Greenwood, Indiana
| City of Greenwood, Indiana | |
|---|---|
| City | |
The Commercial Historic District
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 Location in the state of Indiana |
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| Coordinates: 39°36′41″N 86°07′05″W / 39.61139°N 86.11806°WCoordinates: 39°36′41″N 86°07′05″W / 39.61139°N 86.11806°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Johnson |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mark W. Myers (R) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 21.23 sq mi (54.99 km2) |
| • Land | 21.23 sq mi (54.99 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 804 ft (245 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 49,791 |
| • Estimate (2014) | 54,491 |
| • Density | 2,345.3/sq mi (905.5/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 46142-46143 |
| Area code(s) | 317 |
| FIPS code | 18-29898 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0435464 |
| Website | www.greenwood.in.gov |
Greenwood is a city in Johnson County, Indiana, United States. The population was 49,791 at the 2010 Census, and increased to 55,586 in the Census 2015 estimates. Greenwood is located between Indiana State Road 37 and Interstate 65. The city shares a border with Indianapolis and is the most populous suburb in the southern portion of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area.
The first inhabitants of the area currently known as Greenwood were the Delaware Indians (Lenape). In 1818, the Treaty of St. Mary's opened central Indiana to European American settlement, and by 1823 the first cabin in northern Johnson County was erected by settlers John B. and Isaac Smock on land currently occupied by Greenwood Park Mall. Greenwood was first known as "Smocktown" or "Smock's Settlement" in honor of the Smock brothers, and became "Greenfield" in 1825. Since this clashed with another Greenfield located in Hancock County, the name of the settlement was changed to Greenwood. Some claim the town's name was in honor of Samuel Greenwood, who platted the community in 1872.
The Polk Canning Company was essential to Greenwood's early growth. The cannery was a major employer and canned a variety of vegetables grown in Indiana. Later, the company expanded into the dairy market and provided milk delivery to customers. At one point the cannery was the largest canning operation west of Baltimore. The cannery was eventually purchased by the Stokely-Van Camp company and retained operations in Greenwood until the 1950s. Portions of the cannery are still standing on Main Street and have been repurposed for professional office space.
Greenwood was an early and key cog in the Electric Indianapolis Interurban Railway System. In 1895, Henry L. Smith proposed and organized the Indianapolis, Greenwood & Franklin Company and graded the line to Greenwood. The Indianapolis, Greenwood & Franklin Railway was opened between Indianapolis and Greenwood on January 1, 1900 and, according to Indianapolis historian Jacob Piatt Dunn, was the Hoosier capital's first real interurban electric railway. The railway followed what is now Madison Avenue.
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