Anybody from Indiana.

GraceSeeker said:

I thought of your post when I had to make a hospital call in Indi last week. Seemed every other corner had a UM Church on it.

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Yeah, I was reading the history of one of our non-denominational megachurches and they traced their roots back to Methodist circuit riders, so that might have something to do with it. Around here we've got a lot of German Catholics and Lutherans.

this is neat. I am fixing to be in Indiana for a year. what is it like? does it snow? much different from Texas?

lily00 said:

this is neat. I am fixing to be in Indiana for a year. what is it like? does it snow? much different from Texas?

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Depends on where you are talking about in both Texas and Indiana.

Yes, there can be a lot of snow in the northwest part of Indiana near Chicago and just south or east of Lake Michigan. It's called lake effect snow for a reason.

You get down in the southwest corner of the state near Evansville, and you'll be lucky to ever need a snow shovel. I live near there and went 3 of the last 4 years without touching mine.

But you can still have fun in the snow even here. There's a nice little ski hill in the middle of Indiana cornfields called Paoli Peaks (Paoil, IN). When I first moved to the area I was used to much bigger terrain and at first hated it. But, when it's all you got, you learn to love it and I do so much I'm now an instructor there. So, if you want to learn to ski, come join us. I've yet to have a student who was willing to stick it out and not quit that didn't learn to ski their first day -- not expert, but good enough to have fun on the slopes and work at getting better.

Indiana is small towns, even the cities would be small compared to what you have in Texas. People tend to be conservative and Republican. Most see themselves as religious, but that takes all forms. The KKK was stronger in some parts of Indiana than it was in Mississippi in the 1960s. Thankfully, you won't find that attitude much today. The one thing nearly all Hoosiers worship in common is the god basketball. This takes on a devotion that equals or excedes that of football in Texas.

GraceSeeker said:

Depends on where you are talking about in both Texas and Indiana.

Yes, there can be a lot of snow in the northwest part of Indiana near Chicago and just south or east of Lake Michigan. It's called lake effect snow for a reason.

You get down in the southwest corner of the state near Evansville, and you'll be lucky to ever need a snow shovel. I live near there and went 3 of the last 4 years without touching mine.

But you can still have fun in the snow even here. There's a nice little ski hill in the middle of Indiana cornfields called Paoli Peaks (Paoil, IN). When I first moved to the area I was used to much bigger terrain and at first hated it. But, when it's all you got, you learn to love it and I do so much I'm now an instructor there. So, if you want to learn to ski, come join us. I've yet to have a student who was willing to stick it out and not quit that didn't learn to ski their first day -- not expert, but good enough to have fun on the slopes and work at getting better.

Indiana is small towns, even the cities would be small compared to what you have in Texas. People tend to be conservative and Republican. Most see themselves as religious, but that takes all forms. The KKK was stronger in some parts of Indiana than it was in Mississippi in the 1960s. Thankfully, you won't find that attitude much today. The one thing nearly all Hoosiers worship in common is the god basketball. This takes on a devotion that equals or excedes that of football in Texas.

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I will make some amendments to that because I have quite a different perspective. I've lived in Evansville for all but two years of my life and we typically get one good snow event a year of 8 inches or more (19 one year). Of course since you can't get much further south in Indiana the rest of the state gets more. I've never heard anything about the Klan here, but this was Lincoln's boyhood home and just to the east of here in Spencer and Warrick counties they know their history and they are proud of it. There's even a library that served as a stop on the underground railroad and has hiding places under the floor that they will show you if you ask. Lyles Station is one of our treasured landmarks to the north and that was, I believe, the first settlement built by freed slaves (at least in Indiana). If the Klan was ever active here I bet they drew more protesters than klansmen.

Politics here do lean Republican, but not nearly as bad as Texas (I have family in McAllen and Corpus). Our Republicans are the Lugar and Mitch Daniels breed and not the nutty tea partiers. They may be wrong but at least they're not the tin-foil hat variety. Our Democrats tend to be more moderate too, and at the moment five of our nine congressional districts are represented by Democrats so you won't find the imbalance you're currently suffering.

Football is big with my circle of friends and I don't know a lot of people that get into basketball. Maybe college basketball somewhat but I know Colts fans are a lot more passionate than Pacers fans, and with high school sports football can draw 4 or 5 times as many people as basketball.

My town itself is pretty much suburban. We have two mid-size universities here and you go to one end of town and it has the look and feel of a college town. If you go just north of downtown it looks like a blue collar, union industrial town, and on the east side its suburban sprawl. Indianapolis is the only major city although the Chicago and Louisville metro areas extend into Indiana. In the 'ville the only professional sports we have are baseball and hockey.

Lily, note the differences between WiredSpirit's age and mine. That gives us a little different persepctive on things. You're the same age as he is, so you're more likely to share his perspective. With regard to the Klan, however, I hate to say it, but that history is true. I'm glad that WireSpirit has grown up in an Indiana where it is just history. But sadly any search engine for Indiana KKK will give you plenty of reading material if you doubt my memory.


With regard to snow, from the Indiana State Climate Office, "the Maximum snow fall ever recorded: Jan 26, 1978 , Up to 20 inches of snow fell in the central and south with 40 inches up in the north."

Some other weather details:
The record low in Evansville is -23 back in 1951. The record low for the state was -36 recorded in New Whiteland in 1994.
Highest temperature ever recorded was 116 in Collegeville in 1936. Most days ever recorded when temperature was over 100F: 33 times in 1955 at Evansville.
The mean temperature statewide in January is 26. The mean temperature statewide for July is 74. Obviously the south is warmer than that and the north is colder.

The average is about 20 tornado touchdowns a year. And the average is 40 inches of precipitation a year. As with any midwestern state, the rule is if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes it will change. The can best be evidence by the wettest and driest months on record being July and September (respectively) both in 2004.


You might also be interested in the state's "Moving to Indiana" brochure.

To compare it to the other places I lived, Dayton, OH and Louisville I can point out the differences better, which are pretty minor. Dayton was a military town and if you weren't a war hawk and support and defend everything the military does, well, good luck making friends. Louisville was very polarized. There is a strong liberal base there that is hostile towards Christians and constantly want you to defend your beliefs and the churches there are essentially tied up with the Republican party and if you didn't accept anything and everything George Bush did you were not accepted. I was there during the "Justice Sunday" spectacle when they were trying to get Bush's court appointees confirmed. Here we have more Catholics and moderate mainliners and very few Southern Baptists. The river isn't that wide but for some reason reformed evangelicals have all but choked out everyone else there.

Now that's painting with a broad brush, but I'm trying to point out the differences here and those are the general feelings I got and some of those things I didn't even notice until I returned home. I love it here in Evansville and can tell you this is where I belong. I don't think moving to a bigger city would make much of a difference unless I were to go to Chicago, New York, or LA where the way of life truly is unique. For the most part we have everything places like Louisville, Nashville, St. Louis and the other major cities of the region have except the traffic and crime.

By the way, did this person ever say where they are moving to? Ft. Wayne? Indy? Bloomington? It would make a huge difference.

*taking notes* I'm researching it. I am going to Bluffton, Indiana for a program. I've never been outside Texas for more then two weeks, and that was one time for a trip. But I'll be leaving Wednesday, and then I won't be on the internet for a year!!!! so I'll find out soon enough for myself. It would be neat to see snow stick on the ground though. I don't think I ever remember snow in Houston.

It was very interesting though to learn about the KKK, that Indiana was home to Abraham Lincoln, temperatures, and snow calculations. thanks for all the great info. I'm sure I'll like it.

lily00 said:

and then I won't be on the internet for a year!!!!

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Hey now, we've had the interwebs here for a couple decades now...

lily00 said:

I am going to Bluffton, Indiana for a program.

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That's a nice part of the state. In what some call Amish country. The Church of God is fairly strong in that part of the state as well. I'm about 5 1/2 hour from there presently. Last time I lived close to there was more than 40 years ago, so I'll try not to make many predictions about what you'll find. Though you will be far enough north I'm pretty sure I can guarantee you'll see snow sticking to the ground.

It's flat corn and soybean country. You'll probably do most of your major shopping in Fort Wayne. Pokagon is a nice state park north of their, worth checking out.

What sort of program is it that you are going to be part of?

I am going into a faith-based program for some healing from my past and present issues. what will help more then going 33 hours from home?

Hey now, we've had the interwebs here for a couple decades now...

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ah, I didn't know that. I was trying to figure out what sort of dinosaurs I was going to see there. lol

Amish country? Bluffton keeps getting more and more interesting by the minute. I am packed and ready to go for tomorrow.

so it is flat? no mountains?

lily00 said:

I am going into a faith-based program for some healing from my past and present issues. what will help more then going 33 hours from home?



ah, I didn't know that. I was trying to figure out what sort of dinosaurs I was going to see there. lol

Amish country? Bluffton keeps getting more and more interesting by the minute. I am packed and ready to go for tomorrow.

so it is flat? no mountains?

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I've never heard of this town, but from the map it looks like its close to Ft. Wayne so you'll probably be spending most of your free time there.

lily00 said:

I am going into a faith-based program for some healing from my past and present issues. what will help more then going 33 hours from home?

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You've got a point there. A change of scenery can often do wonders to help us get the space we need from our past to be able to work on it without being overcome by it. Of course, it doesn't make it go away, just gives us a different perspective. My son has moved to Malawi (Africa) for the next 2 years to work on his new perspective.

Good luck with your program. May it provide what you need to move forward in life. And may you know that God goes with you in the midst of it.

so it is flat? no mountains?

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LOL! You'll be lucky to find a hill more than 200 feet tall.