Is an arborvitae a good tree to plant in Indiana?
Arborvitae can work here, with caveats. The single most-planted privacy screen in central Indiana subdivisions, and increasingly a losing bet on the developing suburban fringe around Indianapolis where deer pressure is heavy. 'Green Giant' is the usual substitute because deer browse it less than 'Emerald Green', though less is not the same as not at all.
What you'd be signing up to clean up
Almost nothing most of the year, then a browning and shed of interior scale foliage each fall that homeowners routinely report as the plant dying. Small pea-sized cones drop, and the fine litter mats readily in gutters where a row was planted tight against the house.
Where to keep it away from
Shallow, fibrous, and spreading, which is why they transplant easily and also why they are the first thing to brown when a fence line dries out in August. Zero foundation or sewer risk — the real root issue is placement, since a row planted three feet off a driveway sits in salt splash and compacted fill, and salt in the root zone kills them from the bottom up.
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