A year ago, I did not think — could not imagine — I would live in Indiana. And Lafayette may as well not have existed on the map for all I knew about it.

When I was scanning job boards, although I liked the midwest, I pretty much skipped Indiana and any city whose name preceded it. So it was with the job I ended up taking, which I only considered after I was approached and after consultation with my professors about what if anything they knew about the city and paper. And even then when asked, I said it with a hint of hesitancy. Even my Facebook status gave away my initial trepidation: “I’m moving to Indiana???” Lucky for me, I heard positive things. I considered the job, loved the city and have come to really enjoy the community.

Since then, at least two of my KSU buddies have come down here. Abbey just for the summer, but Trent’s here for the long haul. Or as long haul as his first job proves to be, so far he likes it more than he thought he would, which is exactly how I characterize my relationship with this place.

I came expecting I could put up with any place for a year or two, the minimum requirements. But really, I love it here. The people are nice, friendly and open-minded. The cities are clean,and have a surprising lot to offer and do. And there’s plenty of news, on my beat and otherwise, to keep me busy. I get to pay my dues in a place that doesn’t suck to be. Can’t complain about that.

Apparently, Trent and I are not the only ones digging this city: CareerBuilder has Lafayette as the No. 1 location for job availability — in the nation. You really can’t complain about that, either. There’s a lot of things to be No. 1 in, and if you had to pick, that’s probably a pretty good slot to land.