Fishers

Indianapolis' suburb Olio is in the popular area of Fishers, Indiana. “Usually, when you look at Money Magazine every year when they rank cities, Fishers is in the top five or top ten,” says Mamadou Gueye, a Realtor with Trueblood Real Estate, who sells homes there and lives in the community too. “We have parks, trails, lots of cool bars and restaurants. It’s very safe, family-friendly and diverse. It’s just a very nice place to live if you have a family or even if you’re single, everybody can live comfortably there.” Olio is also near Indiana University Health Saxony Hospital, putting vital health care within reach for people who may need it. With many homes dating back only to 2006, Olio still has a newly built feeling. Not even two decades old, the homes here are occupying what not too long ago was farmland. Traditional two-story and ranch-style homes are the norm, along with townhouses fill the spaces along generous, well-maintained roads. And the community’s popularity with new residents moving in consistently. “The area keeps growing. The property values are going up,” Gueye says. The median home price for a single-family home in Olio is about $500,000, with homes selling for as little as around $220,000 on the low end to as much as $2.5 million at the upper end of the pricing spectrum. Houses generally sell from $300,000 to $600,000. Hamilton Southeastern School District, which Niche rates A-plus and ranks as the 8th best school district in Indiana, serves Olio. Students attend Geist Elementary School, Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate and Junior High School, and Hamilton Southeastern High School, all of which Niche rates A. The high school’s average SAT score is 1240, and its average ACT score is 28. Olio has a few parks within easy reach. Cyntheanne Park is a 53-acre park with playgrounds, trails, pickleball courts and sports fields. Zimmer Park provides wide open spaces to roam and walk the dog. Witten Park has 3.4 acres of recreational area, walking trails and unique public art sculptures. It is named after one of the most significant sculptors, Hans Witten, who was well known for his tulip pulpit created for a Saxony, Germany cathedral. Olio also has Saxony Beach, a sand beach and a manmade lake for swimming. Finding a good meal or a place to shop is usually only a short drive away. Murphy’s Pubhouse, for instance, is at Town Center of Geist. Shoppers will also find the local Kroger alongside a collection of smaller retail shops and more restaurants. For a larger selection of brand-name stores and places to eat, head just five minutes north to arrive at Hamilton Town Center. There, shoppers will find Bath and Body Works, Ulta, Sleep Number and Victoria’s Secret. Popular annual events include Carmel International Arts Festival, which brings in more than 100 artists to display and sell their work. Greekfest features authentic Greek cuisine, live music, dancing and more. But the major event here Spark!Fishers annual festival, where locals celebrate the spirit of Fishers. It replaces the Fishers Festival and is a weekend-long event featuring a 5k run, Farmers’ Market, street fair, parade, fireworks and live music. If Olio has one drawback, it’s the absence of public transportation. “That’s probably the issue with Indianapolis and surrounding areas, public transportation is practically nonexistent,” Gueye says. “We don’t have it.” So, most people drive. Access to numerous roads and highways, though, means reaching your most important destinations isn’t much of a challenge.

Hawthorne Hills is a growing neighborhood in Fishers, about 20 miles from downtown Indianapolis. “That whole area is really exploding,” says Dick Richwine, an Associate Broker with the Williams Richwine Group for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, who has been selling real estate in the Geist-Fishers area since 1977. “In general, a lot of people are moving to the Fishers area. Indianapolis has been stretching beyond what we used to consider its boundaries, and northeast seems to be a direction people started gravitating toward.” With Hawthorn Hills’s highly-rated schools, golf course communities, waterfront living and convenience to all of life’s necessities — and then some — it's no surprise that the neighborhood in particular is experiencing a growth spurt. <br><br>Hawthorn Hills’s main byways are laid out in a grid, with subdivisions within those grids comprised of quiet, winding streets, many of which have sidewalks. The neighborhood’s namesake, Hawthorn Hills, is one subdivision of many in the area. “Hawthorn Hills is a thriving subdivision with a country club and championship golf course,” Richwine says. “Lots are good sizes, most are wooded, and some are on the golf course. So it’s a nice, quiet community right in the middle of what’s going on. There’s not much turnover — people like living there.” A four-bedroom house with golf course views lists for around $460,000, but house hunters could also find a more modest three-bedroom in a different subdivision for around $280, a townhouse in a new development for around $500,000 or a three-bedroom home on the Geist Reservoir for as high as $1.5 million. <br><br>Kids in Hawthorn Hills attend schools in the Hamilton Southeastern School District, like Brooks School Elementary, which serves kindergarten through fourth grades; Riverside Intermediate School, which serves fifth through sixth grades; Riverside Junior High, which serves seventh through eighth grades; and Hamilton Southeastern High School, which serves ninth through twelfth grades. All four receive A grades from Niche. Brooks School Elementary offers a before and after school care program operated by the YMCA and includes components like homework help, physical and STEM activities, art projects, conflict resolution and character development. <br><br>Residents can get out and enjoy the day at either one of two neighborhood parks. Cumberland Park has seven soccer fields, which means there’s always a game or two in progress on the weekends. It’s also the only park in the area with a 9-hole, 18-tee frisbee and disc golf course. Brooks School Park is a place for people of all interests and abilities to play, whether on one of the many athletic fields or courts, the walking path designed for young children to learn and explore, or the inclusive, ADA-accessible playground. Golf lovers will no doubt enjoy living central to the Ironwood Golf Club, where you can book a tee time or a lesson. Rain or shine, Topgolf nearby also offers a gamified take on golfing, as well as a full restaurant and bar. <br><br>Residents can easily access big-box conveniences like Kroger, Target and even IKEA. Fresh Thyme Market is a regional chain store also in the area that boasts fresh foods at competitive prices. For a bite to eat, Richwine recommends heading to The Yard at Fishers District, where you can grab a casual burger at Shake Shack, a craft cocktail at 1933 Lounge or attend a pop-up dinner hosted by a local chef at the Tasting Room at Fishers Test Kitchen. Craving something waterside instead? Wolfies Grill is a popular spot serving American favorites with views of the Geist Reservoir. For everything else — from the Indianapolis International Airport to major concert and event venues — Indianapolis is just a short car ride away.