INDIANAPOLIS — Mapleton-Fall Creek will be the City’s ‘Neighborhood of the Month’ for August, 2016. The Neighborhood of the Month initiative, which began earlier this year as a means for Mayor Hogsett to celebrate and raise up our city’s neighborhoods, features a new area of the Indianapolis community each month. This month, Mayor Hogsett will highlight Mapleton-Fall Creek’s historic neighborhood, as well as the people, organizations and exciting new projects within the community.
Mapleton-Fall Creek was originally planned in the late 1870s as residents moved north from the downtown core. Still, the moniker “Mapleton-Fall Creek” was not officially linked to the area until the 1960s, when a growing and diverse neighborhood joined together to form an official neighborhood association. Facing community tension, Mapleton-Fall Creek Neighborhood Association worked with residents to support increasing integration and create a culturally rich neighborhood.
Today, the conveniently located Mapleton-Fall Creek makes for convenient access to the best of Indianapolis. Home to the Fall Creek Greenway and the Monon Trail, neighbors enjoy biking and running in the area, as well as recreation at one of three neighborhood pocket parks. The Indiana State Fairgrounds, which hosts over 300 events every year including the Indiana State Fair, lies just next to the neighborhood.
But perhaps the most well-known Mapleton-Fall Creek asset is The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the world’s largest children’s museum. Since 1946, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has called this area home and all Mapleton-Fall Creek residents are eligible for free membership.
Mapleton-Fall Creek has always been a neighborhood committed to progress and the community’s current list of redevelopment projects is no different. In partnership with the MFCDC, Citizen’s Energy Group and the City of Indianapolis a project known as “Destination Fall Creek” is underway to transform the area affectionately known by neighbors as the “Spider” into a recreational, residential and commercial destination with cultural and artistic characteristics.
Residents and visitors are encouraged to use the hashtag #IndyNoM when posting on social media about Mapleton-Fall Creek during the month of August. To nominate your neighborhood for Neighborhood of the Month visit: http://indy.gov/NoM.