As a former inner-city girl, I used to feel that I had "settled" by moving to what I thought was…read morejust a bedroom community. But now I'm proud to say that I love living in Noblesville. I've been a homeowner here since 2003, and I have to say it's really grown on me. After growing up in Chicago (the city, not the 'burbs), living for several years in Minneapolis (ok, the 'burbs but I worked in the 'hood) and many other cities in between, at first I found Noblesville to be remote and boring. Over the past 9 years, the Indy Metro has expanded towards us, and the town itself has grown.
Things I love about Noblesville:
-- We have great movie theaters without having to make the trip to Carmel or Fishers. I don't know how Great Escapes survives since it's always empty, but I'm glad they're there ... hidden behind the Lowe's on 37. And if you want the huge screen and packed house, there's the Goodrich at HTC ... Watching Dark Knight on their IMAX screen during opening weekend was one of the most exciting experiences I've had in a movie theater to date.
-- Old-fashioned Main Street/City Square with historic buildings, many locally-owned shops, restaurants and antique stores. In the summer, there's festivals, street dances, music and art fairs. On Saturday nights in good weather, car enthusiasts come out with their classic/exotic cars and it's fun to walk around and talk with folks ... just a great small-town vibe in the Square. By the way, those aren't birds circling around the old bell tower, they're bats ... cool!
-- Farmer's market every Saturday May - October, and every year there's more locally-grown produce, butchered meats, and crafts. It's a great way to support local businesses, run into neighbors and try new things. Summer BBQ's aren't complete without Dad's Best sweet corn.
-- Excellent public library with a huge collection of CD's, movies, and downloadable e-books. I think they still have some "retro" (real) books as well.
-- Wonderful biking/walking trails connecting many neighborhoods to Morse Reservoir and Forest Park.
-- Easy drive to Bonge's Tavern in Perkinsville ... mmmm Harger Duck and Sugar Cream Cake. Don't mind the tailgating, my own liquor is cheaper.
-- Easy enough access to Indianapolis via US 31 or shooting down Binford, plus it's less than 3 hours to Chicago. We can easily get to downtown, Broad Ripple or wherever else we want to go without much fuss ... but still waiting on better traffic control for the stop lights, come on Indiana, other states have had this technology for a decade.
Things I'd love to see:
-- More access to public transportation, but this is an issue throughout the region.
-- Better designed traffic control with lights that can respond to current traffic situations.
-- At least one more good restaurant on Morse ... I don't mean to disrespect Wolfies but let's be honest, we go for the beer and the view, not the food.
-- A really good Chinese restaurant ... delivery would be a huge bonus.
-- A cool deli/smoked meat & cheese shop, along the lines of Smoking Goose/Goose the Market ... and please bring the cookies from H2O with you!