So my husand is in Carmel, as we speak....and i have a few Q's?? (Fishers: to rent, how much)

[CravenClan]

He is there looking at houses and checking out the area for us to relocate, and is REALLY liking Carmel & Zionsville, where the 2 come together...But am wondering about a couple things...

What are the colored bags of salt for at the gas stations?

He saw a grocery store, started with an "M" (meyer or mier or something like that) Is this the only one that feeds the area? He just said it seemed like a large area with only one grocery store.

Clay Terrace? Is that the closest shopping? and is it the only around the area?


I think that is it for now. He is really glad i had him make this trip, he was very unsure at first, but is really liking BOTH areas, and maybe someone has some tips why one may be better than the other??

A couple of Neighborhoods were Abney Glen, Morgans Creek, Saddlebrook.... I am not sure which ones are where!!

So he has 2 days left, before he heads home. We will be back out the week of Thanksgiving, then again in January...So when is it the COLDEST??? That is when we want to come out...

Thanks
Christina

PS He can not say enough about the people, they are super nice he said, very friendly!!! He will be going to check out the schools tomorrow!!

[IndyGoat]

Originally Posted by CravenClan

What are the colored bags of salt for at the gas stations?

He saw a grocery store, started with an "M" (meyer or mier or something like that) Is this the only one that feeds the area? He just said it seemed like a large area with only one grocery store.

Clay Terrace? Is that the closest shopping? and is it the only around the area?

A couple of Neighborhoods were Abney Glen, Morgans Creek, Saddlebrook.... I am not sure which ones are where!!

So he has 2 days left, before he heads home. We will be back out the week of Thanksgiving, then again in January...So when is it the COLDEST??? That is when we want to come out...

The salt is for water softners. Some areas in Indy have very hard water. Softened water helps get clothes/people/dishes cleaner, less calcium buildup on fixtures.

Meijer, all in one store (clothes/hardware/food/electronics/etc). Like a Walmart.

Several malls in Indy, Google it.

February is usually the coldest, first half.

[CravenClan]

Do they have a regular grocery store?? Not like a Walmart?? Also i think there is a whole foods?? Do they have fresh produce? Maybe better than a grocery store or not??

Here we have Ralphs, Stater Brothers, Albertsons, Vons, they are just grocery stores, then they hav other stores for all the other stuff, like Target or Walmart.

Is there a Joann etc or a Michaels craft store? Fresh and Easy or Henry's, Wild Oats for produce stuff?

I think i heard they have a Trades Joes, we have them here, but i myself have never shopped at one...people here rave about it, but i have no opinion one way or the other.

Thanks!!

[MaccabeeMaven]

The regular grocery store I always shopped in when I lived in Indiana is Marsh Supermarket. Yes, they have a Trader Joe's on W. 86th St., maybe 10 minutes or so from Carmel. I'm a big fan of Trader Joe's.

Funny, I always thought the salt was for the colder months, to help you get your car out if it was stuck in ice! Oh well, learn something new everyday.

[IndyGoat]

We have Whole Foods/Fresh Market/Wild Oats/jo Anns/Michaels/Trader Joes all on the N side.

Originally Posted by CravenClan

Do they have a regular grocery store?? Not like a Walmart?? Also i think there is a whole foods?? Do they have fresh produce? Maybe better than a grocery store or not??

Here we have Ralphs, Stater Brothers, Albertsons, Vons, they are just grocery stores, then they hav other stores for all the other stuff, like Target or Walmart.

Is there a Joann etc or a Michaels craft store? Fresh and Easy or Henry's, Wild Oats for produce stuff?

I think i heard they have a Trades Joes, we have them here, but i myself have never shopped at one...people here rave about it, but i have no opinion one way or the other.

Thanks!!

[sweetana3]

Indy is very progressive, and big. On the north side there are multiple areas for shopping. East is Fishers, middle is Carmel with downtown and Clay terrace areas, west is the Michigan Road. There is a standard mall, Castleton, the premium mall, Keystone at the Crossing.

Crafts: Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Joann super store, bead stores, several specialty quilt and needlework stores, yarn shop, etc. All on the north side and some more than one outlet.

Books: Half Price Books has two northside stores, Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc.

Super stores: Costco, Sams, Super Walmart, Mejiers, SuperTarget, etc.
Grocery: Marsh(local), Kroger, Fresh Market(gourmet), Whole Foods, Trader Joes (2), etc. Plus all the Carmel and Zionsville ones I dont even know about.

Of the above Fresh Market is in Broad Ripple and Whole Foods is on 86th between the two Trader Joes.

No matter where you live, you will be near a superstore of some kind and probably near a whole list of other stores. We have a big shopping area with mall on each side of town and a big mall downtown.

Schools are a much more important indicator or house price as the quality of schools makes an area much more or less desireable.

[Zoo Animals On Wheels]

Craven Clan: Meijer is really MUCH better quality than Wal-Mart. The person who said that just meant (I think) that Meijer has a grocery store on one side and other items (clothing, for instance) on the other side of the building, similar to a "Super Wal-Mart" or Super Target.

I get a number of items at Meijer every week but I don't buy ANYTHING from Wal-Mart, to give you an idea.

Wild Oats was purchased by Whole Foods, which does have a store on the northside. Trader Joe's is on the northside, as is a fantastic Marsh (I'm thinking it's on 86th Street...the Marsh with the very unusual, circular layout). This is the best Marsh I've ever been to, and probably the best grocery store, period.

Penzey's Spices is on the northside (86th St. again, close to Trader Joe's) and it's their only location in all of Indiana. If you enjoy cooking, this is a fantastic store you'll love going to. All the spices, herbs, and blends are in jars so you can actually smell how fresh they are before choosing items.

Many people's favorite Indy-area mall is The Fashion Shops at Keystone which is fairly close to Carmel. There you'll find Sephora, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, and many other stores that have only a couple of locations in all of Indiana.

Really, there's quite a lot of shopping on the northside, if not five minutes away from your home in Carmel, certainly within a 15 minute drive.

You know what you should do? Type in an address in one of those subdivisions you like into Google maps. That'll bring up a pull-down menu that will let you search nearby restaurants, stores, etc. That will really give you a great idea of what'll be close to you.

[sanjose]

are you looking at houses to rent or buy?

[CravenClan]

Thanks so much!!!

You all gave me great info! His last full day is tomorrow...so he will be going to Mihawk Trails elem & Cherry Tree elem schools. Also check out more of the shopping, although i want to know where it is, it necessarily does not have to be super close to me.

The neighborrhood he really liked is Morgans Creek, if anyone knows where it is or what else would be around it, fill me in. Our final decision on where we are buying and how much we are spending hinges on a couple things we have here in California. My husband did say there were ALOT of houses, alot of inventory, sitting there. He met with an agent, who was very helpful, and she said they are seeing a definate slow down. While it will nOT come to a SCREECHING HALT, like here (so. cal) the prices could still come down.

Sanjose, we would be looking to buy, i am not big on renting, and really for us and our kids, we want to be SETTLED, not move again in a couple years.
So we will be out again in a few wekks, he wants me to come out by myself, but i am a chicken!! and cannot read a map to save my life!!!

Thanks again!

[sanjose]

morgans creek is one of the neighborhoods our agent recommended. the houses seem nice and have good finishes. but i thought from one of your other posts you didn't want to spend that much... those houses are going for 650-850.