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Town of Speedway, Indiana
Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2005.
Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2005.
Official seal of Town of Speedway, Indiana
Seal
Nickname(s): 
"Home of the 500"; "Racing Capital of the World"
Location of Speedway in Marion County, Indiana
Location of Speedway in Marion County, Indiana
Country United States
State Indiana
County Marion
Township Wayne
Incorporated 1926
Area
 • Town 4.79 sq mi (12.40 km2)
 • Land 4.79 sq mi (12.40 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation
748 ft (228 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Town 13,952
 • Density 2,915.17/sq mi (1,125.55/km2)
 • Metro
2,166,632
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
46224
Area code(s) 317
FIPS code 18-71828
GNIS feature ID 0443930

Speedway is a town in Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 11,812 at the 2010 U.S. Census. Speedway, which is an enclave of Indianapolis, is the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

History

Speedway was laid out in 1912 as a residential suburb. It took its name from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is an early example of a residential community planned for the industrial plants located nearby. Carl G. Fisher, James A. Allison, Frank Wheeler, and Arthur Newby, founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, planned the suburb of Speedway south of the track. Fisher and Allison owned plants nearby that needed workers, the Prest-O-Lite factory and Allison Engine Company. The investors' goal was to create a city without horses, where residents would drive automobiles, as well as participate in creating mechanical parts for new modes of transportation.

The Speedway Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Geography

Speedway is located at 39°47′31″N 86°15′0″W / 39.79194°N 86.25000°W / 39.79194; -86.25000 (39.791943, −86.249988).

According to the 2010 census, Speedway has a total area of 4.768 square miles (12.35 km2), of which 4.76 square miles (12.33 km2) (or 99.83%) is land and 0.008 square miles (0.02 km2) (or 0.17%) is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Speedway has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps. With a January daily mean of −2 °C (28 °F) however, Speedway is very close to the humid continental type.

Climate data for Speedway
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 1
(34)
4
(39)
9
(48)
17
(63)
22
(72)
27
(81)
29
(84)
28
(82)
25
(77)
18
(64)
10
(50)
4
(39)
16
(61)
Daily mean °C (°F) −2
(28)
0
(32)
4
(39)
11
(52)
17
(63)
22
(72)
24
(75)
23
(73)
19
(66)
13
(55)
5
(41)
0
(32)
11
(52)
Average low °C (°F) −7
(19)
−5
(23)
0
(32)
5
(41)
10
(50)
16
(61)
18
(64)
17
(63)
12
(54)
6
(43)
0
(32)
−4
(25)
5
(41)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 72
(2.8)
63
(2.5)
96
(3.8)
94
(3.7)
103
(4.1)
102
(4.0)
102
(4.0)
84
(3.3)
78
(3.1)
68
(2.7)
82
(3.2)
73
(2.9)
1,017
(40.0)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1930 1,420
1940 2,325 63.7%
1950 5,498 136.5%
1960 9,624 75.0%
1970 14,523 50.9%
1980 12,641 −13.0%
1990 13,092 3.6%
2000 12,881 −1.6%
2010 11,812 −8.3%
2020 13,952 18.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, 11,812 people, 5,550 households, and 2,931 families resided in the town. The population density was 2,481.5 inhabitants per square mile (958.1/km2). The 6,709 housing units averaged 1,409.5 per square mile (544.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 74.2% White, 16.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 4.4% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 7.6% of the population.

Of the 5,550 households, 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.4% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.2% were not families. About 39.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.84.

The median age in the town was 37.8 years. About 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.7% were from 25 to 44; 25.8% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

Sister cities

  • Japan Motegi, Tochigi, Japan
  • Italy Varano de' Melegari, Italy

Economy

Dallara IndyCar Factory in 2017
Dallara IndyCar Factory

In addition to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway itself, several related companies are located south of the racetrack, including the United States Auto Club headquarters, the Dallara racecar factory, racing teams A. J. Foyt Racing, and Harding Racing, and the Speedway Indoor karting racetrack. Also, Allison Transmission has a factory nearby.

Education

  • The School Town of Speedway has six campuses, including the Speedway Senior High School, and an enrollment of approximately 1,650 students.
  • St Christopher School

The town has a lending library, the Speedway Public Library.

Notable people

  • Donald Davidson, historian
  • Joyce DeWitt, actress
  • Barbara Higbie, jazz musician and composer
  • Mason Jobst, ice hockey player

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Speedway (Indiana) para niños

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