The Vibe: It’s An Indiana Sports World, Everyone Else Is Just Allowed To Live In It
For generations,
Indiana was known as Land of the Hoosiers. A place where basketball was a religion, kids grew up dreaming of going to college to play ball instead of to pursue a career, and the 1986 film “Hoosiers” was played on repeat. And in 2015, not very much has changed.
New films have been added to the average family’s movie collection, of course, because not even a Hoosier can watch that much Gene Hackman. But basketball is still a huge deal across in Indiana. And it’s not just college basketball, either.
High school basketball is just as important as evidenced by the fact that 15 of the 16 largest high school basketball venues in the country are found right here in Indiana. The Indiana-Purdue rivalry is as polarizing as ever and people still plan major events around basketball season. And the NBA even gets some attention now from Hoosiers with the Indiana Pacers.
However, other sports matter in Indiana, too, and you no longer have to be a basketball fan to live comfortably here. Golfing has become a surprisingly popular sport across the state with 470 courses that have been designed by some of the biggest names in the industry. Other college sports have become huge, too, including football and baseball at Indiana University. The Indians are a popular minor league baseball team who play at Victory Field in Indianapolis, a venue which has been ranked the sixth best minor league ballpark in the country. And who could forget the rise of the Indianapolis Colts?
That’s why sports fans find a forever home in Indiana. Everyone else is allowed to stay but just know everyone is silently wondering what’s wrong with you.
Local Flavor: The Little 500 Is The Biggest Party You’ve Never Heard Of
If you’re not familiar with The Little 500, then pay attention. Even if you’re not into cycling, this massive bicycle race was the inspiration behind another Indiana movie, “Breaking Away”, for a reason.
Also referred to as The Little Five, this annual race is held at Bill Armstrong Stadium on the campus of Indiana University in
Bloomington and draws in a massive crowd of over 25,000 fans every April to watch 33 teams sweat it out in the finals. But that’s not the only reason so many people come.
The Little 500 is also known as The World’s Greatest College Weekend, with more parties and events than you can keep track of going on in the area throughout the entire week. In 2008, Barack Obama made a surprise appearance at the event and Lance Armstrong called The Little Five “the coolest event I ever attended.”
Cuisine: Hoosiers Prefer Tenderloins Bigger Than A Basketball And Fried To Perfection
If you haven’t had the pleasure of biting into a fresh ear of Indiana corn, you’re definitely in for a delicious surprise.
Pierogis are also pretty popular in Indiana. They even have Pierogi Fest in Whiting every year to celebrate them where you can eat as much potato-pocket-y goodness as your stomach can handle.
But it’s the fried pork tenderloins that rule the roost in Indiana. These massive sandwiches are a staple throughout the state and although they might look a little ridiculous in size to outsiders, in Indiana, the bigger they are, the yummier they go down.
Nightlife: For A Good Time In Indiana, Follow The Beer
Try as you might, you’re not going to find a nightlife anywhere around Indiana that could compare to places like Vegas or Los Angeles, that’s just a given. Even
Indianapolis, despite a massive renaissance and having plenty of entertainment, can’t compare to the bigger names around the country. People in Northern Indiana often travel to
Chicago and the folks in Southern Indiana head to
Louisville when they want to kick it up a notch.
But just because you won’t be closing a record number of clubs down around the state any time soon doesn’t mean that there isn’t plenty of fun to have here. Awesome events like Lotus World Music & Arts Festival light up the Indiana night sky with something new. And on any regular night, all you have to do is head to one of the local bars, brew pubs, and lounges throughout the state. With an excellent craft beer scene that has exploded in recent years, it’s one of the best ways to spend a night with friends in Indiana.
Weather: Indiana Is A State Of All Seasons
Spring, summer, winter, and fall—Indiana does seasons like a pro. Whether you’re in Northern, Central, or Southern Indiana, summers are marked by high temperatures that hover in the mid- to high-80s and, don’t shoot the messenger, humidity is no one’s friend.
Winters are blustery and cold with January temperatures that rarely break out of the 30s and can dip down into the single digits. How much snow you see can vary depending on where you live, with the southern town of
Tell City only getting around 4 inches of fluffy white stuff every year while Northern South Bend gets pounded with 66 inches. Overall, though, you can bet on an average of anywhere from 15 to 25 inches.
Spring is a glorious and very welcome time of year where blooming flowers help bring the state back to life and breathe a life into the locals, too, who are long-since over winter. And fall brings a gorgeous burst of crisp colors and air, like Indiana is a canvas and Mother Nature decides to go crazy with the paint. Farmers markets, pumpkin patches, and endless cornfields highlight one of the state’s most beautiful times of year.
Safety & Crime: Small Town USA Is The Heart Of Indiana
Like any big city, even the cities in Indianapolis have issues with crime. But the sprawling suburbs, small towns, and rural communities are truly where Indiana’s heart is and that’s where you’ll find neighborhoods where you’ve never felt safer.
For comparison, AreaVibes grades Indianapolis’ crime rate with an F overall. However, just eight miles outside of the city, the town of Meridian Hills is ranked as the second most livable city in Indiana with a crime grade of an A+, coming in 85 percent lower than the overall Indiana average. Other areas like Woodlawn Heights,
Zionsville,
Carmel, Crows Nest, River Forest,
Fishers, and
Santa Claus all rank just as safe.
Commute: Indiana Saves You Time
Indiana is an extremely car-dependent state. Unless you’re in Downtown Indy, getting around with nothing but your own two feet really won’t work out in your favor. But the good news is that getting around Indiana is much easier than it is most other places around the country.
It takes commuters around the country an average of 25.1 minutes to get to work every day, according to U.S. Census data. Indiana commuters are lucky to see a little time shaved off of their daily drive, though, with an average of 22.5 minutes overall. Each area has its own driving differences, of course.
Morgan County averages a daily drive of 27.5 minutes each way, while Madison comes in under the national average with a drive averaging 24 minutes. And the counties of Howard, Elkhart, Delaware, Grant, and LaPorte all boast super-short commutes that average under 20 minutes each way.
Cost Of Living: Indiana Also Saves You Major Bucks
Being a so-called “fly-over” state has some huge advantages. One of which everybody finds most important: affordability.
Indiana has a cost of living index of 86 against a national index of 100. And USA Today ranked Indiana the sixth most-affordable state in the country. That’s because everything is cheaper here, from groceries and healthcare to gas and utilities.
But the housing market comes with the best price tag of all, with a super-low index of 68. With a median home value of $115,000, Indiana’s home values come in an astonishing 32 points cheaper than the national average. So, if you’re worried about people making fly-over state jokes when you move here, fret not. You’ll be the one laughing all the way to the bank.
Indiana Invented The Fast And The Furious
Maybe the reason Indiana has such great commute times is because the drivers here have learned from the best. Literally.
The Indianapolis 500 is dubbed the Greatest Spectacle in Racing for good reason. With 250,000 seats that sell out in record time every year at the Motor Speedway, the venue with big enough to fit Wimbledon, Yankee Stadium, the Rose Bowl, the Kentucky Derby and even Vatican City inside the oval.
And that doesn’t even account for the massive amount of tailgaters, campers, and glampers (yes, glamping is officially a thing at the Indy races now) which is just part of why this massive car race is the largest single-day sporting event in the entire world.
While the Indy 500 isn’t the most important event in Indiana (those events are reserved for Hoosiers), there is no denying that it’s a crucial part of the backbone of Indiana, keeping tradition alive and bringing in a ton of tourists into a state that they otherwise mock as a fly-over.
Hoosiers For Life
Where did the name Hoosiers come from, exactly? Well, the truth is that no one really knows.
Everyone has their own theories, of course, most of which are completely bogus. But it’s a term that has surpassed basketball and instead encompasses someone who is proud and loyal to their state of Indiana and it’s long line of traditions.
Northern Indiana might be a world apart from Southern Indiana and Central Indiana might get caught right in the middle (literally) but in the end, no one here denies their love for the Hoosier State and know that when push comes to shove, their all Hoosiers first and foremost. So don’t call them “Indianans”–whatever that is.
The people of Indiana are proud to be Hoosiers. It’s an honor that never leaves you no matter how far you move or how long you’re gone. Because as the ancient proverb says, you can take the Hoosier out of Indiana. But you can’t take Indiana out of the Hoosier...or something like that. The point is that Hoosier pride gets in your blood, no matter where in Indiana you live, and it never leaves you.
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