Whitestown is a community in southeast corner of in Worth Township, approximately 22 miles northwest of Indianapolis.
Whitestown was organized in 1851 as a result of the Big 4 Railroad passing through it. As a prime agricultural area, the pioneer community served as a trading and merchant center. The town was laid out in 1851, at the time the , part of the Big 4 Railroad, was continued to Lafayette, Indiana, on the land of Abram Neese. Initially named New Germantown, reflecting the country of origin of the vicinity’s first inhabitants, the name was officially changed to Whitestown in 1852 in honor of Albert S. White, a U.S. Senator and the first president of the Indianapolis and Lafayette Railroad. The village became an important trading center along the railroad for the township and county.
For more than a century Whitestown remained a rural community. During the second half of the 20th century, it lost 14 percent of its population. Whitestown High School graduated its last class in 1961 after the entire Whitestown school district merged with neighboring Lebanon’s school district under a state legislature-mandated consolidation. The once-bustling railroad was abandoned in 1976, and the town barely evaded demotion to unincorporated status in the 1990s.
Whitestown experienced a major resurgence in the mid-2000s when the population more than quintupled. It has been recognized as the fasted growing town in Indiana largely due to the annexation of 6,500 acres of property located south of the historic downtown district and within reach of Zionsville town limits. Three large-scale neighborhoods built in the annexed area account for 77 percent of the town’s population. This growth can be attributed to lower property taxes on homes built within the annexed area relative to neighboring Zionsville, yet within the high-performing Zionsville school district.
As the population has grown, so has the number of retailers, restaurants, and businesses. At the intersection of I-65 and State Road 267 in Whitestown, the Amazon distribution warehouse constructed in 2008 created more than 2,000 full-time jobs. Amazon’s presence nudged the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Association (CIRTA) to establish a Whitestown Connector bus service that runs between several Whitestown employers. The bus line helped local Whitestown businesses connect with a larger pool of potential workers. also established a bus line between Whitestown and a bus stop in the area on Indianapolis’ northwest side.
Medco Health Solutions built the world’s largest and most advanced automated pharmacy covering the equivalent of six and a half football fields along I-65 in Whitestown. The mail-order facility opened in 2009 and created 1,300 jobs—100 of those belonging to pharmacists. Whitestown’s strategic location halfway between Lafayette and Indianapolis made possible internships for Purdue University and pharmacy students, respectively.
Whitestown continues to acquire land along the I-65 corridor. In 2018, the town completed the acquisition of an additional 135 acres along I-65 that will become home to the future Little League International Central Region Headquarters. The acreage will be developed to include baseball and softball fields, office facilities, and additional potential projects like an ice arena, aquatic center, and amphitheater. The abandoned Big 4 Railroad is being given new life as the Big 4 Trail—a multi-use trail that will span all of Boone County upon completion.
Whitestown is governed by a town manager and a 5-member town council. The town council serves as the legislative branch with each member elected to serve a 4-year term by their respective constituents. Two school systems serve Whitestown’s students: Lebanon Community Schools and Zionsville Community Schools.
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