Carmel IN

UPDATE: Check out our new 2023 Best Cities to Live in the U.S. list.

#8. Carmel, IN

Head 15 miles north from downtown Indianapolis and you’ll find yourself in Carmel, a growing — and charming! — suburb with a little more than 90,000 highly educated residents (70 percent of the people who live here have earned at least a bachelor’s degree).

The city, which was first settled in 1837, has a low crime rate and a high number of primary care physicians, so you can stay safe and healthy when you move to Carmel. Plus, you’ll receive excellent care at any of Carmel’s three hospitals: St. Vincent Carmel Hospital, Franciscan Health Carmel or IU Health North Hospital.

One of the city’s gems is the Carmel Arts & Design District, a neighborhood in Old Town Carmel where you can peruse art galleries, shops, restaurants and the World’s Smallest Children’s Art Gallery, which earned that designation from the Guinness Book of World Records in 1999.

On the weekends, you’ll want to grab a bite to eat, then catch a show at the Carmel City Center, a relatively new development and community hub that’s home to bars, restaurants, shops and the Center for the Performing Arts (date night, anyone?). You may also want to spend time exploring Central Park, a lovely 161-acre park with natural wetlands, a fishing lagoon, a boardwalk and four miles of trails, as well as the Monon Greenway, a 15.7-mile trail that runs from Indianapolis to Carmel.

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