Greensburg, Indiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Greensburg, Indiana
City
Franklin Street in Downtown Greensburg
Nickname(s):  Tree City
Location of Greensburg in Decatur County, Indiana.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Decatur
Area
• Total	9.41 sq mi (24.37 km2)
• Land	9.36 sq mi (24.25 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.12 km2)
Elevation	958 ft (292 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	12,312
• Density	1,315.10/sq mi (507.76/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	47240
Area code(s)	812
FIPS code	18-29718
GNIS feature ID	0449663

Greensburg is a city in and the county seat of Decatur County, Indiana, United States. The population was counted at 11,492 at the 2010 census.

History

Greensburg was laid out in 1822. The founder's wife being a native of Greensburg, Pennsylvania caused the name to be selected.

The first post office at Greensburg opened in 1823, but the name of the post office was spelled Greensburgh until 1894.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, race relations in Greensburg worsened, leading to the expulsion of African Americans from the city after race riots against them in 1906 and 1907. According to James W. Loewen, Greensburg then was for decades a sundown town, a town that was purposely all-white.

The Bromwell Wire Works, Decatur County Courthouse, Greensburg Carnegie Public Library, Greensburg Downtown Historic District, Bright B. Harris House, Jerman School, and Knights of Pythias Building and Theatre are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Tree on the Courthouse Tower

Tree on the Courthouse Tower in Greensburg, Indiana

The Decatur County Courthouse in Greensburg is known for a tree which grows from the top of the Courthouse Tower, giving Greensburg its nickname, "Tree City".

There have been one or more trees growing continually since the first tree was noticed in the early 1870s. Later, other small trees appeared on the clock tower.

County officials were initially concerned that the trees would cause damage to the roof, and a steeplejack was hired in the 1880s to remove some of them. Two trees were left, with one ultimately growing to a height of nearly 15 feet (4.6 m). By the time it died, another tree had appeared.

Today, there are two trees on the tower. During a recent tree trimming a piece of the tree was examined by several Purdue University foresters and they positively identified the tree as a mulberry tree.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Greensburg has a total area of 9.315 square miles (24.13 km²), of which 9.27 square miles (24.01 km²) (or 99.52%) is land and 0.045 square miles (0.12 km²) (or 0.48%) is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 11,492 people, 4,661 households, and 2,927 families living in the city. The population density was 1,239.7 inhabitants per square mile (478.7/km²). There were 5,185 housing units at an average density of 559.3 per square mile (215.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.1% White, 0.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.

There were 4,661 households, of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.98.

The median age in the city was 37 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.5% were from 45 to 64; and 15.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

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. Recently a construction project, which has made going east on Interstate 74 from the ramp west of town possible, has been completed.

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 3,343 ft (1,019 m). by 40 ft (12 m). There are tentative plans to either expand the current runway or build a new airport elsewhere in Decatur County.

Indianapolis International Airport is located 59 miles (95 km) from Greensburg, and Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport is located 66 miles (106 km) away.

Climate

Climate is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. Temperatures are high and can lead to warm, oppressive nights. Summers are usually somewhat wetter than winters, with much of the rainfall coming from convectional thunderstorm activity. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfa" (Humid Subtropical Climate).

Economy

The largest employer in Greensburg is Delta Faucet Company, who has operated a manufacturing facility in the city since 1958. In addition to faucet components, Delta's Greensburg plant also produces bath tubs and shower fixtures.

Honda Motor Company operates an automobile manufacturing plant (Honda Manufacturing of Indiana, LLC) along Interstate 74 in Greensburg. The company purchased 1,700 acres (6.9 km²) at the northwest edge of Greensburg in 2006. It took about 16 months to develop the site and construct the massive auto assembly facility. Mass production of the Honda Civic (eighth generation) sedan commenced at this plant on October 9, 2008. A second shift was added in fall 2011. Production capacity was increased by 25% to accommodate the start of production of the Civic hybrid in early 2013. In 2018, Honda invested US$32.5 million to expand its plant with a new 19,200 square-foot building for new in-house subassembly of vehicles’ front end module, including radiator and cooling fan.

As of September 2021, Honda Manufacturing of Indiana employs over 2,700 people and produces the eleventh-generation Honda Civic hatchback, the fifth-generation Honda CR-V, and the third-generation Honda Insight. The Acura ILX was also assembled at Honda Manufacturing of Indiana from 2012 to 2015 until production was transferred to Honda's plant in Marysville, Ohio. The Acura ILX hybrid became the first hybrid model built by Honda in North America. Honda has been exporting Civic made in Indiana to Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, Guam and Saipan since 2009.

Notable people

• Thomas Hendricks Sr. (1773–1835), veteran of War of 1812, founded Greensburg in 1821, which was named by his wife in 1822; served in Indiana House of Representatives and Indiana State Senate; and, was uncle of future U.S. Vice President Thomas Andrews Hendricks; buried in South Park Cemetery.
• James Bradford Foley (1807–1886), moved to Greensburg in 1834, elected to Thirty-fifth Congress; interred in South Park Cemetery.
• Gilbert Van Camp (1814–1900), businessman who founded Van Camp canning company; from 1845-60 worked as tinsmith around Greensburg, before moving to Indianapolis and founding company that became G. C. Van Camp & Son.
• William Cumback (1829-1905), attorney, Civil War Army paymaster, U.S. Representative and 16th Lieutenant Governor of Indiana; lived in Greensburg for 52 years, buried at South Park Cemetery.
• John T. Wilder (1830-1917), industrialist and Civil War Union General, known for commanding Lightning Brigade and for success at Battle of Chickamauga. As a young man, moved to Greensburg, where he married, raised a large family, and established a foundry.
• Ezekiel J. Ingersoll (1838–1925), Illinois state representative and businessman was born in Greensburg.
• John Goodnow (1858-1907), United States Consul General in Shanghai from 1897 to 1905 was born in Greensburg
• Annie Laurie Adams Baird (1864-1916), American missionary in Korea, born in Greensburg
• Aldred Scott Warthin (1866-1931), pathologist, "father of cancer genetics"; born in Greensburg, buried in South Park Cemetery.
• Carl G. Fisher (1874-1939), entrepreneur involved with starting Indianapolis Motor Speedway and developing Miami Beach; born in Greensburg and spent much of his childhood here.
• Roy Henry Thorpe (1874-1951), Greensburg High School graduate, elected to 67th United States Congress in 1922 while living in Nebraska.
• Oliver Kessing (1890-1963) was the third and last commissioner of the All-America Football Conference; born in Greensburg, attended Naval Academy, where he played football and baseball; reaching rank of Rear Admiral, served in World War I and World War II.
• Rose McConnell Long (1892-1970), born in Greensburg, was a United States Senator and the wife of Huey Long. She was the third woman to ever serve in the U.S. Senate.
• Wilbur Shaw (1902-1954), three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, was president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway; lived in Greensburg during his teen years.
• Alex Meyer (born in 1990), Former Major League Baseball player for Los Angeles Angels, born in Greensburg.
• Bryant McIntosh (born November 20, 1994) is an American college basketball player for Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball where he has completed his senior season for the 2017–18 team. He holds the Northwestern career and single-season assist records, and is currently the Assistant Director of Operations for the Northwestern University Men's Basketball program. McIntosh led Greensburg to 2013 and 2014 IHSAA 3A state championship wins.

Images for kids

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  Tree on the Courthouse Tower in Greensburg, Indiana

See also

In Spanish: Greensburg (Indiana) para niños