Carmel vs Zionsville vs Westfield vs Noblesville (Indianapolis, Fishers: houses, neighborhood)

[LaurieMcBrown]

Help! We've just returned from a weeklong house hunting trip to Carmel, Westfield, Zionsville, and Noblesville and are now more confused than when we arrived. The schools are all terrific but which has the most conveniences and best home resale values? We're having a really hard time finding a home in the $250s that has a basement and four bedrooms, that's not also a cookie cutter. And what's up with that prison across the street from the N'ville High School? Very scarey. Is Zionsville too far from Clay Terrace? Does N'ville have great shopping? Some folks called it Nobles-tucky when we were there!

[BU191433]

Noblesville used to be (probably 1-20 years ago) a small town as opposed to what it is now which is a suburb of Indianapolis. So it has changed quite a bit from a "small town" feel to more of a suburb. The Nobletucky stuff has more to do with the way it was then and not the way it is now. Although it still has a little bit of a small town feel.

As to your other questions, I really can't answer it for you. All the areas are nice. You need to decide how important it is to be closer to shopping malls, or also how far of a commute you want

[AvaB]

They are all very nice areas. My best friend's mom is a teacher at Noblesville High School and has been for over 20 years. That is a very nice school. Noblesville isn't far from Clay Terrace at all - you could probably get there in less than 20 minutes. Westfield would be a bit closer to Clay Terrace.

Carmel has always been thought of as a more ritzy area than Noblesville or Westfield. Westfield is more rural in many ways than Noblesville or Carmel. Carmel and Noblesville have more commercial things. It depends on the kind of lifestyle you want. You will find more snobs in Carmel. This is not to say that they are all that way, but I used to work in Carmel and encountered some "interesting" personalities there.

[Michelle Morris]

You are right that it will be hard to find a 4 bedroom house with a basement in your price range. If you feel that you want to be on the north side, you might have to make some compromises on the type of house you are looking for. If you broaden your search area, you might be able to find some nice homes on the west side in Hendricks County (Avon, Brownsburg, Plainfield) that would suit what you are looking for at a lower price.

[dave.dawsn]

Originally Posted by LaurieMcBrown

Help! We've just returned from a weeklong house hunting trip to Carmel, Westfield, Zionsville, and Noblesville and are now more confused than when we arrived. The schools are all terrific but which has the most conveniences and best home resale values? We're having a really hard time finding a home in the $250s that has a basement and four bedrooms, that's not also a cookie cutter.

Convenience is in the eye of the beholder. Carmel is due north of the city and shares a border, so you're closer to downtown, Broad Ripple, the Children's Museum, etc. Keystone at the Crossing (the mini-skyline at 86th & Keystone) is full of high-end everything (shopping, dining, etc.), and is practically in Carmel's backyard. Clay Terrace has a Carmel address.

Westfield and Noblesville constitute the "outer ring" of suburbs. Westfield is small and rich; the town does not have many people, and many of the residents own giant plots of land with enormous houses on them. Otherwise, its a little bit of cookie-cutter editions and some farming holdouts (particularly as you go north out of town).

Noblesville is the "affordable" suburb in Hamilton Co. As one of the previous posters mentioned, it was a small town 20 years ago, and is now a booming suburb. It has its charms, but still has some of the Noble-tucky charcater lingering around, particularly in the residential areas in town (near the courthouse, etc). The newly completed Hamilton Town Center is in Noblesville near I-69, and is similar to Clay Terrace in design.

I don't know much about Zionsville except that some of the most expensive homes in the Indianapolis area are located there. Parts of the town have a 3-acre minimum by law, so like Westfield, there are some enormous plots of land with phenomenal, estate-like houses on them. Like Carmel, Zionsville borders the city and Michigan Road (US 421) is the best access to all of the afformentioned ammenities. Michigan Rd. is effing crazy with traffic nearly all the time, so keep that in mind.

Have you considered Fishers? It seems based on what you are saying that it may be the best fit for you. I-69, while terrible during rush hour, is a very convenient freeway for getting pretty much anywhere (into the city, around 465, etc.).

Originally Posted by LaurieMcBrown

And what's up with that prison across the street from the N'ville High School? Very scarey.

The "prison" you are referring to is actually the Hamilton County Jail. It rarely houses violent offenders, and is mainly used as a holding facility for defendants awaiting trial and people convicted of offenses that warrant incarceration but aren't serious enough for hard time (think DUI, drug possesion, theft, etc.). The jail is located in Noblesville because Noblesville is the county seat for Hamilton County.

Originally Posted by LaurieMcBrown

Is Zionsville too far from Clay Terrace?

It depends on where you're coming from in Zionsville due to the giant land area (remember, 3-acre plots?), but it should only be about a 15-20 minute drive unless you go during rush hour.

Originally Posted by LaurieMcBrown

Does N'ville have great shopping? Some folks called it Nobles-tucky when we were there!

"Great shopping" is subjective. As I mentioned before, the new Hamilton Town Center mall is in Noblesville near the freeway. They have regular suburban mall fare, like American Eagle, Aero, Victoria's Secret, Dick's Sporting Goods, Borders Books (or Barnes & Noble...I always get them mixed up), JC Penney, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc. Clay Terrace is higher end than HTC.

If you are looking for high-end designer labels, you'll have to go to the city, I'm afraid. The Fashion Mall at Keystone at the Crossing has a Saks and Neiman Marcus, and Circle Center (downtown) is pretty high-end as well.

[krock1dk]

I can understand your problem. All are very nice communities right next door to Indianapolis. All have excellent schools, a good family atmosphere and a growing population.

Carmel is the largest (69,000) and most ritzy and has higher living costs.

Fishers is the same size as Carmel and is an excellent alternative to Carmel. A plus for Fishers is its located relevant to Castleton Square on Indy's NE side and I-69.

Noblesville (45,000) is an alternative to Carmel/Fishers and has a bit lower cost of living. Its location is the furthest from Indy.

Zionsville still maintains its small town feel and is just west of Carmel. But its also very ritzy and expensive.

Westfield is coming around quickly and may be your best bet, if you like driving a bit further into/out of Indianapolis and lower living costs. Word has it that Westfield is Indiana's next "boomtown" as far as population goes.

[PixiStix]

If you do a search of the forum, there is a ton of info on the north suburbs. It seems to be a pretty popular question asked here

[wh15395]

Westfield is probably the best for you because of your housing requirements. It is hard to get the house you want for $250,000 in Carmel unless you want a cookie cutter neighborhood. It may be more possible to find a house in Westfield, but it is not as developed as Carmel yet, so it may be hard to find. Zionsville is far from Clay Terrace depending on where you live (25-45 minutes). I guess almost all of Southern Hamilton County is hard to find a house for that price unless you are willing to be in a cookie cutter neighborhood.

[BU191433]

Originally Posted by wh15395

Westfield is probably the best for you because of your housing requirements. It is hard to get the house you want for $250,000 in Carmel unless you want a cookie cutter neighborhood. It may be more possible to find a house in Westfield, but it is not as developed as Carmel yet, so it may be hard to find. Zionsville is far from Clay Terrace depending on where you live (25-45 minutes). I guess almost all of Southern Hamilton County is hard to find a house for that price unless you are willing to be in a cookie cutter neighborhood.

Wow, you must be a really slow driver. I can get from Clay Terrace to the furthest west and south part of Zionsville within 30 minutes no problem - probably 25 minutes

[kogirls]

Hi,
We are moving to Indy from Chicago area and are having the same tough questions, let me know where you ended up ?