Everything about Carmel Indiana totally explained
Carmel is a city in
Hamilton County,
Indiana,
United States. The population was 37,733 at the 2000 census but has been growing very rapidly. In 2007, a special census recorded the city population at 68,677.
It is considered to be a
suburb (or
edge city) of
Indianapolis and is characterized by its many
roundabouts. Until the late 1800s, the settlement where present day Carmel now sits was called Bethlehem. Today, the plot first established in Bethlehem, located at the intersection of Rangeline Road and Main Street, is marked by a clock tower, donated by the local
Rotary Club in 2002.
Geography
Carmel is located at (39.972917, -86.107877).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.9
square miles (46.4
km²), of which, 17.8 square miles (46.1 km²) of it's land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.61%) is water.
Major East-West streets in Carmel generally end in a 6, and include 96th Street (the Southern border), 106th, 116th, 126th, 131st, 136th and 146th (the Northern Border). The numbering system is aligned to that of Indianapolis. Main Street (131st) runs East-West through Carmel's Art & Design District; Carmel Drive runs East-West through a main shopping area; and City Center Drive runs East-West near Carmel's new City Center project.
North-South streets are not numbered, and include (West to East) Michigan, Shelborne, Towne, Ditch, Spring Mill, Meridian, Guilford, Range Line, Keystone, Carey, Gray, Hazel Dell, and River. Some of these roads are continuations of corresponding streets within Indianapolis. Towne Road replaces the name Township Line Road at 96th Street, while
Westfield Boulevard becomes Rangeline north of 116th Street. Meridian Street (
US-31) and Keystone Avenue (IN-431) are the major thoroughfares, extending from (within Carmel)
I-465 in the south and merging just south of 146th Street.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 37,733 people, 13,597 households, and 10,564 families residing in the city. The
population density was 2,118.4 people per square mile (818.0/km²). There were 14,107 housing units at an average density of 792.0/sq mi (305.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.63%
White, 1.47%
African American, 0.14%
Native American, 4.38%
Asian, 0.05%
Pacific Islander, 0.46% from
other races, and 0.89% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.72% of the population.
Recent estimates (2005) indicate a substantial growth of population and housing. According to a special census in 2005, the results of which were shown in the Carmel Star, there were an estimated 80,000 people living in Carmel.
There are 13,597 households of which 43.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.3% were
married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $81,583, and the median income for a family was $94,210. Males had a median income of $70,618 versus $38,917 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $38,906. About 1.6% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.
Attractions
Carmel Monon Center
A new water park and mega-fitness center located in Carmel's Central Park opened in 2007. The Outdoor Aqua Park consists of two water slides, a drop slide, a diving board, a lazy river, and a kiddie pool. The fitness center consists of an indoor lap pool, a recreation pool with its own set of water slides, gymnasium, 1/8 mile indoor running track, and the Kids Zone childcare. And also has a very nice dining area.
Flowing Well
Just north of 116th Street between Gray Road and Hazel Dell Parkway is Flowing Well Park, which contains a natural
artesian well that provides high quality drinking water.
Monon Trail
The
Monon Trail is a bicycle trail that's part of the
Rails-to-Trails movement. It runs from 10th near downtown
Indianapolis through
Broad Ripple and then crosses into Carmel at 96th Street and ends at 146th Street. In the future, it's planned to run all the way to
Sheridan. In January of 2006 speed limit signs of 15 to have been added to sections of the trail north of 96th Street.
Carmel City Center
Carmel has begun construction of its
Carmel City Center project near Carmel's Arts and Design District. It will feature of retail space and restaurants, of office space, 300 penthouses and apartments, a 102-room boutique hotel, a 500-seat performing arts theater, an outdoor amphitheater, and a 1,600-seat performance hall.
Industry
Carmel is home to a thriving economy. Several large companies reside in Carmel, such as the National Headquarters for
Conseco and Pearson Education (formerly
MacMillan Publishing). It is also home to many mid-sized and smaller companies, such as
ChaCha Search, Orchard Software Corporation,
Autobase Inc., Electronic Evolution, Stratis Plastic Pallets, Waterstone Tech and Oxford Financial Group, LTD.
Current Issues
Annexation
The City of Carmel has controversially annexed large portions of Clay Township in the past and is pressing forward to annex more in the south-west area.
In 2004, Carmel City Council first tried to annex an area that included more than 3,400 properties. Shortly after that initiative, an organization called No Ordinance for Annexation, or NOAX, worked to challenge the annexation in court. NOAX collected 70% of the homeowners' signatures in a petition allowing for a challenge in court. NOAX and Mayor James Brainard were able to negotiate a deal to delay annexation for three years and provide the maximum tax abatements allowed under Indiana law and road and infrastructure improvements.
A second group, Holton's Southwest Clay Community Association, asserted that Carmel shouldn't annex south-west Clay Township. Holton's Southwest Clay Community Association argued that NOAX didn't have authority to strike a deal on behalf of all Clay township homeowners and took the City of Carmel to Court.
Due to the ramifications of the decision for other Indiana communities, the case skipped the Indiana Appeals Court and went straight to the Indiana Supreme Court. The Indiana Supreme Court delivered a unanimous 5-0 decision ruling that Carmel can continue with its annexation. Holton's Southwest Clay Community Association recently reported that an appeal is "possible, but not probable."
Trivia
In 1924, one of the first automatic
traffic signals in the
United States was installed at the intersection of Main Street and Range Line Road. The signal that was installed was the invention of Leslie Haines and is currently in the old train station on the Monon.
Notable Residents
Current or former
Further Information
Get more info on 'Carmel Indiana'.
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