Indiana is a state well-known for its overall affordability (especially housing) and solid schools (from pre-K all the way through higher education), safe (both violent and property crime rates are well below national averages) and friendly communities, is centrally located for serious day-tripping, and is a sports-lover’s haven for college sports (in college basketball, the big rivalry is Indiana University Hoosiers versus the Purdue Boilermakers), the NFL (Indianapolis Colts), the NBA (Indiana Pacers), the WNBA (Indiana Fever), and the biggest single-day sporting event in the world: The Indianapolis 500 automobile race. And that’s just barely scratching the surface! Read more here: Moving to Indianapolis?
It’s exciting when you’re planning a move to a new place that has so much to offer so you can make a fresh start. The process of actually physically moving yourself and all your belongings, however, can be nerve-racking. Let Busy Bee Movers do all the heavy lifting when it comes to relocating to Indiana.
Why Move to Indiana?
Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th state on December 11, 1816. The name Indiana itself means “Land of the Indians,” or just “Indian Land,” referring to the many Indigenous peoples who lived here for thousands of years before Anglo-Saxon settlers began showing up in the late 1700s. Here’s how Indiana stacks up with other states along a variety of metrics:
- 38th-largest state by area (36,418 square miles).
- 17th-most populous state (6,785,528 in 2020 census).
- 18th-lowest cost of living.
- Ranked #13 for housing affordability.
- Ranked #17 for overall tax burden (property taxes, individual income taxes, and sales/excise taxes as a share of total personal income).
- Ranked 37th for median household income: $62,743 (2022).
- Ranked 34th for median wages: $38,330 (2021 in current dollars).
As you can see from the above metrics, Indiana is a great choice for an overall more affordable cost of living in terms of housing and overall tax burden (especially property taxes). With good employment opportunities, moving to Indiana is more than financially viable, and could result in saving more money or enjoying a higher quality of life. Unemployment in the Hoosier State has recently been around 4 percent, ranking it 34th among all states. There are good job opportunities in Indiana, especially in industries such as healthcare, education, finance, and technology. Several Fortune 500 companies call Indiana home, including Anthem (health insurance), Eli Lilly (pharmaceuticals), Cummins (design, manufacture, and distribution of engines, filtration, and power generation products), Simon Property Group (a real estate investment trust that invests in shopping malls, outlet centers, and community/lifestyle centers), Elevance Health (health insurance), Corteva (agrochemicals), Steel Dynamics (steel production and metal recycling), Zimmer Biomet (orthopedic reconstructive, spinal and trauma devices, dental implants, and related surgical products), and Berry Global (injection-molded plastic packaging, thermoformed products, flexible products and tapes and coatings).
Indiana is also known for strong schools, starting with preschool and running all the way through higher education with great campuses like Indiana University, Purdue University, Notre Dame, and the country’s largest unified network of community colleges with more than 40 campuses operating under the umbrella of Ivy Tech Community College and serves more than 160,000 students each year. Indiana is a state with strong school choice options and alternatives to traditional public schools thanks to its solid voucher program to offset some of the costs of attending private schools. There are also charter schools, magnet programs, and homeschooling options as well.
Indiana’s State Designations
Indiana has made a number of official state designations, including the following:
- State Bird: Cardinal (also called Red Bird).
- State Flower: Peony.
- State Firearm: Grouseland Rifle.
- State Insect: Say’s Firefly.
- State Nickname: The Hoosier State. Now, what “Hoosier” means and where it comes from has been a long-standing debate, but the leading theory is that it is an Upland South (VA, KY, the Carolinas, and TN) term for a backwoodsman, a rough countryman, or a country bumpkin.
- State Motto: Crossroads of America. Indiana (and especially Indianapolis) is the point where several different main interstate highways all come together, including I-70, I-74, I-65, and I-69. Drive times from Indianapolis to various places: Louisville, KY (2 hours), Chicago, IL (2:45), and Cincinnati, OH (2 hours). Lots of day-tripping possibilities!
- State Poem: “Indiana” by Franklin Mapes.
- State Rock: Indiana Limestone.
- State Song: On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away.
- State Tree: Tulip Tree. If you’ve never seen a tulip tree (a type of poplar) in full bloom, you’re in for a treat!
- State Snack: Popcorn (Indiana-grown, of course).
Family-Friendly Activities and Things to Do
Indiana has a lot of things to do and explore, including family-friendly activities such as hiking, biking, going to museums, and cultural events, along with some pretty amazing attractions you won’t want to miss when you get here:
- Indianapolis Children’s Museum: Indy boasts the largest children’s museum in the whole wide world. ‘Nuff said!
- Indiana Dunes (State Park and National Park): Indiana has 45 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline that stretches across three counties (Lake, Porter, and LaPorte) and includes Indiana Dunes State Park and Indiana Dunes National Park, with great hiking trails and beautiful beaches, but also a ton of interesting things you wouldn’t expect to find in a state or nations park, such as fascinating “futuristic” homes leftover from the 1933 Word’s Fair.
- The Hoosier Gym: Featured in the 1885 movie Hoosiers, visiting this gym in Knightstown is a rite of passage for every new resident of the Hoosier State—watch the movie, first!
- Notre Dame: A prestigious university founded in South Bend in 1842, you’ll want to tour this most-visited site in the entire state.
- State Parks: There are at least 24 state parks throughout Indiana, and it’s worth checking out as many of them as possible!
- French Lick Springs Hotel: Constructed in 1845, this amazing hotel is the crown jewel of a southern Indiana resort town (French Lick). It’s also widely considered to be one of the most haunted places in all of the USA.
- Anderson Paramount Theater: Located in Anderson, this is one of only about a dozen “atmospheric theaters.” It was designed by John Eberson in 1928 to transport you to an evening in a Spanish courtyard. The interior of the theater is beyond stunning, and seeing a show there is a must.
Three Weird Laws in Indiana
Every state has at least a few strange laws on the books, whether they’re just really old from a bygone era or were more recently passed, and Indiana is no exception. Here are few head-scratchers in the Hoosier State:
- Noodling is Illegal: You might think you know what noodling is, but it’s probably not what you think. It means fishing with your bare hands, whether for fish (typically catfish) or turtles (typically snapping turtles), and it’s a no-no in state-owned waters throughout the state of Indiana.
- Happy Hour is Illegal: What? No happy hour in Indiana, like at all? That’s right. But don’t worry, you can still get discounted drinks, but it has to be a whole happy day. Lawmakers were trying to prevent people from drinking a whole lot in a short amount of time, so what this law says is that retailers must sell drinks at the same price throughout the day.
- Microchipping Employees is Illegal: If you’re on the slightly paranoid end of the spectrum when it comes to potential misuse of technology, you’ll rest easier in the Hoosier State knowing your employer cannot require you to have a microchip implant. Phew!
Tips for a Smooth Move to Indiana: Working with Busy Bee Movers
If you’re going to be moving to Indiana, do yourself a favor and get a quote from Busy Bee Movers to help you with your move. As you probably know, the key to a smooth move is all in the planning and preparation. When you work with Busy Bee, you can let us handle as much or as little of your moving tasks as you desire. As a family-owned moving company that has been providing local and national moving services for more than 30 years, our whole philosophy can be summed up like this: We treat your belongings as if they were our own. Go to the Busy Bee website to learn more about our long-distance moving services.
Based in Indianapolis, Busy Bee also offers local moving services for both residential and business customers. Working with the pros at Busy Bee means you know your move will be professionally executed, making it a stress-free moving experience for you! We also keep all our moving services as affordable as possible. Find out more by contacting Busy Bee today! On our website, you can request a quote, fill out our contact form, or call us directly at 317-451-4338. We look forward to meeting you!
