Edgewood is a suburb roughly bounded by Thompson Road, McFarland Road, Edgewood Avenue, and U.S. 31. In August 1907, Indianapolis realtor William Elder laid out the town of Edgewood, named for its location at the edge of nearby woods. It offered country living with an easy commute to Indianapolis via the interurban line that functioned through the early 1940s. Most homes, built for middle-class families, were constructed in the 1920s and 1930s. One-and two-story bungalows were prevalent, as were a variety of vernacular styles.
By the 1960s about 1,200 families lived in Edgewood. At the time it had attained a measure of local recognition as the home of the Kautsky Indians (a professional basketball team) and the Edgewood Wheelmen bicycle club. The town’s business district on Madison Avenue boasted filling stations, eateries, retail and repair shops, and professional offices. Commuter traffic prompted county officials to spend $5 million in 1962 to improve a stretch of Madison Avenue through Edgewood. Never incorporated, the community became a part of Indianapolis in 1970 under .
The Madison Avenue corridor from Edgewood Avenue to Thompson Road has seen marginal commercial growth. Notably, one can cycle from Edgewood to the southeast corner of using a bike lane on Madison Avenue.
Since 2007 a wave of Burmese refugees came to Perry Township to take advantage of Edgewood’s affordable housing and access to public transportation. One hundred eighty-five single-family homes have been planned for construction in an 80-acre neighborhood in the southeast corner of Edgewood which will ease the pressure for housing in the area.
The school district that serves Edgewood has been quick to respond to the needs of students through education and assimilation programs. Southport school administrators claim that 22 percent of students in the neighborhood were still learning English, most of them being Burmese refugees.
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