frame versus brick
What;s weird about Indianapolis is that during the 60s, they went through a brick rancher phase. Knoxville, tennessee is like that too: older frame houses with a belt of 60s brick ranch housing.
Overall, I prefer brick cities and, believe it or not, stucco ones (California). To me, frame cities look shabby very quickly. Seattle is a perfect example. Brick and stucco seems to hold up to the weather better.
My home town, Fort Wayne, Indiana, is definitely a wooden (or vinyl/hardee plank/ faux veneer today) city.