Rocky Ripple

Rocky Ripple is a unigov Included Town bounded by 54^th Street, the Central Canal, 51^st Street, and White River. Settled in 1910 as a working-class resort on White River, Rocky Ripple often experienced floods in its early years. Indeed, in 1921, Indianapolis Mayor Samuel (Lew) Shank proposed turning the area into a lake. Instead, Rocky Ripple’s citizens incorporated their town in 1927.

Isolated from the city around it by the canal and White River, with access provided by only one bridge throughout most of its history, the town grew up as a working-class neighborhood with a 1930 population of 133. In 1937, the federal Works Progress Administration funded the construction of a levee that mitigated the town’s flooding problems, and, by 1940, the population had more than doubled. In 1956, the town had over 650 residents, 1,000 acres, and the highest tax rate in Marion County.

When Indianapolis and the county merged under Unigov, Rocky Ripple retained its status as an incorporated town and continued to fund its own police and fire protection under the auspices of its town council. However, since Unigov was enacted, the town has lost residents, dropping from 1,192 in 1970 to 751 in 1990. By 1993, the lower-to middle-income residents of this town within the city lived in homes ranging from turn-of-the-century cottages to ranches and split-levels with the lowest tax rate in the county.

The town has been supported by the Rocky Ripple Community Association since the 1940s. Of all their community engagement ventures, the most vital is the annual Rocky Ripple Festival that raises funds for local parks.

In 2022 the Rocky Ripple Town Board voted to move forward with the city of Indianapolis’ flood protection plan. The proposed floodwall will protect the estimated 650 residents from future flooding. However, the plan calls for removing 13 riverside homes.