Greenwood, IN - hidden gem south of Indy

Greenwood is located approximately 11 miles south of Indianapolis.  Native Americans were the early inhabitants.  In 1813 the village of Delaware Indianas were all but wiped out by the Kentucky and Indiana Militias.  The community was initially known as "Smocktown" or "Smock's Settlement."  In 1825, it adopted the name "Greenfield."  However, there was already another Greenfield in Hancock County, so the name was changed to Greenwood.  According to some, this name was chose to honor Samuel Greenwood who platted the community in 1872.  Greenwood was officially incorporated in 1864.  As of 2007,  Greenwood was reporting a growing population of just over 47,700 spanning a total of 14.3 square miles.

Greenwoods location makes it an easy commute to downtown Indianapolis, although it has all the conveniences of a bustling, modern reail hub in a small town atmosphere.

The Greenwood area has 14 municipal parks covering 200 acres boasting swimming pools, community center, tennis courts, golf courses, ball diamons and Little League programs along with picnic shelters, playgrounds, walking trails, basketball courts and even a dog park.

Each summer, the Greenwood Amphitheater comes alive with music during the Summer Concert Serioes.  A wide variety of musical genres are featured throughout the summer.

For the small town experience, you can stoll along main street of Old Town Greenwood finding charming shops and from May through October the local farmer's market sets up in the Greenwood Public Library parking lot.  At Christmas, Old Town turns into a holiday village with the Greenwood A-Glow activities.

Educational excellence takes center stage in Greenwood as Greenwood, Center Grove and Clark-Pleasant School Corporations offer one of the most comprehensive k-12 public schools systems in the state. There are even several higher learning options in the area such as Ivy Tech Community College, ITT Technical and Franklin College close by.

The Greenwood Park Mall has a mix of retail and restaurants from small specialty stores to large anchor stores such as JC Penney, Von Maur, Macy's and Sears.  There is an expansive food court in addition to sit down restaurants in the mall.  In 2007, the mall expanded with a 115,000sf open-air lifestyle center.  The mall is only the beginning of the shopping mecca along the US 31 retail corridor.

They say if you can't find it in Greenwood, you probably don't need it.

www.greenwood.in.gov/