INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis has become one of the top cities for young adults looking for a place to live and start their careers.
Many of them have made Indy their home away from home.
“I grew up in Nashville, actually Hendersonville, just about 20 minutes north of Nashville,” Anna Brown said.
A college internship brought Brown four hours north to Indy, but she thought she’d only be here for the summer.
"I just had this calling where I needed to move away from home for a little bit or else I would have regretted staying in my hometown for the rest of your life,” Brown said.
She’s lived here since 2018, and there are many people just like her.
In a recent Forbes study, Indianapolis is one of the top 15 cities in the country for young adults to start a career.
With a median individual income of $40,200 and a median home price near $290,000, there's affordable neighborhoods for any new professional.
The city’s lifestyle made a big impact on the ranking, as it is one of the top scores out of the 100 cities listed.
"It's a big city, but it's a city if you want to get involved, it's really easy to get to know folks,” said Al Carroll, president and CEO of IndyHub.
While moving to a new city may be scary, organizations like IndyHub are trying to make the move easier.
The group works with young adults through networking, advocacy and helping them create futures — not only for themselves, but also for the city.
"You're going to see a change in the guard here, so some of these younger folks, millennials even, are stepping into those leadership roles, so it won't be them representing us but us representing everyone,” Carroll said.
The city is already taking advantage of this shift by hosting big events to revitalizing small neighborhoods.
"You get the same perks of living in a large city like Nashville, with way less significant cost of living but also the same great people,” Brown said.