Carmel vs Fishers vs ??? (Indianapolis, Noblesville: rentals, houses, safe area)

[MoveEast]

Howdy!

We are looking for a place in Indianapolis (focusing on Carmel),and relocating here from Ohio. We have 4 kids ages 11, 10, 7 and 4. The main objective is to find good schools and a safe area that isnt too far away from shops, restraurants, etc.

As the rental market in the $2k to $4k range is aggressive, and great houses often are rented within a day of their listing, we have expanded our search from just Carmel to include Fisher's and Zionsville. We are also looking at McCordsville, Westfeild (anywhere with good schools)

I am interested in everyone's opinion of Fishers and surrounding cities of Carmel for feedback on the schools, community etc. We are heading in town for the weekend and plan on checking out some rental listings while also getting to know these other areas.

We are open to suggestions, as my work will be downtown. We picked Carmel purely based on internet reviews and a couple drives through the city.

Thanks in advance!

[ischyros]

Schools in any of those areas would be good. The only issue might be class size, for example, Carmel is the largest high school in the state, but it still ranks as one of the best. The biggest issue may be extra-curricular if you had kids looking to be on a sports team.

Zionsville could get you away from the shops depending on where exactly you live. But if you're on the westside of town, it's a very easy shot down I-65 to downtown Indy. Carmel doesn't have a direct way into downtown Indy except Meridian St. Westfield is a good up-and-coming city and you will likely get more for your money there and in Fishers than you would in Carmel and Zionsville. In fact, rentals in Zionsville may be few and far between. It's a pretty small town.

We live in Fishers and love it. I would love a direct interstate connection to downtown but taking 69 to 465 to 70 isn't that bad and usually just going down Binford Blvd isn't that bad either. Traffic can be an issue in Fishers because SR 37 and I-69 go right through the middle of town. And there are only a couple decent routes into Indianapolis. Otherwise, Fishers is very residential with most commercial being at a few strategic intersections. And a couple big office parks along I-69. Fishers does have Conner Prairie, which is an interactive history park. They have interpreters dressed up in period costume and show life in Indiana during the 1800s and early 1900s. It's the only museum in Indiana that is a Smithsonian affiliate.

Carmel has a downtown area, which Fishers really doesn't. That area can be pretty vibrant on the weekends, especially when the weather is nice. The Monon Trail, a paved bicycle/pedestrian trail that runs from downtown Indy to Westfield, runs right through the middle of the city. The Palladium is very nice but it seems many shows there are expensive. The Tarkington next door is a very nice theater, though for more community theater productions. Clay Terrace is a nice shopping area and it's a quick jump down to the Fashion Mall at Keystone at the Crossing. There is also the Monon Fitness Center and Water Park in Central Park. It used to be exclusively for Carmel residents, but now membership is open to anyone. Carmel has it's own mini-rush hour due to the number of offices located in it. So in the morning there is a lot of traffic coming into the city and in the afternoon there is a lot of traffic leaving it. US 31 rarely becomes a parking lot but trying to cross it during normal times is a pain, rush hour is almost impossible because the stoplights stay green for about 10 cars when there are 40 cars backed up to get through. Keystone is much better as a through street because there isn't a single stoplight from 146th Street to 96th Street, a 5-mile stretch through Carmel. Hazel Dell is another nice route through town as many stoplights are replaced with roundabouts.

Noblesville could be another area to look at. There is an older area near the heart of the city but a lot of newer constructions on the east and west sides. The extreme southeastern edge of Noblesville has the new Hamilton Town Centre mall at exit 10 on I-69. There's a lot of newer homes along Hazel Dell in Noblesville as well and that could put you closer to Carmel for possibly less money.

[MoveEast]

Thanks I am literally making a list of places to check out from your post... lol

[wh15395]

I will always recommend Carmel if you're looking at suburbs. The school is excellent and even though it is huge, the class sizes are the same as pretty much every other school. As ischyros said, the only downside would be extra curriculars, but for example, the high school has four football teams if a kid wouldn't be good enough to play varsity.