North Washington Blvd, Indianapolis city (balance)

This is a great street in the heart of the Meridian-Kessler neighborhood, which is a very desirable neighborhood to live in. When we were looking for a house, we decided to restrict our search to this one particular neighborhood because of it's historic charm and outstanding architectural details of the houses. Our Realtor tried to get us to look at Carmel since you can buy more house for your money, but we fell in love with the neighborhood (this is common to our neighbors as well). Most of the homes in this area were built in the early 1930s, before cars were commonplace. There was also considerable money in Indianapolis, so the houses were (and still are) grand. Because the driveways did not need to be wide, house were built fairly close to each other. This has created a very neighborly environment, since most neighbors use their front porches and decks. There is a lot of socializing that occurs in my neighborhood, with block parties, picnics, dinner parties, and other celebrations. This is not particular to my block, since we know many other people who live in Meridian Kessler who enjoy these same activities with their neighbors. We have lived here for 4 years and we have spent a fair amount updating (wiring, plumbing, HVAC). We probably put in $50,000 in updates soon after we moved in, some we anticipated, some we didn't. Owning an older home is expensive, although the same could probably be said about any house.

Street traffic is usually light, although we can hear frequent police or fire sirens in the summer when the windows are open. We are walking distance to some great restaurants and bars and there is considerable nightlife a few blocks over in Broadripple (an artsy-type community). We are just one block from the canal, which is usually very scenic with ducks and geese. The canal is also connected to the fabulous Monon Trail, which is a series of walking trails that go on for miles. I can walk up to Carmel or to downtown Indy, depending which direction I choose. I absolutely love living here as it is the best of both worlds; small town-like feel, with big town amenities.