Full Circle: How Two Purdue Grads Came Home to Noblesville

When Ken and his wife, Nadia, first left Indiana for Austin, Texas, they were chasing opportunity. Newly married and recent graduates from Purdue University, they were ready to build their careers and a life together, so they packed their bags and headed south.

Two decades and a daughter later, they realized what they really wanted wasn’t more hustle, it was to find the right place to settle down.

Now, the couple resides in Noblesville, Indiana, a city that bridges small-town charm with suburban sophistication through MakeMyMove, a relocation program designed to help professionals like them find communities where they will feel at home.

“We grew up here, but we’d forgotten what ‘Midwest nice’ really felt like,” Nadia said. “Coming back reminded us what it’s like when everyone waves, smiles and genuinely means it.”

From Indiana to Austin and Back Again

Ken and Nadia both grew up in Marion, Indiana and attended Purdue University, where Ken majored in computer engineering and Nadia pursued public relations. Like many Boilermakers, they built lifelong friendships on campus that revolved around late-night study sessions in the lab, formals held by Ken’s fraternity and activities on campus.

After graduation, job prospects drew them south. Ken landed a promising role in Austin’s tech sector, while Nadia began a communications career in the city’s booming senior-living industry.

For nearly 20 years, Austin was home. Their daughter was born there, they built friendships and they weathered the seasons - or lack thereof - together. But over time, the city changed - traffic worsened, the cost of living skyrocketed and their family felt too far away.

“Our nearest relative was about a thousand miles away,” Ken said. “That’s fine for a few years when you’re young but it starts to weigh on you.”

The couple began to talk seriously about moving back. They were ready to trade endless heat for autumn leaves and they wanted their daughter to grow up closer to her grandparents, aunts and uncles.

They made a list of possible destinations, narrowing it to Indiana towns that felt right, including West Lafayette, where Purdue had given them their start and communities in Hamilton County like Westfield, Fishers and Noblesville that offered top-notch schools, walkable neighborhoods and welcoming locals.

That’s when Ken stumbled upon MakeMyMove.

Discovering MakeMyMove and Finding Community in Noblesville

Ken first learned about the MakeMyMove program during the pandemic, when stories about cities offering incentives to attract remote workers began circulating online. Curious, he visited the platform and found a directory of communities welcoming new residents.

“There was Noblesville, right on the list,” he recalled. “At first, I thought these programs were mostly for smaller, rural towns. But seeing Noblesville, a thriving suburb close to Indianapolis, made it feel tailor-made for us.”

The timing couldn’t have been better. The Sharps were already considering Noblesville, and the program offered exactly the kind of support that made a cross-country move feel possible. Through MakeMyMove, the family received $5,000 in cash to offset moving expenses, along with memberships and passes to local attractions to help them get acclimated to their new hometown.

“It’s expensive to move across the country,” Ken said. “The cash really helped, but the community-focused incentives were even better.”

The incentives helped connect the family to neighborhood events, city programs and a special gathering for new movers hosted by Noblesville’s leadership team, where Ken met the mayor, city council members and other recent arrivals.

He also took advantage of perks that showcased Noblesville’s local culture, from a VIP experience at the Ruoff Music Center to summer days at the city’s Aqua Park.

“These incentives really show you what’s out there,” Ken said. “They get you involved and make it easier to feel part of the community.”

Find out why Noblesville was named one of America's Most Welcoming Places

Settling In

Today, Ken continues to work remotely for his Texas-based tech company, while Nadia manages corporate communications for a national golf-club network - a role she also performs remotely. Their daughter, now a seventh grader, has quickly found her place in Noblesville’s top-rated schools.

“Schools were one of the big reasons we chose this area,” Ken said. “She’s doing great, she’s made friends and she’s really embraced her new life here.”

The move also gave the family something they couldn’t find in Austin - space. After years of battling bidding wars, seeing prices soar and shrinking housing options, Indiana offered relief.

“In Austin, we were in a small house and couldn’t really move up,” Ken said. “Here, our real estate dollars go so much further. We finally have room to breathe.”

But the biggest change wasn’t just financial - life in Texas had become hectic, defined by traffic jams and endless rush. In Noblesville, the Sharps rediscovered a slower pace and the kind of warmth they’d almost forgotten.

“In Texas, everything was just… busy,” Ken said. “Traffic, crowds, everyone is stressed out and rushing all the time. Here, people actually stop and talk.”

That difference hit home one evening after a concert at Ruoff Music Center, when their daughter noticed the parking attendants waving to each departing car.

“She said, ‘They’re so nice - they’re waving at us even though the concert’s over,’” Nadia recalled with a smile. “That’s when it hit me, she’d grown up without that sense of Midwest friendliness.”

The brief exchange was ordinary, yet it spoke volumes about the culture they’d returned to.

“It’s hard to describe on paper,” Ken said. “It’s a feeling more than anything but it makes a difference every single day.”

Purdue Roots and Boilermaker Pride

Though they didn’t return to West Lafayette, Ken says their Purdue experience was a quiet but steady force guiding them home.

“Purdue was foundational for both of us,” he said. “It’s where we learned how to think, how to collaborate and build things that last.”

Ken stays connected to his alma mater through his fraternity, Delta Upsilon, keeping up with chapter updates and occasionally attending Purdue football games. The family has even taken their daughter to explore the campus.

“We’re trying to get her to be a Boilermaker,” Ken laughed.

He says that their time at the university also gave them a sense of pride and continuity that shapes how they approach life in Noblesville.

“Purdue taught us to be community-minded,” he said. “That’s carried through in how we live now, being involved, giving back and engaging with the people around us.”

But perhaps the most meaningful connection came from Ken’s longtime hobby, brewing beer.

A Brewer’s Second Act

In Austin, Ken had built a tight-knit circle of friends who shared his passion for homebrewing. Leaving that behind was one of the hardest parts of the move.

“I told myself I needed to find new friends with the same passion for brewing,” he said with a smile.

He joined the Foam Blowers of Indiana, a homebrewing club based in Indianapolis. What started as a way to meet new people quickly became a cornerstone of his social life.

“It’s been a blast,” he said. “We brew together, enter competitions and serve our beer at local festivals like the Noblesville Brewfest.”

Ken’s involvement grew so quickly that he now serves on the organization’s board as their communications chair.

“It’s the perfect mix of creativity, community and fun,” he said. “You meet so many great people who are just excited to share what they love.”

A Homecoming in More Ways Than One

For Ken, moving back to Indiana was about more than affordability or nostalgia. It was about proximity to family, especially aging parents who still live nearby.

“My dad’s the type who still climbs ladders to clean gutters,” Ken said with a laugh. “It’s nice to be close enough to say, ‘Hey, let me do that.’”

That closeness has become one of the most rewarding parts of their return.

“It’s the little things - dropping by on a weekend, seeing my daughter spend time with her grandparents. Those are things we missed when we were a thousand miles away.”

Achieving Their Goals

When asked if they have new goals for the future, the couple says they’ve already achieved most of them.

“Our biggest focus now is helping our daughter through school and setting her up for whatever’s next,” Ken said.

Career-wise, both Ken and Nadia are exactly where they want to be.

“She’s really enjoying her new role,” Ken said. “It’s amazing how the right opportunity can find you when you’re open to change — this one couldn’t have been a better fit.”

Lessons from the Journey

Looking back, Ken describes their return to Indiana as both a practical decision and a deeply personal one.

“It was about wanting a different kind of life,” he said. “One that felt more balanced and MakeMyMove made the transition easier logistically. Coming back feels like rediscovering a part of yourself you didn’t realize you’d lost.”

For the Sharps, the move home wasn’t just a relocation; it was a reset. It’s brought back family dinners, brewing festivals, quiet weekends and the familiar hum of cicadas outside their back porch.

Ken says that the sense of peace was worth every mile of the journey.

When asked what advice he’d give to others who feel the same pull to relocate, he paused for a moment.

“Don’t wait too long,” he said. “If it’s something that keeps tugging at you, listen to it. You’ll know when it’s time.”