Neighborhood Smash 8-bit game

The guide

How to choose an Indianapolis neighborhood.

Picking a neighborhood is picking a list of trade-offs you can live with. Nobody gets a walkable main street, a half-acre yard, a 10-minute commute and a brand-new house at the same price. Here's how Hillary and I help people sort it out, in roughly the order we'd walk you through it on a city tour.

Start with an ordinary Tuesday

Forget the dream Saturday for a second. Picture a regular weeknight. Do you want to walk to dinner, ride a trail after work, or pull into a garage and not see another soul until morning? All three are great answers, and they point to very different parts of town.

• Walk to coffee, dinner and shows: Mass Ave, Fountain Square, Broad Ripple, Fletcher Place and Downtown are where you can leave the car parked most days. The trade-off is less yard and more people, especially on weekend nights.
• A trail out your door: the Monon Trail runs from downtown up through Broad Ripple, Nora, Carmel and Westfield. The Cultural Trail loops downtown and out to Fountain Square, and the Nickel Plate, Pennsy and Big-4 trails anchor Fishers, Irvington and Zionsville. A trail nearby changes how often you actually ride, so it's worth driving the route before you fall for a house.
• Big green space: Eagle Creek, Garfield Park, Fort Harrison State Park and Holliday Park are the heavy hitters. Living next to one feels like having a backyard the size of a small country.
• Water: Morse Reservoir, Geist in Fishers, and the White River pockets like Warfleigh. Lake life is real here, but so are the lake-home prices and the summer boat traffic.

Then pick the house itself

Older homes and new builds are two different hobbies. Indy's historic neighborhoods, like Irvington (the city's largest protected historic district), Meridian-Kessler, Woodruff Place and Bates-Hendricks, give you porches, trim and mature trees. They also give you older systems, smaller closets and the occasional window that has opinions. Budget for a thorough inspection and some upkeep, and know that some historic districts have rules about exterior changes.

New construction is easier to own on day one. Most of it is in Hamilton County and the outer edges of Marion County: Westfield, Fishers, Noblesville and parts of Carmel. You'll usually get more square footage and a bigger yard for the money, plus a longer drive downtown and younger trees.

About HOAs: most newer subdivisions have one, and most older city neighborhoods don't. An HOA can keep things tidy and run the pool, but it also sets rules on fences, paint colors, rentals and sometimes where you park the boat. If you're serious about a house in one, read the covenants before you write the offer, not after.

Then figure out how you'll get around

Indianapolis is a driving city, and I'd rather tell you that now than after you sell your car. That said, the IndyGo Red Line runs from Broad Ripple down College Avenue through downtown and out to the University of Indianapolis, the Purple Line connects downtown to Lawrence, and the Blue Line is being built along Washington Street. Hamilton County doesn't have IndyGo service, so if you're moving north, plan on driving.

Check your commute at the time you'd actually make it. I-465 at rush hour is a different animal than I-465 on a Sunday, and the drive from Westfield to downtown at 8 a.m. feels a lot longer than it looks on the map. And if you're looking near the Speedway or downtown, remember that race weekends and big events bring the crowds right to your door. Some people love that. Some people leave town.

Don't forget the money stuff

Property tax rates vary a lot by township and city, so two houses at the same price can have pretty different monthly payments. My property tax guide and mortgage calculator will show you the real number, not the one from the listing. For what you qualify for, talk to a lender; I'm happy to connect you with a few.

Then come see it

A game can narrow 29 neighborhoods down to three. It can't tell you how a street feels when the porch lights come on. That's the whole point of our city tours: Hillary and I drive you through your top picks, show you our favorite spots, and give you honest opinions, including the downsides. Smash first, then come take a look.

Matches are based on amenities, housing types and getting around, using our own neighborhood guides. It's a starting point for your search, not a ranking of neighborhoods. The right neighborhood is the one that fits how you want to live.