I Choose Indy

I was raised in Chicago and most of my extended family members still live there, but given a choice between Indy and Chicago, I choose Indy.

For my wife, Amy, and I this is actually our second stint living in Indianapolis. We both grew up in Chicago’s northern suburbs, but lived in Indy briefly 8 years ago when we were newlyweds. All the while we were in Indy we kept thinking “Indy is no Chicago”. Indy is nice, friendly, convenient, easy to get around, but it’s just not as “cool”, we thought.

We returned to Chicago in 1999 and spent the next 5 years working to build a new business and struggling to afford our first home. We loved our time there – especially since it kept us close to our families. After 5 years back in Chicago, however, the new business began to falter and we were forced to sell our hard earned home. I started a new company and through a weird twist of fact, my first major client needed me in Indy 3 days a week for six months. Rather than commute, we decided to move so that the family would be together every night. So we came back to Indy, this time with 2 kids in tow and one more on the way and with a whole new perspective on Indianapolis.

We began to realize that Chicago is no Indy!

Chicago is a great city and it will always be special to me, but for me, Indy makes more sense for several reasons:

• Indy is more affordable. The real estate prices in my home town (Winnetka, IL) are through the roof. An average house costs $1 million – and that might be a “tear down”. Who can afford that? Here in Indy, we own a lovely home on a large lot with great neighbors for a fraction of that cost.
• Indy is more accessible.Give me 20 minutes and I can drive anywhere in this town. But more than logistics, people are accessible. Whereas most cities require 6 degrees of separation, in Indy you’re only 1 step away from anyone you might want to meet.

(“Affordable. Accessible.” It sounds like I’m describing a Buick. Safe. Sound. And great for anyone who has blue hair! Not at all. Indy is not Paris, to be sure, but there is a vibrant arts culture here. A lively downtown. Plenty of politics. We don’t have a major lake or ocean or mountains, but you’re not far from nature if that’s your thing. My friends who come to visit are amazed when they see what’s going on here. There’s something about the culture here. Something about the people).

• Indy is a community. Best of all from my experience, people in Indy seem to be missing that invisible force field that one finds surrounding denizens of larger metros. People in Indy seem to be here for the community, not just for the “scene”. We’re living in a global economy with high speed connectivity, but at the end of the day you need to trust the people you’re working with. We’ve got that here.

Interestingly, I’ve come to learn that the Indianapolis I enjoy today was created on purpose, by people. 25 years ago this was a city in decline. But then some forward thinking leaders got together and made a plan that ultimately helped revitalize the entire region. And those people are still at it today. They’re not resting on their laurels. And I am a part of it now. WE are working hard every day to build our community.

As I write this entry the leaders of our fair city are searching for a new advertising slogan to capture the essence of Indianapolis. The “tagline” will be used in ad campaigns to attract more people to visit and settle in Indianapolis; and to get the “creative class” engaged in our community. I don’t know if a tagline can capture the essence of our metro area, but I do know this:

I choose Indy!