Fishers was originally known as Fisher's Switch, then Fisher's Station, because it was a switching station along the railroad between Indianapolis and Chicago.
Like many towns across the United States, Fishers, Indiana, popped up in the 1800s because a section of the Peru and Indianapolis Railroad that was built between Indianapolis and Chicago went through the area. In recent times, the town's population has exploded; in 1990, there were only about 7,000 residents, increasing ten years later to 37,800, and then nearly doubling again in the next decade; the most recent census in 2010 counted nearly 77,000 residents in the growing town. It isn't surprising that the population growth has been so rapid, since job growth in the area over the past decade was an astounding 70.5 percent!
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Why Move to Fishers
If you're looking to move to a great small town, there aren't many better than Fishers, Indiana. Last year, the town was ranked by Forbes as the 11th best place to live, by Money Magazine as number 12, and in the top 10 on Family Circle's list. It is also an area populated by the highly educated with more than 85 percent of the population having attended at least some college.
Choosing a Neighborhood
A mainly residential community, Fishers is only about 15 miles away from Indianapolis, but the traffic has become a bit hectic with all the recent transplants. However, there are certainly a lot of jobs in the town itself, so if you can work locally and not commute, then the traffic shouldn't matter.
Although Fishers only has 33.6 square miles of land, it is divided into nearly 170 subdivisions. When moving here it is important to research the different areas, because although the entire town is beautiful, the range in home prices is massive.
The best course of action when moving to Fishers is to narrow down the huge list of subdivisions to a handful of ones that interest you. Make sure there are plenty on your list because the divisions not only range in price but in popularity. Here are a few of the more popular neighborhoods.
Brooks Chase: Brooks Chase is a community of over 500 homes with private playgrounds, a community gazebo, and many walking trails around the ponds and grounds. This neighborhood is close to restaurants, grocery stores, banking, shopping, and medical facilities.
Cottington Estates: Rents here are relatively inexpensive, almost half that of the average for the rest of Fishers, but also relatively unavailable. Most dwellings are newer, having been built since 1990.
Linwood Hills: This neighborhood is very similar to Cottington Estates in types of housing, residents, and rents.
Masthead: Rents here are only slightly above the average in Fishers. The housing stock is relatively new, having mostly been built since 2000. Population density is low and owner occupancy high.
Living in Fishers
When it comes to weekends in Fishers, you may not find the kinds of city activities you may be used to. There isn't really a main downtown area, with a collection of restaurants and what not, but the town is in the process of developing a downtown-esque area, which should add to its appeal. Right now, there are a few clusters of restaurants, with many cultures represented, and Indianapolis is pretty close by.
Some of the more exciting things to do in Fishers include Connor Prairie, which is an interactive "living history" museum, with actors dressed in period costumes to help visitors explore what life was like in the town's early days. It is the only Smithsonian Affiliate museum in the state of Indiana. The town also is home to over 450 parks, and many of the subdivisions have their own pools and YMCA programs that host activities and classes for people of all ages.
Annual festivals held in town include Fishers Freedom Festival, an Independence Day (well, two days) celebration that draws people from all over, and the Renaissance Faire, which marks the town's special relationship with its sister city in England by celebrating the time period with food, music, and dance. The town also hosts a free summer concert series, with a wide range of performers to entertain even the dullest people on summer nights. Another fun event is the annual Harvest Wine Tasting, while people who like to learn about different cultures may enjoy the town's annual Oktoberfest. Lastly, Indiana's state fair is held just a few miles south of Fishers.
The town is less than five miles from Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport and a mere 30 miles to Indianapolis International Airport. There are express commuter buses with Wi-Fi running from Fishers to downtown Indianapolis and door-to-door buses that, if reserved a day in advance, will pick you up at home and take you directly to your location. As for the future, since the community and nearby ones are rapidly expanding, the area has designed a new transportation plan. A rapid transit line being built in the vicinity has a station planned directly in Fishers, which will improve the town's connectivity to Indianapolis and other places in the region.