Broad Ripple Village

Twenty minutes north of downtown (give or take a minute), this neighborhood offers a lively mix of bars and clubs, as well as art galleries, restaurant and shopping. One-of-a-kind shops include the Indy CD & Vinyl record shop, Artifacts art gifts, and Big Hat Books (among many, many others).  "Broad Ripple."  Where did the name originate?  Early 1800s travelers knew the area as a spot in the White River where the water ran shallow over the rocks, making ripples that indicated this broad stretch of land was a good place to cross. Jacob Coil laid claim to that natural identity in 1837, when he named his new community on the north side of the Indiana Central Canal “Broad Ripple.” At about the same time, James and Adam Nelson platted their new settlement, called "Wellington" just south of the Central Canal.  The two communities competed for almost 50 years, with Wellington gradually losing ground.  The rivalry came to a conclusion, when the federal govenment required the towns to establish a post office in one name or the other.  In 1884, competition turned to cooperation, when the towns merged and incorporated as Broad Ripple.