A generation of Zer has moved to Indianapolis and is paying less than $1,700 in rent

• Milan Ball moved to Indianapolis, which she says has small-town charm despite its large population.
• The professional opportunities were a factor that drew her to this Midwestern city.
• Ball pays less than $1,700 in rent for the one-bedroom home she shares with her dog.

Milan Ball, 27, has no regrets about moving to Indianapolis in the summer of 2022. She grew up mostly in Virginia and has experienced life in the South. She also lived in New York City, studied abroad and worked in Italy.

Ball now works and lives in Indianapolis and doesn’t see himself leaving this Midwestern city anytime soon. With more than 800,000 residents, Ball says Indianapolis is “a big city with small-town charm.” She added: “There’s a really great community aspect to it.”

Ball suggested that other members of her generation should consider stepping out of the coastal rut. She noted that “Midwestern cities in general have so much to offer.” She hopes more members of Generation Z decide not to live “in a shoebox” and “move to cities where they have a better quality of life and sense of community.”

“You can live in a city like New York and still feel very alone, even if you live with three roommates and share a bathroom,” Ball said.

Moving to the Midwest

Ball got to see what Indianapolis was like when she visited her mother while working as a travel nurse during the pandemic. “There was just something very charming about the city,” Ball said.

Ball also considered furthering her education around this time. She said that during this visit she came across an advertisement for Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She moved to Indianapolis shortly before pursuing a master’s degree in philanthropic studies.

“I was going through a career transition,” she said, adding that she had been in the fashion industry for several years, including as a student in New York City and while working in Italy after graduating. “I was kind of drawn to the more socially impactful side of the industry.”

The feeling of home was something that drew her to Indianapolis. “The architecture in Indianapolis is very similar to that of Washington, D.C.,” she said. “There was something about that environment that just made it feel like home.”

The professional opportunities also attracted her to the city. Ball recently completed her master’s degree and works for the Be Nimble Foundation, “a nonprofit focused on wealth equity for communities of color. I’m our development director, so I oversee fundraising,” she said.

“I had had a very successful career for how old I was until I moved here, and I think people were afraid of me, of the decision I made,” she said. “So I have absolutely no regrets. I’m still a little bit in awe of it. I think it was one of the best decisions I could have ever made for my career.”

Ball also highlighted Garden Pardi, a Black Innovation Week event hosted by the Be Nimble Foundation that she attended before joining the nonprofit. She said there were many young professionals of color “celebrating entrepreneurship and innovation in the tech industry.”

“That was really what struck me when I thought, ‘Oh, I could see myself here,’ because I saw so many people here who looked like me, who were thriving here, who had businesses that were just successful,” she said. . “I met so many friends that week that it really felt real to me.”

Benefits of being in Indianapolis

One positive about Indianapolis is the living space, which Ball compared to New York.

“I often say I was living in a tissue box back then, but I loved New York, and I still love New York, and one of the best things I find about Indianapolis is that I can afford to go back, and I can afford to travel as much as I want,” Ball said.

Ball also complimented the Indianapolis airport, noting, “I love going away, and I love coming home because that’s the smoothest.”

She and her dog live in a one-bedroom apartment in a “prime area” in downtown Indianapolis. She didn’t just live in New York.

Now, without the help of roommates, Ball pays just over $1,600 to rent in Indianapolis, more than she said she paid for her share of a pair of New York apartments.

Ball said that even though she pays more, she has much more “peace, comfort and space in an apartment.”

Indianapolis is relatively affordable – Zillow shows that the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Indianapolis is lower than the national median.

“I rent, but I’m looking to own, partly because I think that’s the way it is worth the investment here,” Ball said. “The fact that there are still properties I can afford is definitely a benefit.”

She also likes the food in Indianapolis, saying, “People debate the food scene here, but I’m not disappointed.”

Ball likes to “curl up with a journal” and attend jazz nights at Parlor Public House in Indianapolis, her favorite coffee shop, “where you feel like you’re back in Williamsburg.” She said she worked remotely and studied in the store so much that she eventually met her partner, another regular, there.

She also loves downtown Indianapolis, including White River State Park. Ball also believes that people are kind, and she has also found that people being so helpful have also been “transformative” for her career.

She misses riding the subway in New York City and finds it difficult not having a car to get around Indianapolis.

“A lot of my time here I just use Uber and Lyft because I live downtown,” she said. “It’s affordable enough for me to do that, which can be a benefit, but not having a car here is not the most ideal.”

Ball’s advice for others looking to move is to “just be open to everything.” Ball said that while not everyone enjoys doing things alone, “gaming the experience can be beneficial.”

“Part of the reason I was able to navigate the city and make friends very quickly is because I just threw myself into the water,” she said.

What was your moving experience like to another city, state or country? Contact this reporter to share on [email protected].