43. Indiana

Indiana might be one of the states I have the least to say about, which is primarily the reason it ranks here.

Like its bordering state, Illinois, once you go outside of the major cities it is mostly wide swathes of completely flat farmland, which might be some of my least favorite scenery in the country. It doesn’t go beyond just kinda dull.

It’s largest population centers are Indianapolis and Chicago suburbs. Indianapolis is a city that despite growing rapidly and being now the 3rd largest city in the midwest, has such a low cultural footprint in the country. Apart from the Indy 500, I suppose, but I don’t even like Nascar. And the Chicago suburbs, highlighted by the once thriving city of Gary, are a shadow of the former highly industrious midwest, but that time is long gone. And before then it’s not like the city was known as a delight. Even the Music Man from 1962, sang sarcastically about the glory of the town, and that song was written over 60 years ago. 

Now I have been encouraged to be a little bit more positive in this blog, so I do want to give space for why the state isn’t lower. When I was 9, my mom and I took a road trip to Cincinnati to check off Ohio and Indiana from my list. The path we took went through southern Indiana, and now whenever I think of the state I think of that drive. We took offroads through some of the most beautiful fall forests I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s just a shame how small that pretty part of the state is.

You’ve got cool sandy beaches in the north along Lake Michigan, and hilly forests in the south, but, unfortunately, there’s just so much bland in the middle.