West Indianapolis (Indianapolis, Indiana)

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www.westindianapolis.org
West Indianapolis neighborhood is one of the oldest working-class neighborhoods in the city. The earliest residents arrived in the 1820s, many coming from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Southern Indiana. The area between White River and Big Eagle Creek, south of the Conrail tracks and north of Raymond Street was first incorporated as the Town of West Indianapolis in 1882, and in 1890 had a population of 3,527. West Indianapolis became an incorporated city in 1894, and was annexed into the City of Indianapolis in 1897. Much of the housing stock in the neighborhood was built prior to 1900. Parts of the neighborhood have been industrialized for well over 100 years.

The West Indianapolis/Harding Street Neighborhood is part of the largest area of industrial concentration within the city, Eli Lilly's research laboratory and manufacturing complexes, Ingredion, Rolls-Royce, and AES Indiana (formerly Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL)). The residential areas of West Indianapolis developed as a result of manufacturing growth along the Belt Railroad constructed in the 1870s around the south side of the city.