Hot Neighborhoods: Traders Point

There may be no better way to describe this serene northwestside neighborhood than “sweet spot”—an idyllic and affordable pocket between forested Eagle Creek to the south and exclusive Zionsville to the north. Nestled among red barns, white farmhouses, and pastures dotted with horses and cows (echoes of an agricultural past the National Parks Service acknowledged in 2009 by designating it a “rural historic district”) lies a range of housing options still being sold at post-bubble prices. Midcentury ranches and luxe, planned-community mansions alike often come with a chunk of land. The rural district, spearheaded in part by Traders Point Creamery co-owner Fritz Kunz, gives the neighborhood the closest thing it has to official boundaries: roughly the triangle formed by I-65, I-465, and I-865 in Pike Township, along with a little nub that stretches into Boone County. Kunz’s vision of Traders Point reemerging as an agricultural destination is slowly coming to fruition, as more local farmstands pop up.

The Turning Point

The 2004 arrival of Traders Point Creamery—offering organic dairy products, the farm-to-fork Loft restaurant, and a farmers market—defined this community.

What’s Holding Things Back?

The Traders Point shopping center, a big-box stretch of retail just east of I-465, brought some convenience to the area in 2007 (if not beauty), but there’s no central hub of activity for visitors to flock to beyond the Creamery. And parents might be wary of Pike High School; it hasn’t had a stellar reputation, though test scores are improving.

Commercial Appeal
Kevin Channell, co-owner of Salem Farms who made a “six-figure” investment in the organic-produce business, opening in June

“We had twin boys last year, and that’s what moved us back to Indiana [after farming in Vermont]—to get closer to our families. Then we asked ourselves, ‘Can we actually farm in Zionsville?’ We wanted to be close to the people we would be growing for; there aren’t farms close by that are producing local vegetables and have a farm stand. This one is in the rural historic district, so we didn’t feel there would be any development pressure. The location really caters to an idyllic farm experience.”

Who Lives Here?
Caryn Atkinson, 43, single, landscape architect at Start to Finish Inc.

“What I love about Traders Point is that it has access to interstates and shopping, yet where I live, near the Creamery, still has a rural feel to it. When I leave in the morning, it’s rolling pastures and cattle. The place also has mature trees, which was a big thing for me—being in a neighborhood that felt more established instead of manufactured. And I’m an outdoors person, so I love being a six-minute drive from Eagle Creek Park. And then Zionsville? Hard to beat that small-town feel. I feel very fortunate to be where I am for what I paid for my house.”

Photo by Tony Valainis

Recent Listings:

» $349,900
7704 Normandy Blvd., 4 bedrooms, 6 baths

» $679,000
7916 Traders Hollow Lane, 6 bedrooms, 6 baths

» $999,950
6749 Thoroughbred Dr., 7 bedrooms, 9 baths

29 Percent Increase Since 2009

Average Home Price: $227,866