East Carmel or West Carmel (Fishers, Westfield: to rent, houses, neighborhoods)

[springwinter]

Hi,
We will move to Indy from new england this fall. We visited Indy couple of times. And we think Carmel will be the best place for us to live.

We visited Carmel, and I think the east side of Carmel looks prettier. There are more trees, beautiful parks... I also hear a lot of Village of West Clay, but I think houses there are more expensive. I am not quite sure how bad the traffic can be from the east side of Carmel to the city. Can some one tell me the difference about these two areas?

And by the way, does the direction of a house matter in Indy? We used to be in Texas. Over there, houses facing east or west are very bad since they are baked during the morning and late afternoon.

[MainStreet]

I personally prefer west Carmel. Less traffic, close to the amenities of east Carmel, Clay Terrace (north Carmel), Westfield, the 421 corridor, the quaint and uniqueness of Zionsville, easy commute to Indy.

West Clay is very expensive, but very nice. You win with the school districts on either side you choose.

Are you familiar with the IndyStar forums...it's broken down into regions and you can find out a lot about Carmel (the Carmel forum is very active and not for the sensitive. They can be very cut throat at times.)

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[domergurl]

I agree with you on the indystar boards! Mayor Braindead always kills me. West Carmel's clock is ticking with regard to traffic problems and density. I liked East Carmel better, more established.

[Southside Shrek]

I like the historical Main Street in downtown Carmel and the Irish pub there...Muldoon's. Anyone from the UK should visit Muldoon's because it will make you feel right at home.

[SJU]

I grew up on the West Side of Carmel --that is, if you are using Keystone Ave as the dividing line. Most people do, since that's where they finally split up the zip codes... When my parents divorced when I was young, my dad moved to the East Side, so I got to experience both, but I went to school on the W side (Carmel Junior High side, as opposed to the "wealthier" Clay Jr High).

During the 80s, the east side was the place to be, as far as affluence. Since then, tremendous growth has occurred, and things have balanced out somewhat. Now those houses we once considered extremely wealthy and new are established and more affordable (comparitively) then the enormous homes that are going up on the far east and far west sides on what were formerly cornfields (absolutely no trees or character)--West Clay, for instance.

I'm in Fishers now, but if I had the chance to move back to Carmel, I'd likely pick neighborhoods such as Eden Estates or Woodland Springs off 116th. These neighborhoods are just east of Keystone with the "cooler" new zip code, but are old school enough to have character and a real sense of community.

On the west side, I've always liked Crooked Stick neighborhood, off Ditch Rd. But it all depends on the price range you're looking for. I can recommend both lower and higher price ranges, if you like. I know way too much about this town.

[1914BU]

I've read that Indystar forum, and I thought it was very unfairly anti-Carmel - I would not recommend it

[domergurl]

It's a bunch of non-Carmel people spewing doo doo.

[X-Greensboro Resident]

I prefer West Carmel. I live at 146th and Spring Mill and it's conveniently located to everything and traffic is much smoother than the east side. It's a toss up really though, either way you can't go wrong.

[SJU]

Originally Posted by 1914BU

I've read that Indystar forum, and I thought it was very unfairly anti-Carmel - I would not recommend it

I read the Indy star quite a bit, and there is a strong but small anti-Carmel group that seek out Carmel/Hamilton County articles and spew their garbage. I see their same posts over and over.

I get the impression they do not like people who choose to live in a wealthy community with top notch schools for some reason. Hamilton County is one of the richest and fastest growing counties in the nation, so you're going to get some haters. But again, I've lived here all my life and continue to live here, and I'm a nice person. Honest And I'm not that wealthy. I live paycheck to paycheck like most people. It can be done--we don't all live in the mansions on the outskirts of town.

[MainStreet]

Originally Posted by SJU

I read the Indy star quite a bit, and there is a strong but small anti-Carmel group that seek out Carmel/Hamilton County articles and spew their garbage. I see their same posts over and over.

I get the impression they do not like people who choose to live in a wealthy community with top notch schools for some reason. Hamilton County is one of the richest and fastest growing counties in the nation, so you're going to get some haters. But again, I've lived here all my life and continue to live here, and I'm a nice person. Honest And I'm not that wealthy. I live paycheck to paycheck like most people. It can be done--we don't all live in the mansions on the outskirts of town.

I like your post. One of my blessings is that after my divorce I was able to rent a beautiful house on Main Street, Zionsville, while only making 30K a year. I've been here seven years and am definately get the biggest bang for my very few bucks.