In 1818, the land that would become Shelbyville was ceded to the United States by the Miami tribe in the Treaty of St. Mary's. Also in 1818, the backwoodsman Jacob Whetzel and a party cut a trail through this "New Purchase" from the Whitewater River at Laurel due west to the White River at Waverly. This trail became known as Whetzel's Trace and was the first east–west road into the New Purchase of central Indiana. Whetzel's Trace was cut just 4 miles north of site of Shelbyville and proved important in the settlement of Shelby County.[5]
The Shelbyville post office has been in operation since 1823.[9]
The city charter received at that time was destroyed in the City Hall fire on January 1, 1928.
A railroad was built connecting Shelbyville to Indianapolis in the late 1830s, the first railroad in the state, that later expanded to connect to Madison and Jeffersonville.
Allegheny Airlines Flight 853 crashed on September 9, 1969, near Fairland. Nearly thirty of the 83 people killed were never identified and were buried in a mass grave in Shelbyville.[10]
According to the 2010 census, Shelbyville has a total area of 11.845 square miles (30.68 km2), of which 11.56 square miles (29.94 km2) (or 97.59%) is land and 0.285 square miles (0.74 km2) (or 2.41%) is water.[13]
Climate
Shelbyville has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) experiencing four distinct seasons.
Climate data for Shelbyville, Indiana, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present
As of the census[16] of 2010, there were 19,191 people, 7,682 households, and 4,848 families living in the city. The population density was 1,660.1 inhabitants per square mile (641.0/km2). There were 8,658 housing units at an average density of 749.0 per square mile (289.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.9% White, 1.9% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 3.2% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.1% of the population.
There were 7,682 households, of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.9% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.00.
The median age in the city was 35.9 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.2% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 13% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.
2000 census
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 17,951 people, 7,307 households, and 4,654 families living in the city. The population density was 2,023.0 inhabitants per square mile (781.1/km2). There were 7,930 housing units at an average density of 893.7 per square mile (345.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.28% White, 1.58% African American, 0.15% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.90% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.91% of the population.
There were 7,307 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,824, and the median income for a family was $46,379. Males had a median income of $34,550 versus $24,331 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,670. About 6.1% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Shelbyville Central Schools consists of Shelbyville Senior High School, Shelbyville Middle School, Coulston Elementary, Loper Elementary, and Hendricks Elementary. The high school and middle school's mascot is Golden Bears. Coulston is the Comets, Hendricks is the Hurricanes and Loper is the Bulldogs.
St. Joseph Elementary School is a private school, associated with St. Joseph Catholic Church, in Shelbyville.
Prior to 1870, no public education was provided for Shelbyville's black residents. In 1870, the state required communities to provide education, but allowed them to choose whether they would be integrated or segregated. Shelbyville schools were integrated at the high school level, but segregated in the elementary grades until 1949.[17]
Shelbyville has a public library, a branch of the Shelby County Public Library.[18]
^Graham, Tom; Cody, Rachel (2006). Getting Open The Unknown Story of Bill Garrett and the Integration of College Basketball. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. pp. 5, 196. ISBN978-0-253-22046-2.
^"Locations". Shelby County Public Library. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
