Indiana Main Street
Mayors’ Workshop
2021

Post COVID-19

 
 
 

Shelbyville

 

Background

 
 
 

The City of Shelbyville was named in honor of Isaac Shelby, a former Kentucky Governor. The city, located just 33 miles southeast of Indianapolis, was incorporated in 1850, and serves as the county seat of Shelby County, and has a population of 18,898. While growing significantly, Shelbyville has sought to maintain a friendly "small town" atmosphere, and offers safe neighborhoods, beautiful parks, unique shops, and a great school system. While perhaps known for the Indiana Grand Racing & Casino, Shelbyville offers a wide variety of entertainment and employment opportunities. A transformative downtown public square redevelopment project is currently underway, which seeks to “attract people to the community, boost the workforce, and promote business around the city’s downtown circle.”

 
 

Mayor

Honorable Tom DeBaun

Years in Office

8

 

City Representative

Adam Rude, Director of Planning and Building

 

Community Stakeholder

Brian Asher

 

Mayor Tom DeBaun has been the Mayor of Shelbyville for nearly nine years, and previously served as the City's Plan Commission Director for eighteen years, where he was involved in nearly every facet of Shelbyville’s development. “I was able to see things that were done well, things that were not done well and that were not done at all.” Additionally, in 2019 Debaun was appointed by Governor Holcomb to the Indiana Land Resources Council to assist local and state decision-makers with land use tools and policies.

 
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Data

Population

19,407

Median Household Income

$51,373

Largest 3 Employers 

Indiana Grand Racing & Casino
Knauf Insulation
Major Health Partners

 
 

Land Area

12.71 mi²

Bachelor’s Degree or higher

17.2%

Poverty Rate

16.7%

Shelbyville has grown its population by 2% since 2010. The city has seen significant success in attracting manufacturing businesses, including a large amount of foreign direct investment. It enjoys excellent interstate access and is embedded in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Shelbyville has a solid downtown, and a very high-quality historic housing inventory. The city has upgraded downtown streetscape improvements and is also implementing a major redesign of its central public square. Shelbyville’s challenge is to raise the public’s level of awareness of the city. Shelby County has seen little of the residential growth of many other Indianapolis suburban counties. The city also needs to raise its college degree attainment level, which is presently at 17.2%.

Aaron Renn

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