Our Community

Montpelier was born in the Indiana Gas Boom. Industrialists came here to take advantage of cheap gas, but as the gas ran out, so too, did the growth. Today, however, the leaders of Montpelier are reigniting that growth by making improvements to our downtown, parks, and housing.

In just ten years, the City has welcomed numerous manufacturers, increased the value of the City by millions, and made significant strides in revitalization. However, unlike the gas boom, our current growth is not based on one resource. Instead, growth is founded on the tireless work of our City leadership, the faith of our citizens, the ingenuity of our business people, and a shared vision to bring Montpelier to new heights.

Even amidst the growth, we strive to be a city where people know their neighbors, leaders know their constituents, and businesses know their customers. Every Saturday night from spring to fall, people crowd the bleachers at the Montpelier Speedway to cheer on their favorite drivers. During the school year, yellow school buses run up and down the streets picking up kids.  In the summer, people come from all over the state for country music, carnival rides, food, and games at the Montpelier Jamboree.

Together, we will continue to raise Montpelier to new heights. The City is planning to launch a comprehensive renovation of our parks, fill out our industrial park with companies and jobs, and bring broadband internet to all citizens. Montpelier is growing, and we would love for you to be a part of it.

Montpelier was founded in 1836 by Abel Baldwin, a native of Vermont. Baldwin and his small group of followers named the city after Vermont’s capital, Montpelier. The land now covered by Montpelier used to be a part of the Native American Miami Nation’s Godfroy Reserve. Though the Reserve was sold to the settlers in 1836, the Miami Nation still exerts an aesthetic influence on Montpelier.

The City remained small and rural until 1887, when Montpelier joined the Indiana Gas Boom after crude oil was found in Harrison Township. The Gas Boom enabled Montpelier to grow into a rough and tumble metropolis. When the oil and gas wells dried up though, Montpelier’s population declined to largely pre-boom levels.

The rest of the history of Montpelier has generally been sleepy, with occasional bursts of excitement. In 1933, the Montpelier National Bank was robbed by the famed outlaw John Dillinger. The city again had some excitement in 2009, when favorite son Kevin Ford piloted Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. He returned to the station in 2012 and spent 143 days orbiting the earth with an international scientific crew.

TRAVEL DISTANCES

Chicago, IL (200 mi)
Cincinnati, OH (180 mi)
Cleveland, OH (258 mi)
Columbus, OH (140 mi)
Detroit, MI (206 mi)
Fort Wayne, IN (40 mi)
Indianapolis, IN (75 mi)
Louisville, KY (194 mi)
Milwaukee, WI (292 mi)