Speedway, Indiana

Speedway is a town in Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,952 at the 2020 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, constructed three years earlier. 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 west of the track. Fisher and Allison owned plants 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. As one of the four excluded cities in Marion County under the Unigov legislation, Speedway has a police department from that is independent of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Geography

Speedway is located in western Marion County. It is west-northwest of downtown Indianapolis.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Speedway has a total area of , of which , or 0.08%, are water. With a January daily mean of however, Speedway is very close to the humid continental type.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Speedway had a population of 13,952. The median age was 35.4 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.4% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 6,335 households, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 32.9% were married-couple households, 25.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, 11,812 people, 5,550 households, and 2,931 families resided in the town. The population density was . The 6,709 housing units averaged . 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.

2000 census

As of the census

Economy

thumb|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.

Notable people

Donald Davidson, historian
Joyce DeWitt, actress
Ronnie Duman, racing driver
Barbara Higbie, jazz musician and composer
Mason Jobst, ice hockey player
J. Emmett McManamon, 33rd Indiana Attorney General
Stevie Reeves, racing driver
Zachary Tinkle, racing driver

Sister cities

Motegi, Tochigi, Japan
Varano de' Melegari, Italy