WESTFIELD

Whitestown and Westfield among fastest growing cities in Indiana

Boone and Hamilton counties have the state's first- and second-fastest growing cities among places with at least 5,000 residents, according to new figures released this month.

Whitestown ranked first and Westfield second, according to the estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau analyzed by the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. Both cities grew about 5.2% in 2018, Whitestown slightly more. 

Whitestown is also the state's fastest growing locale for the eighth consecutive year. Its population has nearly tripled over the span, from 3,132 in 2010 to 8,627 in 2018, an IU news release said.

In the past four years, Westfield has welcomed a variety of restaurants to its downtown and developed the multimillion-dollar Grand Park youth sports complex. City officials this summer plan to break ground on the Grand Junction Park and Plaza downtown, too.

Fishers grew by 2% (1,679), and so did Carmel (1,521). 

Other fast-growing communities included Lake County's St. John (4.9%), Avon (4.4%) and Plainfield (4.3%). 

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According to the estimates released, 17 of the state's 20 fastest-growing communities are found in either the Indianapolis area or the Indiana portion of the Chicago area. 

"Looking at differences between urban and rural communities, the data show that most Hoosiers live in cities or towns," Matt Kinghorn, senior demographic analyst at the Business Research Center, said in a written statement. "Nearly 34% of the state's population lived in a city with a population of at least 50,000 in 2018. Meanwhile, 20% of Hoosiers lived in an incorporated place of between 10,000 and 50,000 residents, while another 12% lived in a city or town with fewer than 10,000 residents."

Indiana's two largest cities posted the most sizable gains: Indianapolis, which added 5,235 (0.61%) residents, and Fort Wayne, whose population grew by 2,178 (0.82%).

With a population of 867,125 residents, Indianapolis was the nation's 17th-largest city in 2018, ranking just behind Charlotte (872,498), North Carolina, and ahead of Seattle (744,955). Fort Wayne's population reached 267,633 in 2018 and ranks as the 77th largest city in the United States.

IndyStar reporter Natalia Contreras writes about things to do and development in Hamilton County. She can be reached at 317-444-6187 or natalia.contreras@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter, @NataliaECG