Greenwood, Indiana

Geography

Greenwood is a city in Johnson County, Indiana, United States.

The population was 63,830 at the 2020 Census. Greenwood is located between Indiana State Road 37 and Interstate 65.

The city shares a border with Indianapolis and is the most populous suburban municipality 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 now 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” in 1833.

Greenwood was incorporated as a town under Indiana law in 1864.

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.

The J.T. 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 became a fifth-class city in 1960.

In 1965, an Indiana Civil Rights Commission report found that Greenwood had recently been one of 19 sundown towns in Indiana, where African Americans were not allowed to live or stay after dark. The city had been exclusively white since the 1920s.

Greenwood Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. This district encompasses 25 buildings and 3.2 acres (1.3 hectares).

In 2010, the Greenwood City Council approved a measure to change the official status of Greenwood to second-class city in accordance with Indiana Code Title 36, Article 4, Chapter 1.

Greenwood is a great city to pursue your career and raise a family. 

Just like the saying goes, Greenwood really is a place where everyone knows your name! The community feels tight-knit and caring, like you’re nestled in a corner full of friends and family. And that family-friendly atmosphere carries throughout the city, from the walkable urban parks to the local public library. 

If you are moving your family to Indiana, and you know you need a home with great schools – Look at Greenwood. Quality education is a cornerstone of the city of Greenwood. There are three systems in the area: Greenwood Community Schools, Clark-Pleasant, and Center Grove. And all three have received A-ratings—a score that shows newcomers how great they really are! 

Greenwood also has lots of opportunities for those looking to advance their career. The continued growth has attracted more and more Fortune 500 companies and brought more jobs for local residents. Over the past five years, Greenwood’s warehousing and logistics scene has especially boomed, bringing companies like Amazon, FedEx, and Spartan Logistics to the neighborhood. With all this and more, it’s no surprise that Greenwood is one of Indiana’s top cities to live in!