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Washington Township (Westfield)

A few years ago, businessman Andy Cook lived in Carmel. He and his wife were empty-nesters who wanted to downsize, so they turned their attention to what Cook considered "uncharted territory": neighboring Westfield.

The Westfield Cook saw was a patchwork of housing additions, strip malls, and muddy development sites, but it was already thinking about its future. Residents had recently voted to upgrade from a town to a city by 2008. "We thought, 'Wow, it looks like folks there are really picking up on a whole new direction,'" Cook recalls. He and his wife bought a home in Westfield in 2005; in 2007, he was elected as the new city's first mayor.

It's fitting that Westfielders chose a mayor who had lived in Carmel for 23 years but in their community for only three. Newcomers form a strong majority in Westfield: Since 2000, the population has increased from 9.300 to 24,000. And although Westfield has been around for nearly two centuries, the rapid changes are forcing Westfielders, and particularly thier new mayor, to decide what they want Westfield to be. "People in Westfield didn't really have anything to identify with," Cook says. "Noblesville has its classic courthouse square. The village of Zionsville has its brick streets. Carmel has its new Arts and Design District."

Ironically, Westfield's soul-searching started with defining what it is not. In 2004, homeowners who disagreed witht he town council's approval of a sprawling shopping complex asked Carmel to annex their neighborhoods. The possibility of some Westfielders becomeing Carmelites ignited passionate discourse, and Westfield found its civic pride. Westfield put its own annexation offer on the table, and more than 70 percent of homowners approved it.

Now, the new city has big ideas for developing its downtown as "Grand Junction," a shopping and dining hub. Cook envisions a mix of existing historic buildings and new construction. This new downtown would benefit from proximity to U.S. 31, the Monon Trail, and an attractive waterway called Cool Creek - amenities Westfield had all along, even when it was uncharted territory.

Fast Facts:

Location:

The town of Westfield is 18 miles north of downtown Indianapolis and eight miles north of I-465 at the junction of U.S. 31 and S.R. 32. Westfield is six miles west of Noblesville, the Hamilton County seat.

Population:

Westfield has a population of 9,293.

Recreation:

A 90-acre nature park is located on U.S. 31 two miles south of Westfield. Forest Park, a 55-acre park in Noblesville, offers swimming, tennis, baseball, camping, picnicking, clubhouse, miniature golf courses and the Indiana Museum of Transportation and Communication. Morse Reservoir is nearby offering all water sports and Connor Prairie Settlement is just a few miles away. The Buckeye Campground and Hillside Beach Club are located on S.R. 32 a quarter mile east of U.S. 31. Facilities include a campground, picnic area, swimming beach, waterslide and fishing. Several public and private golf courses are located within minutes of Westfield.

Schools:

Westfield School District

Utilities:

Gas	Water	Electric
Citizen's Gas	Municpal Water Works	Duke Energy
317.924.3311	317.867.1116	1.800.521.2232
www.citizensgas.com	www.westfieldtown.org	www.duke-energy.com


Telephone	Cable
AT&T	Comcast
1.800.742.8771	1.866.863.8479
www.att.com	www.comcast.com

Public Services:

Police	Fire Protection	Westfield Public Library
317.896.5236	317.896.2704	317.896.9391


Westfield Chamber
317.867.8066

Newspapers:

Noblesville Daily Ledger	Westfield Enterprise	Indianapolis Star
317.773.1210	317.598.6397	317.444.4000


Indianapolis Business Journal
317.634.6200