Greensburg, Indiana

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Coordinates: 39°20′25″N, 85°29′1″W
'City of Greensburg, Indiana'
Nickname: Tree City
Location in the state of Indiana
County	Decatur
Government
- Mayor	Frank Manus
Area
- City	12.5 km² (4.8 sq mi)
- Land	12.4 km² (4.8 sq mi)
- Water	0.1 km² (0 sq mi)
Population (2000)
- City	10,260
- Density	827.0/km² (2,141.9/sq mi)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Website: www.cityofgreensburg.com

Greensburg is a city in Decatur County, Indiana, United States. The population was set at 10,260 in the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Decatur County^GR6.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Government
4 Education
5 Transportation
6 Media
7 Honda Motors
8 Tower Tree
9 External links

[edit] Geography

Greensburg is located at 39°20′25″N, 85°29′1″W (39.340315, -85.483702)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.5 km² (4.8 mi²). 12.4 km² (4.8 mi²) of it is land, and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.83%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 10,260 people, 4,178 households, and 2,778 families residing in the city. The population density was 827.0/km² (2,140.4/mi²). There were 4,420 housing units at an average density of 356.3/km² (922.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.57% White, 0.08% African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.39% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.62% of the population.

Greensburg from the air, looking north.

There were 4,178 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39, and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city, the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,029, and the median income for a family was $45,439. Males had a median income of $31,662 versus $24,605 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,829. About 8.0% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.

Image:Greensburg2.jpg

The Decatur County Courthouse with its famous tower tree.

[edit] Government

Greensburg is an incorporated city governed by a mayor and a five member city council. Greensburg's mayor, Frank Manus, was first elected in November 1995. He was narrowly defeated in his bid for re-election in 1999, but was elected to a second term by a wide margin in 2003. Four of the five City Council members are elected from separate districts within the city, while the fifth member is an at-large member who is elected by the entire community. The mayor, the city council, and the city's clerk-treasurer serve four year terms. Municipal elections are held in November of the year immediately preceding a presidential election. The previous mayor was Gary Bailey.

[edit] Education

Greensburg has two school corporations. The county seat is located in the Greensburg Community School Corporation. The school district has three buildings. Greensburg Elementary School, a state-of-the-art kindergarten-through-5th-grade facility that opened in 2004, has 1000 students. Greensburg Community Junior High School, which opened in 1957 as the high school building, is home to approximately 470 students in grades 6-8. Current enrollment at Greensburg Community High School is 630 students in grades 9-12. The high school opened in 1971 and underwent major renovations in the early 2000s. Greensburg Community High School is one of six members of the Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference. Decatur County Community Schools contains 2 elementaries and 2 high schools. North Decatur Elementary, North Decatur High School, South Decatur Elementary and South Decatur High School. The elementaries are grades K-6, while the high schools are grades 7-12. The typical graduating class at North Decatur and South Decatur are 85+/-.

Greensburg is also home to one parochial school, St. Mary's School, which is a Pre-K-through-6th-grade facility.

In 2004, the Greensburg Community Learning Center opened in the former Rosenmund Elementary School, which was one of three primary schools that were closed when Greensburg Elementary School opened that year. Nearly 250 students attend a variety of post-secondary school classes at the Learning Center. In 2006, part of the former Rosenmund School became City Hall. The former Washington Elementary School was converted in 2005 into a minimum-security jail.

[edit] Transportation

Greensburg is located adjacent to Interstate 74 halfway between Indianapolis and Cincinnati. U.S. Highway 421 links Greensburg with Indianapolis to the north and Lexington, Kentucky, to the south. State Road 3 connects Greensburg with Muncie and Fort Wayne to the north and the Indiana suburbs of Louisville, Kentucky, to the south. State Road 46 links the community with Columbus, Bloomington, and Terre Haute to the west and Batesville to the east.

Greensburg is a likely train stop on the proposed high-speed rail line between Indianapolis and Cincinnati. This line is part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, which is the master plan for a high-speed rail network throughout the midwestern United States.

The Greensburg-Decatur County Airport consists of a single runway measuring 3343 ft. by 40 ft. There are tentative plans to either expand the current runway or build a new airport elsewhere in Decatur County.

Indianapolis International Airport is located 55 miles from Greensburg, and Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport is located 70 miles away.

[edit] Media

Greensburg has one newspaper, the Greensburg Daily News, which is published Mondays through Saturdays. The paper is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. Greensburg also has a radio station, WTRE (1330 AM), a 500-watt AM station that plays country music, local news, and local sports from area high schools.

[edit] Honda Motors

During the summer of 2006, a great deal of media attention was generated by the announcement that Honda Motors would be building an automobile assembly plant in the Greensburg area. This plant is said to bring 4000 jobs to the community.

[edit] Tower Tree

Often touted as unique or world-famous in local media and advertising, a large-toothed aspen tree grows out of the top of the Decatur County Courthouse tower. This is why so many local business are named "Tree City," "Tree County," etc. The fame of the 'world famous' tower tree has been touted by a variety of media over the years, including a brief feature on the television show "Ripley's Believe It or Not." The current tree is the successor to many trees that have grown in the courthouse tower since the 19th century.