I've only been to Terre Haute, IN, and it was kinda' sad, but I was treated very well by the locals.

I lived in Lafayette, Indiana for 24 years of my life. Then moved to Indianapolis. It can be expensive, even on the fringes, but, if you are interested in amenities, it has plenty, and more are coming. I would not want to live in the "just outside of downtown" ring, but either closer, or further out should be ok. I lived in Marion County (most of Indy) for five years, and moved to a suburb 20-30 minutes out. (Lebanon). There are lots of those surrounding Indy, too, if you don't mind the commute to work there. There's plenty to do, plenty of places to go, and plenty to see... Lots of shopping centers/malls, lots of restaurants of almost (if not) every kind, lots of museums, colleges, schools, etc., and only three hours from both Chicago, Cincinnati, Evansville, and many other cities. There are no hurricanes or tropical storms, only occasional tornadoes, even fewer earthquakes, and lots of jobs coming to the area (within commuting distance). Here are answers to other questions I've answered about some of the things there - http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/3223241 , http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/2442809 , and here are even more - http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/3578983 . And HERE's what I think of Indiana, in general - http://www.orangefrogproductions.com/ofp2o_auth_ops_being_hoosier.shtml

Payton Manning is thier largest export...