Indianapolis, with the UniGov system of government, occupies all of Marion County (the gray area above), and is a 20-mile by 20-mile square.  The suburbs lie in the surrounding counties.  Center Township includes the downtown area as well as several older neighborhoods, many of which are presently being refurbished.  The old city limits (prior to UniGov) include Center Township, with some irregular juts into the surrounding townships of Marion County.  Areas within the old city limits are presently served by IPS (Indianapolis Public Schools).  The other 8 townships of Marion County (Indianapolis) are primarily residential in nature, and each has its own school system.  The area with the greatest number of established neighborhoods with older homes is Washington Township.  The governor's mansion is there, as is the Broad Ripple area with its older charm and homes in a wide price range.

Pike Township is the site of Eagle Creek Reservoir, contained within Eagle Creek Park, a large area in the northwest portion of the township.  Pike has many residential areas as well as many commercial/industrial areas.

The Geist area (near Geist Reservoir) occupies the northeast corner of Lawrence Township and the eastern part of Fishers.  96th Street, the northern boundary of Indianapolis, separates the Lawrence portion of the Geist area and the Fishers part of the Geist area.  (In fact, if 96th Street were continuous, which it is not, it would run right thru the middle of the reservoir.)  The Geist area has been a very popular area for new homes during its development over the past 30 years.  It will continue to grow, primarily the Fishers portion, for many years to come.  Homes on the water begin at about a half million.  New homes in the area are priced from about $150,000 to over a million.

Fishers is presently the fastest-growing part of the Indianapolis area.  With a population of 678 people in 1970, it now has about 15,000 people and is projected to have a population of 144,000 by the year 2020.  It is being developed by some very good builders, in both the production category and the custom category.

Carmel is the other area besides Geist to experience sizable growth in recent years, growing from 2,000 people in 1965 to over 30,000 today.  Homes and neighborhoods in Carmel are very similar to those in the Geist area.  Homes currently being built in Carmel are priced from about $200,000 to over a million.  Homes in established parts of Carmel begin at around $120,000.  The White River separates Carmel from Fishes.

Zionsville is a small, quaint village about 10 minutes west of Carmel.  The objective of remaining small has been met by only issuing a relatively small number of building permits in recent years.  Main Street, running thru "The Village" (the older part of town), houses many antique and craft shops and provides an atmosphere unique to the area.  New construction is generally priced from about $300,000 to over a million.

Brownsburg, Avon, and Plainfield, in Hendricks County, offer small town atmospheres, being a couple miles west of the city limits but with easy access to the city.

Greenwood is the primary southern suburb.  Similar to Carmel in size and growth, it will continue to develop for many years to come.

New Palestine is a small area with many very nice neighborhoods to the east of the city.  People wanting to stay away from the "hustle and bustle" can find good custom neighborhoods with some very nice lot sizes.

Ken Gordon