state by state speak your mind about...indiana

[SwampG8r]

indiana i have been through one time driving
it was pretty and pastoral
many farms and a lot of farming
several cities of good size
indianapolis was very impressive
the largest road kill i have ever seen was the deer all along the side of the interstate
huge creatures but not the best way to see them
indiana is another place i hope to return to with more time to explore

[limpyhobbler]

1. Home of the world's most unfortunately named RV dealership.

Tom Raper RV.

http://www.tomraper.com/


They have branches in Ohio now, but Tom Raper is Indiana through and through.

[SwampG8r]

3. i am a member of the raper family

my maternal grandfather was a raper from tennessee
my brother tracked the raper family to a dock in liverpool in the mid 1600's

[RZM]

7. I remember their commercials growing up

I was only about an hour from the dealership (in Ohio).

[hfojvt]

8. being from Wisconsin,

my brother and I always think of Jeffrey when we see ads for Dahmer Chevrolet.

Then again, I keep going to Crowley Furniture and asking for Aleister.

[Arkansas Granny]

2. I don't know much about Indiana, but this is the first thing that came to mind.

[JaneQPublic]

4. Indiana is an Illinois wanna-be.

"Illinois Lite," so to speak.

(All in jest from a former C-U, Illinois resident)

[dmallind]

5. Since I'm a recent transplant I think I can speak to this

While the state once lead the nation in KKK membership, I think it's fallen back to under 15% by now.

At least in the far Southwest, the weather is better than you think. I keep getting told how cold 35 degrees is....

Yes the split timezone is a silly idea in a narrow state, but I hate Eastern time so I'll cling to the idiocy thanks.

Regional smoking bans are finally dragging the state into the 1990s.

I'm not sure if it's good being in a state with few budget issues or bad being in one where Republicans always take credit for it.

Far from an anti-tax zealot, I do appreciate paying $1500 in property taxes for a house similar to the one that cost me $6400 for fewer services in NY. Charge me more in income tax to make it up if you would - a much fairer option.

Lumbering Caucasian giants with the agility of oxen do not make a great college basketball team no matter how smooth their outside shooting. Sorry folks. And even if they did, it's not as important as you think.

Having also lived in St. Louis, I think people proudly calling themselves Hoosiers - especially the newsreaders - will always be funny.

Black people do exist in the Ohio River valley. Just not sure where.

For a state that is, justly, proud of its interstate highway role, it would be nice if they connected the few decently sized cities in the state to each other, rather than distant and separate conurbations.

Beer on Sundays will not damage my immortal soul. Even if I had one.

Legalize meth. I'm no fan of the stuff, but given its local prominence it would be a sure way to guarantee budget surpluses for generations.

Housing bubble? Never heard of it.

[hfojvt]

6. "Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana, let me say it once again ..."

I think I have been through Indiana a few times, taking 94 from Chicago to Detroit and east to New York. I doubt, though, that it was pastoral.

Indianapolis is the home of Kurt Vonnegut. That, alone, makes it special.

My patriarch spent some 20 years in Indiana, the Logansport area after walking from Pennsylvania in 1833, got married there in 1838 and stayed there until 1853 when he moved to Wisconsin. I spent a couple hours in Logansport in 1999 on my trip to New York. It seemed like a nice small town, although I spent most of my time in the library.

My partner at my first job was from Evansville. We used to argue about the midwest. I, being from Dakota, thought Indiana was in the East, and he insisted that it was in the midwest. I said it is about 600 miles from Indianapolis to the Atlantic Ocean and about 2,000 miles from there to the Pacific Ocean. Given so much territory to the west, it is absurd to call Indiana midWEST.

Evansville, is, however, in the central time zone, unlike most of the rest of Indiana.

He was a libertarian at the time, and now, according to his facebook page, is a big teabagger. Didn't return my PM either, so perhaps he has forgotten me after 25 years. Or maybe he remembers all too well. I always wanted him to quit smoking in our work area.

[dmallind]

11. Eh that reminds me.

I moved from Binghamton NY to IN. In both places occasionally the topic of famous people from the area is broaches.

In Binghamton everybody knew and came up with Rod Serling. A lot came up with the guty who does the BC comic strip. But next to nobody mentioned another comedic writing genius (another to Vonnegut that is, not Johnny Hart). David Sedaris.

Few people here mention Vonnegut either. Larry Bird? Sure. Vonnegut not so much.

[hfojvt]

13. I had to google that

I never heard of Sedaris.

His connection to Binghamton seems like my connection to Columbia, born there, but didn't spend much time there.

I once visited Millville, Wisconsin. They had a brochure about all the famous people from Millville, including, I think, a Nobel-winning physicist of all things. But no mention of Clifford Simak, who set many of his books in Millville, or rural Wisconsin.

Authors will just never be as big as TV, sports or cartoons.

[dmallind]

15. I think the key of knowing the guy is whether you listen to NPR or not

At least the NPR news/talk shows, where he has a huge following starting from his Macy's Christmas Elf stories. A few of his childhood pieces revolve around Binghamton, but he did leave young (for which on reflection I'm sure he is profoundly grateful - not a quirky artsy gay-friendly place to say the least.

[RZM]

9. Been to Indiana many, many times

I grew up only about 40 or so miles from the border. If you're from Ohio and you've ever driven West, chances are you're familiar with Indiana.

Been to pretty much every region of the state too. Used to camp in the southeast every summer. I also lived in Bloomington for a summer (nice town). I got to Indianapolis and the casinos in Lawrenceburg regularly now too. Good, solid, midwestern folk, just like me

[WCIL]

10. My one and only trip to Indiana

was about 10 years ago when my husband and I attended Feast of the Hunter's Moon. It was a great time, but we missed some of it because we didn't know that Indiana was in the Eastern time zone, so we got a late start. It reminds me of where I live in Illinois.

[MarianJack]

12. Hello from Maine.

I went through Indiana in the summer of 1963 when my father, step-mother and I were on our way to California. I remember it being very pretty and I remember an afternoon in a park where we had to go down several wooden steps to go to the beach.

I liked it. I really wish I knew where that park was in case I ever go through again with my family. That is, of course, if it's even still there.

PEACE!

[The Magistrate]

14. Good Place To Be From, Sir...

Have not been back in many, many, many years.

Kids growing up there in my day were likely to call Indianapolis India-No-Place: it did not even have its own rock and roll radio station, you had to put your radio on a windowsill with a northern exposure to catch WLS from Chicago, albeit with a bit of static....

[The Genealogist]

16. When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash...

No, I am not, nor ever have been, a resident of Indiana. However, I have family ties there, as ancestors on both sides of my family were born, lived, and died in Indiana. I still have many relatives there. I've had the privilege of visiting the state a number of times. I think there is so much natural beauty in Indiana. The farmlands, too, have a certain charm. It must be one of the most celebrated states in America's songbook. I applied to Indiana University for my PhD program, and did not make it in. I wish that I had worked harder on getting in.

[jberryhill]

17. Good place to calibrate flat things

Like if you have a one acre piece of glass and you want to know if it is flat - you take it to Indiana and just put it on the ground.

[countryjake]

18. Parke Co. covered bridges...

Last edited Sat Feb 18, 2012, 04:02 AM - Edit history (1)

My family began going over to Rockville to admire those covered bridges when I was young...driving the backwoods roads, peering over the next rise to spy a rustic bridge hidden away amongst the spectacular colors of October. There were something like 40 bridges in that one county back then and they eventually began an attempt to capitalize on them, holding a big tent flea-market/crafts fair on the courthouse square. Creating marked routes to make sure drivers would miss none of the sights, with most county residents creating nifty fall scenes in their yards, setting up stands to sell homemade jellies, produce reaped from their gardens, antiques pulled from their haymows, woodcarvings, classic quilts and other amazing handiwork. Farmhouses turned into sleepovers, with extra rooms made available to long-distance travelers. At the bridges themselves, sitting on bales of straw to eat soup beans, cooked over an open fire in huge cast-iron cauldrons, with fresh baked cornbread.
I tried to never miss Parke County's Covered Bridge Festival when I lived in Ohio, but haven't been back to it for thirty-some years now. I do still have many of the beautiful pieces of exquisite folk art that I bought there; seeing the bridges, alone, made visiting worthwhile, but the ingenuity and creativity of the residents in those days was incredible.

[pnwest]

19. Indianapolis, my Home Sweet Home.

Greatest Bar on Earth: The Slippery Noodle Inn
Greatest Radio Personalities on Earth: Bob n Tom, Dave "The King" Wilson.
WNAP, WFBQ, WTTS, WIFE, WIBC
David Letterman, Reggie Miller, John Mellencamp, The Pacers (in the 90's), The INDY 500!!! The party in the infield, DURING the Indy 500. The entire month of May when the Pacers are in the playoffs, plus month-long Race Festivities.

People ask "Got plans for Race Day?" like they're asking "Got plans for the holidays?".

Beautiful, warm August evenings, with cicadas chirping, orange summer sunsets, the ice cream truck calling from the next street over.

Awesome country roads winding between sky-high fields of corn. Great dope-smoking roads...

Tornadoes, tornado warnings, tornado drills in elementary school. Breathtaking thunderstorms, wall-shakers!

Barefoot in dewy grass, crickets, lightning bugs, crawdads, rabbits, squirrels, red wing blackbirds.

Brown County State Park, Nashville and fried biscuits with Apple butter.

And trick or treating in the rain. Every. Single. Frickin. Year!

[Little Star]

20. Another place I never thought about as a tourist destination….

But I wouldn’t mind taking some time touring around the state.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore: http://www.nps.gov/indu/index.htm

In Nappanee, IN they have a place called Amish Acres I wouldn’t mind visiting. Here is a link to a map of their property:
http://www.amishacres.com/styles/uploads/2010/06/map-of-Amish-Acres.pdf

Parke County has 31 covered bridges and is known as the covered bridge capital of the world.

Auburn-Transportation Heritage Hub looks interesting with museums about planes, trains and automobiles.

In Nappanee, IN they have a place called Amish Acres I wouldn’t mind touring. Here is a link to a map of their property:
http://www.amishacres.com/styles/uploads/2010/06/map-of-Amish-Acres.pdf

If you like casino’s (occasionally I like to play slots) in NW Indiana they have 3 or 4 of them.

This state also offers up about 10-20 scenic drives.

Indiana Official Tourism Website: http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/ http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/

A, new to me, interesting tidbit:
Famous Indiana Hoosiers include the very pleasing to the eye, James Dean.

In fun facts page I learned:
“There have been five men from Indiana who have been elected vice president: Schuyler Colfax, Thomas A. Hendricks, Charles W. Fairbanks, Thomas Marshall and Dan Quayle. They have earned Indiana the nickname, Mother of Vice Presidents."

[MineralMan]

21. I had relatives who lived not far from Indianapolis.

I visited them once. Other than that, I don't have many impressions of the state.

[phylny]

22. We lived in Northwest Indiana for eight years,

and our youngest daughter was born there. She enjoys saying she's a Hoosier.

By the end of our eight years, I couldn't wait to leave. The women were catty and difficult, and it was one of the most racist places we've ever lived in.