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Greenfield, Indiana

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City of Greenfield, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
CountryUnited States
StateIndiana
CountyHancock
Government
 • MayorDick Pasco (R)
Area
 • Total8.1 sq mi (20.9 km2)
 • Land8.0 sq mi (20.8 km2)
 • Water0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation
883 ft (269 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total20,602
 • Density1,818/sq mi (702.0/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
46140
Area code317
FIPS code18-29520Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0449837Template:GR
Websitehttp://www.greenfieldin.org

Greenfield is a city in Hancock County, Indiana, United States, and is part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area. The population was 20,602 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Hancock CountyTemplate:GR, and lies in Center Township.

Greenfield was a stop along the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad that connected Pittsburgh to Chicago and St. Louis. It is also home to the global headquarters of Elanco.[1]

History

Hancock County was created on March 1, 1828, and named for John Hancock, the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence. The town of Greenfield was chosen as the county seat on April 11, 1828. The Commissioners announced, "The seat of Justice of Hancock County shall be known and designated by the name and title of Greenfield." The population of the county at that time was 400.

Early settlers built along the two creeks which flow south through Center Township, which includes Greenfield. The first businesses were small grist mills for grinding corn and wheat for settlers.

U.S. 40, the National Road, was built through Hancock County around 1835. It was heavily traveled by wagon trains going west and livestock going to Cincinnati. In 1853, the first steam railroad was completed by the Indiana Central Railroad at the south edge of Greenfield. The railroad became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad System and later the Penn-Central. These tracks were removed in the 1980s.

During this time, Greenfield's population continued to grow. Greenfield was incorporated as a city in 1876 with a population of 2,023. The greatest single period of growth began in 1887 when natural gas was discovered in the area. Greenfield was a boom town for 20 years, with the founding of manufacturing plants and other industries.

A statue of James Whitcomb Riley, which stands in front of the Hancock County Courthouse, was erected in 1918. It was purchased with money donated by school children from all over the United States. Each year, during the Riley Festival in October, the city's school children parade to the statue to place flowers around it.

Geography

Greenfield is located at 39°47′29″N 85°46′17″W / 39.79139°N 85.77139°W / 39.79139; -85.77139 (39.791338, -85.771343)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.1 square miles (21 km2), of which, 8.0 square miles (21 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.50%) is water.

Located on the east side of historic downtown lies Riley Park, in which flows the Brandywine River. It is a major sledding attraction in the winter.

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
19004,489
19104,448−0.9%
19204,168−6.3%
19304,1880.5%
19404,82115.1%
19506,15927.8%
19609,04946.9%
19709,98610.4%
198011,28813.0%
199011,6573.3%
200014,60025.2%
201020,60241.1%

Demographics

Hancock County courthouse, made of Indiana limestone.

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 14,600 people, 5,917 households, and 4,017 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,818.0 people per square mile (702.0/km²). There were 6,449 housing units at an average density of 803.0 per square mile (310.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.23% White, 0.05% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.

There were 5,917 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.93.

"The Old Swimming Hole" that appears in James Whitcomb Riley's poems is now a large and well-used park on the east side of Greenfield.
File:Greenfield CIMG0321.JPG
Greenfield welcome sign

In the city the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,035, and the median income for a family was $52,408. Males had a median income of $36,188 versus $26,568 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,509. About 3.0% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The government consists of a mayor and a city council. The mayor is elected in citywide vote. The city council consists of seven members. Five are elected from individual districts. Two are elected at-large.

Education

Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation services the city of Greenfield and surrounding areas in central Hancock County. It consists of four elementary schools (Grades K - 3), two intermediate schools (Grades 4 - 6), one junior high school (Grades 7 - 8) , and one high school (Grades 9 - 12). Greenfield Central Junior High School was built in the late 2000s to accommodate Greenfield's rapidly growing population. Greenfield-Central High School has undergone remodeling and expansion as well, with completion of the facility upgrades expected in 2011.

List of schools - Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation
  • Eden Elementary School
  • Harris Elementary School
  • J.B. Stephens Elementary School
  • Weston Elementary
  • Greenfield Intermediate School
  • Maxwell Intermediate School
  • Greenfield Central Jr. High School
  • Greenfield-Central High School

St. Michael's School also serves Greenfield, offering Pre-kindergarten through Grade 8. It is a private Catholic School that won the Blue Ribbon Award.

Industry

Businesses with headquarters and/or significant operations in Greenfield include:

  • Cynthia's Hallmark Stores: operates four Hallmark retail stores in Central Indiana; the company's Greenfield location is the single largest in the U.S. [2]
  • Elanco: a division of Eli Lilly and Company that manufactures animal health products, including feed additives and pet medicines.
  • Novelty, Inc.: the largest non-food distributor east of the Mississippi River markets and distributes novelty items for convenience stores.[3]
  • GasAmerica Services Inc., operates filling stations and convenience stores throughout Indiana and Ohio.
  • Keihin Indiana Precision Technology: a subsidiary of Honda Motor that manufactures automotive components including intake manifolds, engine control units, and throttle bodies.
  • Indiana Automotive Fasteners: manufactures fasteners for automotive OEMs including Toyota, Ford and Honda.
  • Covance: engaged in research, development, and testing of pharmaceutical products. This facility was operated by Eli Lilly and Company until 2008.[4]
  • Avery Dennison: manufactures a variety of adhesive labels and adhesive backed films.
  • Irving Materials Inc: Main Office and base of operations are in Greenfield. Ready Mix Concrete supplier for Central Indiana.
  • Hancock Regional Hospital is a full-service community hospital with a focus on primary care, patient comfort, and convenience.[5]

Sister / Friendship Cities

Greenfield is currently in a sister city relationship with Kakuda, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Each year, a small group of high school students from Greenfield and Kakuda are chosen to travel to each sister city, respectively, and will stay with a host family for ten days, most expenses paid, thanks to local donations. The sister city program began in 1990 and continues today. (uncited)

Famous residents

Events

Each year in October, the city of Greenfield hosts the Riley Festival which is commonly known as Riley Days. The intersections of State Road 9 and US 40 are closed and the downtown courthouse square is filled with vendors and exhibitors.[6]

Local Newspapers

References

  1. ^ Dekker, Colleen. "Contact Us".
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ [2]
  4. ^ http://newsroom.lilly.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=326599
  5. ^ http://www.hancockregionalhospital.org/default.asp?PageIndex=353
  6. ^ Riley Festival Retrieved 2010-11-08