in a Sentra and his mom's Pilot. Sold a $700 Costco queen bed 5-years used for $250 to someone  off Facebook market.   Bought all new in Boston.  
 

Company that hired him paid to move his stuff from Boston to Central Illinois and it's obscene the little amount of stuff he had that cost $2300 to move (Uhaul Pod and movers on each end)

this is a good suggestion

my sister moved from a subdivision east of Greenwood (next to Adams Elementary) about 2 years ago, after being there for nearly 15.  i visited a couple times and always found the area really appealing...its pretty farmland, well put together neighborhoods, and shopping areas seemed nearby and fairly diverse for what you'd want.  they'd get their veggies from a local farmer sometimes.  always enjoyed checking out Indy downtown, around the canal.  they bought their house very well priced in the early 00's and did just fine when they sold.  i also really enjoyed using the Indy airport - not too big, easy to get around, clean.

she wasn't a fan of tornado season between March and June or the bitter cold winters.  straight, boring roads with potholes (which may not bother a non-enthusiast).  she never liked the taste of the tap water and filtered it (i've heard Indiana in general has water pollution issues, centered around the white river and to a lesser extent the ohio)

i'd say go for it.

In reply to STM317 :

I haven't met him in person yet.  I know he's close by and works at the Advance part time.

bobzilla said:

It's like theyve been told their entire life that we're all buck toothed, rebel flag waving, cousin marrying hillbillies. That's not us... that's Kentucky. 

I don't know man, have you been south of Franklin/ Columbus at all?  We went to clifty falls this past weekend and I saw plenty of rebel flags once we got south of Columbus.