The bedroom community of Elwood offers a quiet, family-friendly atmosphere within a 30-minute drive of Fishers and Noblesville. “We’re nicknamed the Heart of Hoosierland because we’re in the heart of Indiana, but I like to say it’s because of the people,” says Elwood Mayor and lifelong resident Todd Jones. “This is a place where you can raise your kids, go to sporting events, and see the same people you see in the bleachers at the grocery store or in the church pews on Sunday. People have a sense of pride in their community and care for each other.” While many of the 8,500 residents commute out of town for work, Elwood has several major employers, including Elsa Automotive, Ascension St. Vincent Mercy Hospital and Red Gold tomato products. The city has also taken steps in recent years to increase housing availability by demolishing blighted structures, clearing the way for residents to build their own homes.
Century-old homes and new builds in subdivisions
In the 1880s, the discovery of natural gas attracted numerous glass manufacturers to Elwood. Those industries led to the construction of the city's oldest homes, including gablefront homes with front and side porches, cottages and Craftsman-inspired houses. Today, buyers can also find ranch-style homes built after the turn of the 20th century. Detached garages, driveways and street parking are standard on the city’s oldest streets, and Elwood’s century-old homes contrast with new traditional builds in subdivisions on the outskirts of the city. The median price for a single-family home in Elwood is $165,000, far below the Hamilton County median price of $415,000. Fixer-uppers range from $20,000 to $100,000, but most move-in-ready homes cost between $120,000 and $250,000. Larger lots and newly constructed homes fetch more and from $250,000 to $400,000. “A lot of people move here from Hamilton County and get the same kind of living space for a fraction of the price,” Jones says. “They can get a house for $100,000 cheaper than they would in Fishers or Noblesville.”
CTE courses at Hind Career Center
Elwood Community Schools serve the area and receive an overall C-plus from Niche. Prekindergarten through second-grade students may attend Elwood Elementary School, rated B-plus, followed by third through sixth grade at Elwood Intermediate School, rated C. Elwood Junior-Senior High School receives a C. High schoolers can take career and technical education courses at Hind Career Center in fields like construction trades, emergency medical services, and graphic and visual communications. “They do internships with employers,” Mayor Jones says. “A lot of kids walk across that stage and get an immediate job, and they don’t have to leave Elwood.”
Elwood Golf Course and a new aquatic center in the works
Elwood is home to a variety of green spaces, from pocket parks like Kiwanis Park and Joe Morris Memorial Park to the expansive Callaway Park, which features a playground, sports fields and space for summertime concerts. In the winter, the hill near Big Duck Creek becomes a popular sledding spot. The Birch Bayh Community Center is a go-to venue for community celebrations. In 2016, the city breathed new life into the once-shuttered Elwood Golf Course, reopening it as an 18-hole public course. Now, Elwood is investing in its next major project: a $5 million aquatic center, complete with a splash pad and lap pool.
Downtown Elwood has locally owned restaurants like The Tin Plate
Local businesses and restaurants populate downtown Elwood. The Tin Plate celebrates Elwood’s industrial past and pays tribute to the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company, which was once the world’s largest tin plating factory. The Opera House Eatery, a new standout, is a modern breakfast and brunch spot located in a restored opera house. It specializes in bakery-style breakfast and brunch dishes like biscuits and gravy, chicken and waffles and New York bagel bite flights. For everyday essentials, residents stop by Dollar General or pick up groceries at Harvest Supermarket and Needler’s Fresh Market. Many locals make the 30-minute drive to Noblesville to shop at the popular Hamilton Town Center, an open-air mall with a range of shopping and dining options.
Elwood Glass Festival celebrates city’s industrial roots
Elwood’s history as a hub for glass manufacturers is celebrated each year during the Elwood Glass Festival. Held the third weekend of August, the festival features a car show, carnival rides, live entertainment, local vendors and a parade. At the Red Gold Chili Cook-off and Run to Crush Hunger, competitors use Red Gold products to craft unique recipes, and proceeds from the race are donated to Second Harvest Food Bank and the Morrisett Center Food Pantry. “We have Light Up the Magic, hosted on Saturday after Thanksgiving, where we illuminate the uptown business district,” Mayor Jones says. “We had several thousand people last year. It’s great seeing the kids, seeing their expressions and making memories.”
A train runs through town and the center of C Street
Routes 28 and 13 intersect in Elwood, and nearby Route 37 takes commuters to Fishers. There’s no public transportation, so locals rely on cars to get around. It’s about a 30-minute drive to Anderson and Hamilton County, and Kokomo is 40 minutes northwest. Ascension St. Vincent Mercy Hospital offers medical care in town. Several Norfolk Southern trains pass through the south side of town, but delays are rare. A section of the railroad runs down the middle of C Street, past cars and homes on the residential street, though the trains typically traverse the four-block strip within a minute or two.
Lindsay is a lifelong resident of Howard County. She graduated from Western High School and has a Bachelor's degree in Business Marketing from Indiana University of Kokomo. Since 2002, Lindsay has served her clients in real estate by sharing her expertise and experience which enables her to provide sellers with the knowledge to maximize the value of their home and buyers in finding the perfect home for their families. Helping her clients find their dream home is one of the highlights of Lindsay's career. Being married with 3 children, she knows the importance of finding the perfect home to fit your families' needs.
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