The Mission:

Hoosier hospitality is inherent in all of us. It’s caring on a personal level. It’s performing random acts of kindness. It’s giving a ride to a friend, helping a sick neighbor or simply buying a stranger a cup of coffee. In these challenging times, the Indianapolis Colts are launching the “Help a Hoosier…and then some” campaign to help strengthen our community and empower Hoosiers to create change by engaging in random acts of kindness across the State of Indiana.

Go to The Colts’ Help a Hoosier Site to participate.

Take-off might be a little strong, but any new developments that have already brought jobs and will continue to do so are good news for central Indiana’s economy.

I’ve got a couple of friends that work for Rolls-Royce so I’m sure this is good news for them. It would be interesting to see how many jobs have come through and been brought into the economy due to developments and production of high-tech engines and components like this.

Source: Jet engine could boost Ind. economy

When I finished my term on that job, I decided I would pick a city, move there, and find a job.  I never left Indy.  It was a perfect city for me.  I’m a huge sports fan and you can’t find a better city for sports.  Not only do we have the Colts, Pacers, and Indians, but we also have the Indy 500, Brickyard 400 (sorry Allstate), US Grand Prix, and NHRA US Nationals.  We host major Big 10 and NCAA events including the Final Four for both men and women (I was team host for George Mason in 2006!).  Then there are the championships in swimming, basketball, and track and field the past couple years.  The RCA Tennis Championships give us a chance to see the best tennis players in the world and now we’ll be on a circuit to see the PGA every few years.  IU, Purdue, Ball State, and Notre Dame are close to provide big time college athletics, and Butler, IUPUI and other local schools allow for excitement as well.  Most high school athletics are strongly supported (I officiate high school football) and we have some of the best athletes in the country today.

If all this wasn’t enough, we are within 4 hours of Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, and Nashville which have several major sporting teams as well (the town I grew up in was 9 hours from Minneapolis so 4 hours is a short distance to travel to see a sporting event!).

I see Indianapolis as a “big enough” city, a great place to live and raise a family and it has definitely become home.  I married a Hoosier and we now have three boys.  The older two are in school now so the roots are getting deeper.  Believe it or not the weather is fairly mild (a little perspective being from ND).  It’s rarely colder than 20 or 30 degrees in the winter and the Fall is always beautiful.  You may have to shovel your driveway 3-4 times in the winter but it’s just enough for the kids to get a few sledding days in.

One of the best things about Indy for young professionals is the housing prices.  When I compare the price of my home to friends and family in other parts of the country (even ND), we are usually lower; in some cases more than half the price.  This allows for a greater standard of living and more disposal income to do things you want to do.

I won’t talk about the hospitality and friendliness because I personally believe you can find that almost anywhere (I’ve read too many reviews of places around the country that tout their friendliness and hospitality).  Thanks to those who have started this site, and I hope you are successful in attracting more people to the benefits of living and working in Central Indiana!