Noblesville, Indiana

Noblesville, Indiana
City
City of Noblesville
Motto: The Heart of Hamilton County
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates: 40°3′0″N 86°1′17″W / 40.05000°N 86.02139°W / 40.05000; -86.02139Coordinates: 40°3′0″N 86°1′17″W / 40.05000°N 86.02139°W / 40.05000; -86.02139
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Hamilton
Government
• Mayor	John Ditslear (R)
Area[1]
• City	32.79 sq mi (84.93 km2)
• Land	31.37 sq mi (81.25 km2)
• Water	1.42 sq mi (3.68 km2)  4.33%
Elevation	772 ft (235 m)
Population (2010)[2]
• City	51,969
• Estimate (2012[3])	55,075
• Density	1,656.6/sq mi (639.6/km2)
• Metro	2,014,267
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	46060, 46061, 46062
Area code(s)	317
FIPS code	18-54180[4]
GNIS feature ID	0440192[5]
Website	http://www.noblesville.com/

Noblesville is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Indiana, United States,^[6] located just north of Indianapolis. The population was 51,969 at the 2010 census making it the 14th largest city/town in the state, up from 19th in 2007. The city is part of Delaware, Fall Creek, Noblesville, and Wayne townships.

Noblesville is also home to the Klipsch Music Center, an outdoor music venue, and the Indiana Transportation Museum.

History

Noblesville's history dates back to 1818 when the land, which is now Hamilton County, was purchased by the government from Indians native to this area. William Conner, the only settler living in the area at the time, and his wife, a Delaware Indian, established the first trading post in central Indiana in 1802 and lived in the first log cabin in the area. William Conner and Josiah Polk laid out what is now downtown Noblesville in 1823, which was designated as the Hamilton County seat in 1824 and incorporated in 1851. Conner's 1823 home is now one of a village of historic buildings making up Conner Prairie Pioneer Settlement, a living history museum south of Noblesville in Fishers.

Noblesville was named either for James Noble, one of the first two US senators from Indiana, or according to legend, for Lavina Noble of Indianapolis, to whom Josiah Polk was engaged.

The Peru and Indianapolis Railroad was completed through town in 1851, strengthening the town economically and causing the population to increase. In 1875 work was begun on the town's second railroad, the Anderson, Lebanon and St. Louis, later known as the Midland.^[7]

The city's first large growth boom came in 1888 with the discovery of Noblesville's first natural gas well near 11th and Pleasant streets. Many Victorian homes, as well as the vast majority of the Downtown Commercial District, were built during this time of prosperity. The city's second large growth was particularly recent increasing its population from 28,590 in 2000 to 51,969 in 2010. This growth echos the increase in population of much of southern Hamilton County as a preferable place for people to live who enjoy a close proximity to the Indianapolis area.

Noblesville was once noted for its flour mills, the mostly widely known of which was the Noblesville Milling Company, producer of Diadem and Kismet flours. In 1925, the manager of the company offered to buy uniforms for the local high school athletic team in exchange for school adopting the nickname “Millers.” The nickname persists to this day.^[8]

Other prominent businesses of the past include the Union Sanitary Manufacturing Company, the American Strawboard Company and Firestone Industrial Products.

Among the notable disasters to have struck the town are the Great Flood of 1913, an interurban wreck on the courthouse square in 1919 ^[9] and the Goeke fire of 1967. The fire, which began at the Paul Goeke auto dealership just off the square, destroyed two buildings and took the life of one firefighter.

The old Hamilton County Sheriff’s Residence and Jail on the southwest corner of the courthouse square in downtown Noblesville is now the home of the Hamilton County Museum of History, but as a working jail it once housed a teenage Charles Manson and D.C. Stephenson, former Grand Dragon of the Indiana Ku Klux Klan.

The Stephenson trial, which took place in the nearby Hamilton County courthouse in 1925, broke the power of the Klan in Indiana and drew national attention to Noblesville. Stephenson was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Madge Oberholtzer.

During the early 1920s Noblesville was one of several Indiana towns in which the Ku Klux Klan was active, but the Klan’s influence quickly faded in the wake of Stephenson’s conviction. In 1973 Klansmen staging a march in Noblesville were met by counter-demonstrators carrying anti-Klan placards.^[10]

In 1995 a local contractor stumbled across a trunk containing Klan paraphernalia and membership records from the 1920s era. The discovery sparked a debate over how to handle the sensitive issue and again put Noblesville in the national spotlight.^[11]

Noblesville also attracted national media attention in 1965 when Noblesville Daily Ledger editor James T. Neal was charged with contempt by Hamilton County Circuit Court judge Ed New. Neal’s fight for the First Amendment went before the Indiana Supreme Court.^[12]

Architecture

The centerpiece of downtown Noblesville is the Courthouse Square, the location of the Hamilton County Courthouse (completed in 1879) and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Residence and Jail (constructed in 1876). Both buildings are fabulous examples of the Second Empire style featuring mansard roofs. There are also several sites and buildings in Noblesville that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places including the Hamilton County Courthouse Square, the Catherine Street Historic District, Conner Street Historic District, William Houston Craig House, Daniel Craycraft House, Holliday Hydroelectric Powerhouse and Dam, Noblesville Commercial Historic District and the Noblesville Milling Company Mill.^[13]

Geography

Noblesville is located at 40°3′0″N 86°1′17″W / 40.05000°N 86.02139°W / 40.05000; -86.02139 (40.049935, -86.021462).^[14]

According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of 32.79 square miles (84.9 km²), of which 31.37 square miles (81.2 km²) (or 95.67%) is land and 1.42 square miles (3.7 km²) (or 4.33%) is water.^[15]

Noblesville is known as the middle of the Corn Belt. According to the 2000 U.S. Census the mean population of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa can be found in Noblesville.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	1,435		—
1880	2,221		54.8%
1890	3,054		37.5%
1900	4,792		56.9%
1910	5,073		5.9%
1920	4,758		−6.2%
1930	4,811		1.1%
1940	5,575		15.9%
1950	6,567		17.8%
1960	7,664		16.7%
1970	7,548		−1.5%
1980	12,056		59.7%
1990	17,655		46.4%
2000	28,590		61.9%
2010	51,969		81.8%
Source: US Census Bureau

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $73,395, and the median per capita income was $33,732. Approximately 45.22% of the population has a higher education degree with over 87.3% of the population at least having a high school diploma or GED. The median housing value is $171,272 with a total of 17,915 housing units.

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 51,969 people, 19,080 households, and 13,989 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,656.6 inhabitants per square mile (639.6 /km²). There were 21,121 housing units at an average density of 673.3 per square mile (260.0 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.1% White, 3.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.6% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.3% of the population.

There were 19,080 households of which 42.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 26.7% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.15.

The median age in the city was 33 years. 30.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 33% were from 25 to 44; 21.6% were from 45 to 64; and 8.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

Tourism

There are many recreational amenities in Noblesville including 7 public and private golf courses, the Belfry Theater, Downtown Noblesville shopping and historic sightseeing, the vast public park system including Forest Park and Dr. James A Dillon Park, the Hamilton County Artist Association Birdie Gallery, Hamilton Town Center, the Indiana Transportation Museum, Morse Park & Beach, Klipsch Music Center and the White River Canoe Company.

Hamilton Town Center, a shopping mall, opened in 2008.

Notable people

• David Boudia, Olympic diver and Gold Medalist, 10-Meter Platform, 2012 London Olympics
• Bryan Clauson, IndyCar, NASCAR, and USAC driver
• Derek Daly, former Formula 1 and CART driver. Currently a pundit on Speed TV.
• Conor Daly, son of Derek Daly and a driver in the 2013 Indianapolis 500
• Ralph W. Gwinn, former US Congressman
• Timothy Kraft, retired political consultant; campaign manager in 1980 for U.S. President Jimmy Carter
• William Dudley Pelley, leader of the Christian Party and fascist Silver Legion
• Ashley Prange, professional golfer and winner of The Big Break
• Roger Stern, Superman Comic Book Writer: Death of Superman
• Rex Stout, creator of Nero Wolfe, the popular detective series
• Steve Wariner, country music singer and songwriter
• Billy Wease, NASCAR driver
• Wes Whisler, Selected by Chicago White Sox in second round (53rd overall) of 2004 amateur entry draft
• Norman Norell, fashion designer
• Tracy Anderson, author and multi-platform fitness/wellness entrepreneur

Schools

Most Noblesville students attend Noblesville Schools, while some attend Hamilton Southeastern Schools

• Noblesville High School Main Campus [10-12]
• St. Theodore Guerin High School [9-12] (private)
• Noblesville High School Freshman Campus [9]
• Noblesville East Middle School [6-8]
• Noblesville West Middle School [6-8]
• Hazel Dell Elementary [K-5]
• Hinkle Creek Elementary [K-5]
• Noble Crossing Elementary [K-5]
• North Elementary [K-5]
• Promise Road Elementary [K-5]
• Stony Creek Elementary [K-5]
• White River Elementary [K-5]
• Our Lady of Grace School [K-8] (private)
• Legacy Christian School [k-8] (private)

References

External links

• City of Noblesville, Indiana website
• Noblesville Schools
• Noblesville Chamber of Commerce
• Hamilton Southeastern Schools
• HomeTown Television Channel 19
• Noblesville.com
• Hamilton East Public Library (Noblesville and Fishers libraries)
• Indiana Transportation Museum (located in Forest Park)

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v t e Indianapolis metropolitan area Core cities Carmel Indianapolis Other municipalities over 20,000 population (in 2010) Brownsburg Fishers Franklin Greenfield Greenwood Lawrence Noblesville Plainfield Westfield Municipalities 1,000-20,000 population (in 2010) Arcadia Avon Bargersville Beech Grove Brooklyn Cicero Clermont Cloverdale Cumberland Danville Edinburgh Fairland Fortville Greencastle Lebanon Martinsville McCordsville Mooresville Morristown New Palestine New Whiteland Pittsboro Princes Lakes Shelbyville Sheridan Speedway Southport St. Paul Thorntown Whiteland Zionsville Counties Boone Brown Hamilton Hancock Hendricks Johnson Marion Morgan Putnam Shelby

v t e Municipalities and communities of Hamilton County, Indiana, United States County seat: Noblesville Cities Carmel Noblesville Westfield (including Jolietville) Towns Arcadia Atlanta Cicero Fishers Sheridan Townships Adams Clay Delaware Fall Creek Jackson Noblesville Washington Wayne White River Unincorporated communities Aroma Bakers Corner Boxley Brooks Chesterton Clare Clarksville College Meadows Deming Durbin Echo Crest Eagletown Hawthorn Hills Holaday Hills and Dales Home Place Hortonville Lamong Luxhaven Millersburg New Britton North Augusta Addition North Ridge Village Northern Beach Northwood Hills Omega Orchard Park Riverwood Strawtown Trails End Walnut Grove

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