Welcome to Fishers. I moved here in 1991. It was a much different place then.
The 1991 census pegged the population of Fishers at 7,508. The 2020 census number was 98,977. The best estimates from local officials show a current Fishers population between 102,000 and 105,000.
Needless to say, Fishers is a much different place now compared to the town I found in 1991. Even in the late 1990s, if I wanted to take my daughters for ice cream, we often had to leave town.
To know a bit about me, I worked in the radio broadcasting business from 1968 through 1983. I started programming music, moved to hosting talk shows, then became a local news anchor and reporter.
The radio news business was starting to change, so I switched professions and joined the federal civil service in 1983. Retirement in September of 2011 left me with a quandary – what to do next?
I did a little paid work, but felt I needed to give something back to my local community. With local Fishers news hard to come by even in 2012, I started a local volunteer news blog, covering meetings and generally writing about Fishers. 2016 was the year I began producing local podcasts, where people could have a long-form discussion, generally about 30 minutes, about what they were and are doing in the Fishers community.
I am now in my 13th year of writing the LarryInFishers.com news blog, and ninth year producing local podcasts. I have had a front-row seat to the growth of Fishers, in population, government and economic expansion.
The first big story for me was the referendum before voters in November of 2012 – should Fishers remain a town, a reorganized city that looked a lot like a town, or a second-class city with a strong mayor’s office? The wording and structure of that referendum was confusing, but in the end, voters, by a wide margin, chose a second-class city – the Fishers we have today.
With the explosive growth in population, there has been an expansion of economic activity in our fair city. I could provide a long list of accomplishments, starting with the time Scott Fadness was the town manager to his election as mayor in 2014. Mayor Fadness has been very aggressive in growing Fishers with private sector development.
If you point to one key time in our economic history, I would say the announcement of IKEA building a store here was a big one. Shortly after that announcement, Topgolf said it would build its new facility near IKEA. Then, Mayor Fadness accepted a private sector offer to develop Fishers District, a commercial area heavy on restaurants.
Fishers as a city has been aggressive in moving forward. The old Town Hall, later City Hall, was sinking into the water table below. It was costing the city a lot of money just to keep the old City Hall above ground. That led to the decision on construction of a new City Hall with an arts center component. It is set to open in May.
The new Event Center has sparked the development of another commercial district next door. The center will be home to the Indy Fuel hockey team, the Fishers Freight Indoor Football League squad, and the new professional women’s volleyball team, Indy Ignite.
There is also a new Community Center under construction on Hoosier Road and 121st Street, near the elementary school. The facility will include indoor walking and running trails, and an indoor aquatic center, along with many other amenities.
The best part of Fishers? The friendships my wife, Jane, and I have made over the years. It is the people of Fishers who will impress you.
Enjoy Fishers, and for the latest news and podcasts, go to LarryInFishers.com.
