Where are the top places to live in Indianapolis? Naturally, the answer to that question depends on your perspective and unique lifestyle.
For some people, being able to walk to a local coffee shop or tavern makes a neighborhood great. For some parents with young children, the quality of the local school system makes a neighborhood one of the top places to live in Indianapolis.
For some folks, the best place to live in Indy is outside the city limits. Suburbs like Avon, Carmel, Fishers, Greenwood, Lawrence, and Zionsville are considered the top places to live in Indianapolis by many who reside in those surrounding communities.
Obviously, “top” can refer to a combination of criteria. For this quick look at a few of the top places to live in Indianapolis, let’s assume you are a first-time home buyer in your mid-twenties. You’re married for two years and have no kids, but plan to someday. You grew up in Zionsville and your parents still lives there. You and your spouse, who is not from Indiana, both work downtown. You wouldn’t mind living close to your parents, especially when you start a family in a few years, but living near work and urban nightlife activity is also very enticing at this stage of your life.
If you don’t fit this demographic profile, you’ve probably stopped reading, but for those of you who remain, let’s take a quick look at some of the top places to live in Indianapolis for our theoretical first-time homebuyer.
Best Neighborhoods to Live in Indy
During a review of multiple online source, the neighbors that keep appearing on the “Top Places to Live in Indianapolis” list are (in alphabetical order — travel times are non-rush-hour approximations):
- Broad Ripple Village – between College Ave. (west), Keystone Ave. (east), 68 St. (north), and Kessler Blvd. E. Dr. (south)
[22 minutes to Downtown Indy / 23 minutes to Zionsville] - Butler-Tarkington – bordered by 38 St. (south), the Central Canal & Westfield Blvd. (north), Michigan Rd. (west), and Meridian Street (east)
[15 minutes to Downtown Indy / 23 minutes to Zionsville] - Chatham Arch – east of downtown
[8 minutes to Downtown Indy / 25 minutes to Zionsville] - Crow’s Nest – south of Kessler Blvd. W. Dr.; west of N. Meridian St.
[20 minutes to Downtown Indy / 23 minutes to Zionsville] - Downtown Indianapolis – the square mile around Monument Circle; the city center bordered by North, East, South, and West Streets
[0 minutes to Downtown Indy / 24 minutes to Zionsville] - Lockerbie Square Historic District – just outside the northeast corner of downtown’s square mile
[7 minutes to Downtown Indy / 24 minutes to Zionsville] - Meridian Hills – surrounding intersection of N. Meridian St. and 75th St.
[21 minutes to Downtown Indy / 18 minutes to Zionsville] - Meridian-Kessler – between Meridian St. (west), College Ave. (east), Kessler Blvd. E. Dr. (north), and E. 38th St. (south)
[16 minutes to Downtown Indy / 27 minutes to Zionsville] - Near North – north of Ohio St. up to about 10th St.
[5 minutes to Downtown Indy / 22 minutes to Zionsville] - Near South / Fletcher Place / Fountain Square – south of South St.
[9 minutes to Downtown Indy / 25 minutes to Zionsville] - North Crow’s Nest – north of Kessler Blvd. W. Dr.; west of N. Meridian St.
[20 minutes to Downtown Indy / 22 minutes to Zionsville] - Pike Township – northwest corner of the Indy
[21 minutes to Downtown Indy / 17 minutes to Zionsville] - Rocky Ripple – small neighborhood just north of Butler campus
[17 minutes to Downtown Indy / 27 minutes to Zionsville] - Spring Hill – west of Michigan Rd.; east of Knollton Rd.; near W. 44 St.
[19 minutes to Downtown Indy / 18 minutes to Zionsville] - Williams Creek – between N. Meridian St. and College Ave.; south of E. 82 St.
[23 minutes to Downtown Indy / 21 minutes to Zionsville]
Keep in mind there are homes for sale in Indianapolis in 99 different neighborhoods. There are many more great places to live in Indy beyond the few neighborhoods listed above.
Recommendations for Our Fake Homebuyer
If our fictitious first-time homebuyer is looking to buy a house in Indianapolis that is just about halfway between a job downtown and parents in Zionsville, then the top place to live might be the Spring Hill neighborhood just off Michigan Rd. It’s only 19 minutes to downtown and 18 minutes to Zionsville.
However, the Near North neighborhood deserves serious consideration. It is located just north of Monument Circle from Ohio St. up to about 10th St. If you can find a property there, you are within walking distance of much of downtown. And because this neighborhood is right by an entrance to the interstate highway, it is only 22 minutes from Zionsville.
Close proximity to interstate highway entrances also make the Near South, Fletcher Place, and Fountain Square neighborhoods worth consideration by our potential homebuyer. Downtown is about 6 to 9 minutes away and Zionsville is only about 25 minutes up the road.
Are Indy’s Suburbs Considered Indianapolis?
Some “non-Indy” top places to live in Indianapolis are (in alphabetical order):
- Avon – west of Indy, just south of Brownsburg
[31 minutes to Downtown Indy / 33 minutes to Zionsville] - Brownsburg – west of Indy, just north of Avon
[28 minutes to Downtown Indy / 24 minutes to Zionsville] - Carmel – north of Indy
[30 minutes to Downtown Indy / 20 minutes to Zionsville] - Fishers – northeast of Indy
[25 minutes to Downtown Indy / 22 minutes to Zionsville] - Greenwood – south of Indy
[22 minutes to Downtown Indy / 38 minutes to Zionsville] - Noblesville – north of Fishers
[37 minutes to Downtown Indy / 33 minutes to Zionsville] - Westfield – north of Carmel
[35 minutes to Downtown Indy / 21 minutes to Zionsville] - Whitestown – northwest of Zionsville
[28 minutes to Downtown Indy / 14 minutes to Zionsville] - Zionsville – northwest of Indy
[24 minutes to Downtown Indy / 0 minutes to Zionsville]
For our fictitious buyer, rush hour traffic to and from the suburban communities above will considerably bump up the commuter driving time estimates shown. With that in mind, the best option outside of Indy’s city limits is probably to remain in Zionsville. After all, it has one of America’s top public school systems. It is a clean and safe small town with a close-knit community. It also has a vibrant downtown with great local restaurants, boutiques, and unique retail shops.
Many Top Places to Live in Indianapolis
As you can see, Indianapolis and the surrounding communities offer many top places to live and work. If you need help finding a great new home in Central Indiana, contact us.
