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6 Great Places to Move to in Indiana

Jon Fesmire | September 17, 2018 @ 8:00 AM

Drive through the residential areas of Indianapolis and you’ll notice a few things. Even in the middle of the biggest city in the state, there’s still a lot of land—and the new homes being built on it are affordable and nice.

This is the case for a lot of towns and cities in Indiana, where the economy is good and unemployment is low. Residents also enjoy four traditional seasons, plus a great quality of living at a low cost.

Here are our picks for the best places to move to in Indiana.

Carmel

Carmel is widely considered the best place to live in Indiana and one of the best places to live in the United States. If you move to Carmel, just remember that Hoosiers pronounce it with the emphasis on the first syllable—just like the candy.

This town of 87,000 residents is 16 miles from Indianapolis, so residents can enjoy everything the big city has to offer as well. Nearly 70% of Carmel residents have a college degree, crime is extremely low, and the streets remain clean. Want some fun unique to Carmel? Visit Conner Prairie, a pioneer museum, or Coxhall Gardens.

While Carmel is slightly expensive for Indiana, people from other states will find housing prices surprisingly low. The median home value is about $305,000. However, it’s easy to find new, three-bedroom homes with plenty of yard space for around $200,000. Unemployment is at a shockingly low 2.3%, and the average household income is just above $100,000.

Fishers

Seven miles east of Carmel you’ll find Fishers, another lovely place to call home in Hamilton County. The growing population here matches that of Carmel at 90,000. The official median home value is also lower than that of Carmel, at $217,000.

Home prices in the city of Fishers are testament to Indiana’s low cost of living, with median home value standing at $216,900. Unemployment sits at about 2.4%, and the median annual household income is $97,000. Want to have fun with the kids? Visit the local Sky Zone Trampoline Park, or take a walk in Flowering Well Park.

Dyer

Here’s another city with high incomes and low property costs. Dyer has a population of just 17,000, so it has a built-in homey feel. The median household income is $80,000 and the median price of a home is about $191,000. Though tough to believe, that home price is on the higher end for the state, but compared to the rest of the United States, it’s surprisingly low. The only downside is that Dyer has a higher unemployment rate than the U.S. average, at 6.4%.

Dyer has several beautiful parks, including Northgate Community Park and Elmer Miller Park. There are plenty of restaurants as well, like DOC’s Smokehouse & Craft Bar and Guacamole Restaurant.

Indianapolis

Here we come to the capitol, Indianapolis, with its 865,000 residents and a highway that just about encircles the city. That’s I-465. After you’ve lived in Indianapolis for a little while, you’ll realize that it’s the most expeditious way to get to another part of the city and back.

Though the median household income of Indianapolis is lower than the cities and towns we just covered at $57,000, it’s comparable to the rest of the country, and housing prices are much lower. The median home value is $131,000.

There’s also plenty to do. Indianapolis the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Zoo, and of course, the Indy 500. Just drive smart on Interstate 465. Some residents seem to think they’re in the big race.

Plainfield

Plainfield is about 20 miles away from Indianapolis. This town has about 31,000 people enjoying low rents of about $950 per month and median home prices of $150,000. The unemployment rate is just 3.4%

To enjoy some of the town’s many hiking and biking trails, check out Hummel Park, White Lick Creek Trail, and Vandalia Trail.

Fort Wayne

The city of Fort Wayne has a population of 260,000, and its great metro area has about half the population of Indianapolis, at 420,000. This is a city more for young professionals rather than families, where you can pop into a nightclub in the evening after your short commute to work. Nightclubs include Flashback Live and Piere’s Entertainment Center.

The median household income is reasonable for people getting established in life at $44,000. Consider this as well. The average rent is just $670 a month, and the average home price is $101,000. Unemployment is also reasonable at 3.1%.

So, if you’re looking for an affordable place to live with reasonable income and employment expectations, it’s tough to beat Indiana. Give the state some serious consideration while you’re searching for a new home.
AUTHOR
Jon Fesmire
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