City of Carmel
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Carmel, Indiana is a city to experience.
Located just north of Indianapolis, this “edge city” of more than 90,000 residents has been nationally recognized for being on the Leading Edge,transforming a former car suburb into a walkable more urban-style city in its central core. Carmel has created a vibrant city by embracing and investing in the public arts, partnering with the private sector to breathe life into a new Arts & Design District and create a new downtown, City Center.
Named the #1 Best Places in America by CNN Money Magazine, Carmel has also been applauded by The New York Times and USA Today for creating a high quality of life. This includes more than 200 miles of trails and multi-use paths, nearly 100 roundabouts to move traffic more quickly and safely and a nationally-recognized park system that includes the Waterpark outdoor aquatics center, Carmel has become a destination for visitors, residents and a growing business community that includes more than 90 corporate headquarters.
If you have a question, send an e-mail
directly to our Mayor Sue Finkam at sfinkam@carmel.in.gov
There is rarely a dull moment in Carmel’s vibrant Arts & Design District, where weekends were made for major festivals celebrating international arts, exquisite cars, live music and wine! Among the most popular include the International Arts Festival, Carmel Artomobilia, PorchFest, the Art of Wine and our monthly Second Saturday Gallery Walks. With more than 200 businesses within the four arches that mark this District, there is always something to do.
Whether it’s unique paintings, one-of-a-kind sculptures, interior design elements or antiques you’re looking for, the shops within the Arts & Design District are where you want to be. More than half of the 200 businesses in the District are related to the Arts and Design. The District’s shopping experience is anchored by the Indiana Design Center, home to design professionals, showrooms, artists and endless resources for residential and commercial interiors.
Anchored by the Monon Greenway, which extends five miles through the city and connects to Downtown Indianapolis to the south and other points of interest to the north, Carmel is home to a grid of connected trails and pathways that make it easy to walk, run or ride bikes for fun or to commute.
Carmel is home to more than 90 international, national or regional corporate headquarters. They chose to build their companies here to take advantage of our business-friendly, low tax environment and high quality of life, which makes it easier to attract and retain employees. New redevelopment projects such as City Center, Midtown and The Proscenium have joined Carmel’s high-tech office parks and the Meridian Corporate Corridor – the second largest concentration of jobs in the state of Indiana - as magnets for a growing number of high-tech employers.
No need to search for your favorite ethnic flavors, the Carmel Arts & Design District is home to more than a dozen great restaurants and cafés to satisfy every palate - from Thai to Mexican, Italian to American pub fare, healthy bowls to bowls of ice cream.
Carmel Clay Parks offers one of the best park systems in the nation. In 2014, it received the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, one of only 4 Indiana agencies to have won the Gold Medal in its 48-year-history. We recently became one of only 139 nationally accredited parks in America. The Monon Community Center - home of the Waterpark and its popular FlowRider - drew more than 600,000 visitors in 2014, making it one of the most popular attractions in central Indiana.
Rising high on the Carmel skyline with its domed European style design, our world class concert hall – The Palladium – has captured the attention of residents and visitors alike. The four-fronted, symmetrical design with its limestone facades and columns offers a timeless elegance and an unparalleled setting for attending world-class entertainment such as Tony Bennett, B.B. King, Itzhak Perlman and many others. In 2015, we celebrated our 5th Anniversary Season with a kick off performance by Harry Connick Jr.
Starting with the grand opening of the Palladium in January 2011, the Center for the Performing Arts is an inviting gathering place for the community, along with the Studio Theater and the Tarkington Theater. Combined, the three venues are a place for community engagement and for people to celebrate great art together.
Artistic Director, Michael Feinstein, the multi-platinum selling, five-time Grammy-nominated entertainer dubbed "The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook," is considered one of the premier interpreters of American Popular Song. More than a mere performer, he is nationally recognized for his commitment to the American Popular Song, both celebrating its art and preserving its legacy for the next generation. In addition to serving as Artistic Director, Mr. Feinstein performs frequently at the Center for the Performing Arts.
Located within walking distance from the Center for the Performing Arts with plenty of diverse options, Carmel City Center is your all-in-one for an award-winning dining experience. The sit-down restaurants located at City Center have bar seating options as well. The variety of food palates available range from the “sharing plates” concept of divvy to the eclectic breakfast and lunch fare at Eggshell Bistro, freshly-prepared gourmet menu at Hubbard & Cravens and family-friendly menu at Matt the Miller’s Tavern or Langton's Irish Pub. The restaurants here only have this one thing in common, how unique they are.
Summertime was made for outdoor music and Carmel has plenty to offer, starting with free concerts at The Gazebo at Civic Square, where hundreds of music lovers pack picnics, lounge in chairs and sip wine and other beverages while listening to great music. There are also outdoor jazz concerts in the Arts & Design District and many local restaurants and nightclubs feature bands throughout the year.
Carmel has become internationally known for its roundabout network. Since the late 1990’s Carmel has been building and replacing signalized intersections with roundabouts. Carmel now has more than 95 roundabouts, more than any other city in the United States, and looks forward to opening its milestone 100th roundabout in 2016.
Carmel builds roundabouts because of their safety record, their compatibility with the environments, their aesthetics and their ability to make it easier for pedestrians and bicyclists to navigate. In Carmel, where roundabouts have replaced signals or stop signs at intersections, the number of injury accidents has been reduced by about 80 percent and the number of accidents overall by about 40 percent.