The Corporation for Economic Development (Madison County)

Rob Sparks, Executive Director

765-642-1860  |  RobSparks@CEDAnderson.com  |  WEBSITE

   
   
As the third most populous county in the growing Indianapolis region, with 131,310 people, Madison County is seeing a marked increase in new business attraction.

The past 3 years of activity tops the previous decades’ economic successes by hundreds of millions of dollars.  Multiple companies, including Nestlé, Poet Ultimate Ethanol, Mancor, Red Gold, Atlas Cold Storage, NorthStar Aerospace, Hoosier Park Racing and Casino, Affiliated Computer Services, and many others, invested over $1.5 billion dollars in Madison County from 2006 to 2009 and created more than 3000 new jobs. 

In 2006, Nestlé chose to locate their new Beverage Division, the first of its kind, at the Flagship Business Park in Anderson, Indiana.  Before their facility was complete, Nestlé announced their expansion.  Nestlé’s facility, slated to open in 2009, will create a new investment in Madison County of $600 million and 450 new jobs.  Hoosier Park Horse Track recently expanded to add a full-service gaming Casino adding 550 new jobs and investing over $300 million. 

The projects we’ve finalized in the past 3 years are spread throughout the County including Red Gold expansions in Elwood ($16 million with additional 60 jobs), Atlas Cold Storage in Pendleton ($15 million with 38 new jobs), Poet Ultimate Ethanol in the Alexandria ($115 million with 40 new jobs), and Affiliated Computer Services in Anderson ($10 million with 700 new jobs).  These are the quality companies which invest in their workforce by creating jobs with wages and health insurance benefits required to support a family.

In addition to the job creation, the tax base generated from over $1.5 billion in new private investment will fund public infrastructure improvements throughout Madison County.   The ability to fund improvements to our roads, sewer, water and electrical service capacity is critical to continued success in attracting economic development projects.

Another project that will have a positive ripple effect on the local economy in the future is the new Anderson University/Purdue University facility adjacent to the Flagship Enterprise Center.  This extension campus will draw new companies and students to the Anderson/Madison County region and offer educational opportunities to residents that were not previously available along the Interstate 69 corridor.  This educated workforce that will result from the AU/Purdue project will couple with the local existing engineering talent to form a benefit for advanced manufacturing companies seeking a location for their businesses.  The quality and availability of Anderson’s workforce was a cited factor in the attraction of both Nestlé and NorthStar Aerospace to the community.

Madison County

Madison County was created on July 1, 1823 and was formed from Delaware New Purchase.

The County was named for U.S. President James Madison.

The County Seat is Anderson. Anderson wasn't always the County Seat. Pendleton was the first County Seat. Selected 1823, it was too far from the center of the county to be satisfactory ... there is also some question as to whether or not it was ever "declared" the County Seat or if it was just the location where judicial business was enacted. According to the act of January 13, 1826, the County Seat was relocated to a town called Bedford; however, I am unable to locate a town of Bedford having ever been established in Madison County and some sources do not list it in describing the a transition of the County Seat from Pendleton to Andersontown. Andersontown was the third County Seat. The rapid growth of Andersontown, a town much nearer the center of the county, caused the citizens of the county to apply to the Legislature for an act to relocate the County Seat and the change was then made as the result of the act of January 4, 1827 and the actual site appears to have been chosen in 1828. By the legislative act of December 6, 1848, Andersontown became simply Anderson.

Anderson was an old Indian town named after Anderson, a Delaware chief, who formerly resided there. In 1813 it was burnt by a detachment of troops from Kentucky, then on an exploring tour. In 1849 Anderson had a Courthouse, Jail, fireproof public offices, a County Seminary and a population of about 300. The Courthouse, with most of the records, was destroyed by fire on December 10, 1880. The replacement was ready for occupancy February 21, 1885.

Madison County is divided into 14 Civil Townships as follows: Adams, Anderson, Boone, Duck Creek, Fall Creek, Green, Jackson, Lafayette, Monroe, Pipe Creek, Richland, Stoney Creek, Union and Van Buren.

Cities, Towns and Communities include Alfant, Alliance, Alexandria, Anderson, Bloomer, Chesterfield, Dundee, Edgewood, Elwood, Emporia, Fishersburg, Florida, Frankton, Gilman, Gimco City, Grandview, Gridley, Hamilton, Hardscrabble, Huntsville, Idlewold, Ingalls, Lapel, Leisure, Linwood, Markleville, Moonville, New Columbus, Orestes, Ovid, Pendleton, Perkinsville, Prosperity, Rigdon and Summitville.

Madison County Population – 131,501