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Noblesville, Indiana facts for kids

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Noblesville, Indiana
Downtown Noblesville
Downtown Noblesville
Motto(s): 
The Heart of Hamilton County
Location of Noblesville in Hamilton County, Indiana.
Location of Noblesville in Hamilton County, Indiana.
Country United States
State Indiana
County Hamilton
Founded 1823
Incorporated (town) 1851
Incorporated (city) 1887
Area
 • Total 35.82 sq mi (92.77 km2)
 • Land 34.40 sq mi (89.08 km2)
 • Water 1.42 sq mi (3.69 km2)
Elevation
772 ft (235 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 69,604
 • Density 2,023.67/sq mi (781.34/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
46060, 46061, 46062
Area code(s) 317
FIPS code 18-54180
GNIS feature ID 0440192

Noblesville is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, a part of the north Indianapolis suburbs along the White River. The population was 51,969 at the 2010 census making it the state's 14th largest city/town, up from 19th in 2007. As of 2019 the estimated population was 64,668. The city is part of Delaware, Fall Creek, Noblesville, and Wayne townships.

Noblesville is home to the Ruoff Music Center, an outdoor music venue.

History

Potters Bridge
Potter's Bridge

Noblesville's history dates back to 1818 when the land, which is now Hamilton County, was purchased by the government from the Native Americans in this area. William Conner, the only settler living in the area at the time, and his wife Mekinges Conner, a Lenape, 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.

The city's first large growth period came during the Indiana gas boom with the discovery, in 1888, 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 has undergone another increase recently as its population grew 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 due to its proximity to Indianapolis.

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.

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, 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 Charles Manson as a teenager and D. C. Stephenson, former Grand Dragon of the Indiana Ku Klux Klan. The Stephenson trial, which took place in the adjoining 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.

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. The Hamilton County Historical Society, to which the materials had been donated, opted to not make it possible for the general public to see the names of those who had been local Klan members.

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.

Architecture

Noblesville Court House
Hamilton County Courthouse

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, Cole-Evans House, Conner Street Historic District, William Houston Craig House, Daniel Craycraft House, Dr. Samuel Harrell House, Holliday Hydroelectric Powerhouse and Dam, Nickel Plate Road Steam Locomotive No. 587, Noblesville Commercial Historic District, Noblesville Milling Company Mill, South 9th Street Historic District, Judge Earl S. Stone House, and Robert L. Wilson House.

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).

According to the 2010 census, Noblesville has a total area of 32.785 square miles (84.91 km2), of which 31.37 square miles (81.25 km2) (or 95.68%) is land and 1.415 square miles (3.66 km2) (or 4.32%) is water.

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.
1850 664
1860 1,115 67.9%
1870 1,435 28.7%
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%
2020 69,604 33.9%
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 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 and Beach, Klipsch Music Center, and the White River Canoe Company.

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

Sister Cities

  • Brazil Nova Prata, Brazil
  • Italy Cittadella, Italy

Education

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

  • Noblesville High School [9–12]
  • St. Theodore Guerin High School [9–12] (private)
  • 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-11] (private)

The city has a lending library, the Hamilton East Public Library.

Notable people

  • Lillian Albertson, actress and theatrical producer
  • Tracy Anderson, author and multi-platform fitness/wellness entrepreneur
  • Drew Powell, actor
  • Scott Baldwin, businessman and politician
  • David Boudia, Olympic diver and gold medalist, 10-meter platform, 2012 London Olympics
  • Bryan Clauson, IndyCar, NASCAR, and USAC driver
  • Kelly Crull, sports anchor and reporter for Fox Sports South
  • Derek Daly, former Formula 1 and CART driver, currently a pundit on Speed TV
  • Conor Daly, son of Derek Daly, IndyCar, and NASCAR driver
  • Ralph W. Gwinn, 20th-century US congressman
  • Scott Haffner, former NBA basketball player with the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat
  • Clinton L. Hare, football head coach at Butler University and Purdue
  • Timothy Kraft, retired political consultant; campaign manager in 1980 for U.S. President Jimmy Carter
  • Norman Norell, fashion designer
  • William Dudley Pelley, leader of 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 popular Nero Wolfe detective series; born in Noblesville, family moved away shortly thereafter
  • Victoria Spartz, member of the U.S. House of Representatives
  • Michael Sylvester, opera singer
  • Steve Wariner, country music singer and songwriter
  • Wes Whisler, former Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Chris Hacker, NASCAR driver

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See also

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