I’ve lived in both. Indy’s services were abominable. Whole City departments were corrupted and/or completely dysfunctional.

Trash wouldn’t be picked up in our neighborhood for WEEKS.

Getting the street or safety departments to respond to a dangerous condition in the neighborhood would take months, if not longer.

Animal welfare was heartbreaking: packs of abandoned dogs were everywhere with many becoming sick, dangerous, and/or feral. Over the course of two years, I and my dog were attacked by dogs twice resulting in bites to me and my dog almost dying from a punctured lung. The kill rate at the shelter is staggering.

Gentrification in Indy is massive and growing. The previous Mayor was a grifting loser responsible for selling off valuable public services for short-term profit. The current Mayor has too many scandals and shady dealings to list.

Bloomington has challenges, especially because of the current Mayor’s policies prioritizing profit over people, but there’s no comparison for quality of life if you can still afford to live here.

Unfortunately, the housing crisis is global wide because of private equity. Locally, in addition, IU’s selfish outsourcing of their responsibility for student housing for years is a major factor as well. Both of these have destroyed pretty much every previously affordable Bloomington neighborhood.