Carmel is a city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States. It is located just north of Indianapolis. In 2020, almost 100,000 people lived in Carmel. The city covers about 49 square miles (127 square kilometers). It is bordered by the White River to the east.

Carmel is known for having many roundabouts, which are circular intersections. Between 1989 and 2022, the city built 141 of them! Carmel was also one of the first places in the country to have an automatic traffic light.

History of Carmel

In the 1820s, the government started selling land in the area. Many farmers, especially a group called Quakers, moved there to settle near the White River.

How Carmel Got Its Name

Carmel was first called "Bethlehem" when it was planned out in 1837. Four people – Daniel Warren, Alexander Mills, John Phelps, and Seth Green – gave equal parts of their land to create the town. This land was along a road that is now Westfield Boulevard.

A clock tower now stands where the original town plot was, at Rangeline Road and Main Street. The local Rotary Club donated it in 2002.

In 1846, the town's post office was named "Carmel" because another town in Indiana already had a post office called Bethlehem. The name Carmel comes from a place mentioned in the Bible. The town officially changed its name to Carmel and became an incorporated town in 1874.

Growth and Development

The Monon Railroad started running through Carmel in 1883. Electricity and telephone lines arrived in the early 1900s. Carmel's first library opened in 1904. It was built with help from the Carnegie Foundation in 1913.

In 1924, Carmel got one of the first automatic traffic signals in the U.S. It was invented by Leslie Haines and was placed at Main Street and Rangeline Road. You can still see this old signal in the former train station on the Monon Trail.

Several historic places in Carmel are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include the Carmel Monon Depot, the John Kinzer House, and the Thornhurst Addition.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Carmel grew very quickly. New public schools were built, leading to the creation of the Carmel Clay School District in 1964. Many new churches were also built. This fast growth made Carmel a "bedroom community," meaning many people lived there but worked in nearby Indianapolis. When Interstate 465 was built starting in 1967, it helped Carmel grow even faster. A new library opened in 1971.

The first Chamber of Commerce, a group that helps local businesses, opened in 1960. It closed for a short time but reopened in 1970 as the city's population boomed.

The Carmel Symphony started in 1976. By the end of the 1900s, Carmel was one of Indiana's fastest-growing cities. Farmland quickly turned into new neighborhoods. The last farm within the city closed in 1993.

Geography

Carmel is in the southwestern part of Hamilton County. It is next to Indianapolis and is the same area as Clay Township. To the north is Westfield, and to the south is Indianapolis.

The city covers about 48.5 square miles (125.7 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small amount of water.

Streets and Roads

Major streets that run east to west in Carmel usually have numbers ending in 6. These include 96th Street (the southern border), 106th, 116th, 126th, 131st, 136th, and 146th (the northern border). Main Street (131st) goes through Carmel's Art & Design District. Carmel Drive runs through the main shopping area.

North-south streets have names like Meridian, Rangeline, and Keystone. Meridian Street (US 31) and Keystone Parkway are the main roads that go through the city.

Population and People

Carmel has grown a lot over the years. Here's how the population has changed:

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	92	—
1890	471	412.0%
1900	498	5.7%
1910	626	25.7%
1920	598	−4.5%
1930	682	14.0%
1940	771	13.0%
1950	1,009	30.9%
1960	1,442	42.9%
1970	6,691	364.0%
1980	18,272	173.1%
1990	25,380	38.9%
2000	37,733	48.7%
2010	79,191	109.9%
2020	99,757	26.0%
2021 (est.)	100,777	27.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 2018 Estimate

People in Carmel

In 2020, Carmel had 99,757 people. Most residents were White (75.72%), followed by Asian (12.00%), Black or African American (3.26%), and people of two or more races (3.95%). About 4.53% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The average age in Carmel in 2010 was about 39 years old. About 29% of residents were under 18.

Economy and Jobs

Carmel has many company offices, especially along the Meridian Corridor. More than 40 company headquarters and many regional offices are located here. Some large companies with headquarters in Carmel include Allegion, CNO Financial Group, and Delta Faucet.

Major Employers

As of January 2017, these were some of the largest employers in Carmel:

#	Employer	# of employees
1	CNO Financial Group	1,600
2	GEICO	1,250
3	RCI	1,125
4	Capital Group Companies	975
5	Liberty Mutual	900
6	KAR Auction Services (Adesa)	892
7	IU Health North	800
8	Midcontinent ISO	700
9	NextGear Capital	694
10	Allegion	595

Carmel is also the global headquarters for the North American Interfraternity Conference. This group represents many fraternities and sororities. Seven specific fraternities and sororities also have their global headquarters in Carmel.

Arts and Culture

Carmel has many fun things to do and see!

Rollfast Gran Fondo

This is a cycling event that attracts both professional and everyday riders. It's Indiana's only Gran Fondo, a type of long-distance cycling race. In 2019, it was even the World Championship for the Gran Fondo World Tour.

Carmel Farmers Market

The Carmel Farmers Market started in 1998. It's one of the biggest markets in Indiana, with over 60 vendors. They sell food products grown or made in Indiana. The market is held every Saturday morning from mid-May to early October. It attracts over 60,000 visitors each year.

Carmel Monon Community Center

This center has a large water park and a fitness center. It opened in 2007 as part of Carmel's Central Park. The outdoor water park has two water slides, a rock-climbing wall, a lazy river, and a kiddie pool. The fitness center has indoor pools, a gym, and an indoor running track.

Monon Trail

The Monon Greenway in 2008

The Monon Greenway is a path for walking, running, and biking. It was created from old railroad lines. The trail starts in Indianapolis and goes north through Carmel, all the way to Sheridan. Speed limits of 15 to 20 mph (24 to 32 km/h) were added to parts of the trail in 2006.

Carmel Arts & Design District

This district was created to support small businesses and local artists. It's in Old Town Carmel and has art galleries, shops, cafes, and restaurants. You can see lifelike sculptures by John Seward Johnson II on the streets.

The district hosts several events. The Carmel Artomobilia Collector Car Show displays classic and rare cars. Every September, the Carmel International Arts Festival features artists from around the world, concerts, and activities for kids.

The Museum of Miniature Houses is also in the district. It opened in 1993 and has rooms filled with tiny, detailed houses and collections of miniature items.

Carmel City Center

Carmel City Center is a large area with shops, homes, and entertainment. It includes The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts. The Palladium has a big concert hall with 1,600 seats, a 500-seat theater, and a smaller 200-seat theater. The Monon Greenway also runs through this area.

Shopping

Clay Terrace is one of the biggest shopping centers in Carmel. Other places to shop include Carmel City Center, Mohawk Trails Plaza, and Merchants' Square. The Carmel Arts & Design District also has many unique shops.

Kawachinagano Japanese Garden

This garden was started in 2007 near City Hall. It was dedicated in 2009 to celebrate Carmel's "Sister City" relationship with Kawachinagano, Japan. A special tea gazebo was built in the garden in 2011.

Great American Songbook Foundation

The Great American Songbook Foundation is a special place dedicated to saving and sharing music from the early to mid-1900s. It is the only foundation and museum of its kind in the nation.

Christkindlmarkt

The Carmel Christkindlmarkt is an outdoor Christmas market that started in 2017. It's famous for its Glühwein Pyramid, a 33-foot (10-meter) tall structure lit with 3,000 lights. This market is one of Indiana's top tourist spots, with over 400,000 visitors each year.

Education

Carmel Clay Public Library

Public Schools

The Carmel Clay Schools district has 11 elementary schools (Kindergarten to 5th grade), three middle schools (6th to 8th grade), and one high school (9th to 12th grade). More than 14,500 students attend schools in the district.

Elementary Schools:
- Carmel Elementary
- Cherry Tree Elementary
- Clay Center Elementary
- College Wood Elementary
- Forest Dale Elementary
- Mohawk Trails Elementary
- Prairie Trace Elementary
- Smoky Row Elementary
- Towne Meadow Elementary
- West Clay Elementary
- Woodbrook Elementary

Middle Schools:
- Carmel Middle School
- Clay Middle School
- Creekside Middle School

All middle schools send their students to Carmel High School.

Private Schools

Carmel also has several private schools:

Coram Deo Academy (Kindergarten–12th grade)
Midwest Academy (3rd–12th grade)
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School (Kindergarten–8th grade)
Pilgrim Lutheran Preschool (Preschool)
St. Elizabeth Seton Preschool (Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten)
University High School (9th–12th grade)
Walnut Grove Christian Prep School (Kindergarten–12th grade)

Notable People

Many well-known people have connections to Carmel:

Bernie Allen, baseball player
Ted Allen, television personality
Franklin Booth, pen-and-ink artist
Steve Chassey, IndyCar driver
Pete Dye, golf course designer
Alex Hall, author
Mark Herrmann, former NFL quarterback
Jay Howard, British racing driver
Steve Inskeep, host of Morning Edition on National Public Radio
Drew Kibler, Olympic swimmer
Kyle Krisiloff, racing driver
Rebecca Kubacki, former politician
Midwxst, rapper
Cameron Lindley, soccer player
Jake Lloyd, former actor (played young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace)
Josh McRoberts, former professional basketball player
Dorothy Letterman Mengering, mother of David Letterman
Jason Padgett, math savant
Mike Pence, 48th vice president of the United States
Rajeev Ram, professional tennis player
Matt Reiswerg, soccer player and coach
Takuma Sato, Japanese racing driver
Lee Schmidt, golf course designer
Rob Schmitt, TV host
Aaron Shackell, Olympic swimmer
Alex Shackell, Olympic swimmer
Avriel Shull, architectural designer
Zach Trotman, former professional hockey player
Sheldon Vanauken, author
Seema Verma, health policy consultant
Todd Young, current U.S. Senator from Indiana

Sister Cities

Carmel has special relationships with cities around the world, called "sister cities." These connections help people from different countries learn about each other.

Current Sister Cities

Kawachinagano, Japan (since 1994)
Jelgava, Latvia (since 2022)
Cortona, Italy (since 2022)
Visakhapatnam, India (since 2023)
Rueil-Malmaison, France (since 2023)
Seiffen, Germany (since 2023)

Former Sister City

Xiangyang, China (2012–2024)

Images for kids

Map of racial distribution in Carmel, 2020 U.S. census. Each dot is one person: ⬤ White ⬤ Black ⬤ Asian ⬤ Hispanic ⬤ Multiracial ⬤ Native American/Other

Carmel, Indiana facts for kids

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