Shelby is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

in Cedar Creek Township, Lake County,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Shelby had a population of 539 at the 2010 census.

History

Shelby was laid out and

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted in 1886 by William R. Shelby, when the railroad was extended to that point.

Geography

Shelby lies in the southeast corner of Cedar Creek Township, bordered to the south by the Kankakee River, which forms the Newton County line. Directly across the river is the unincorporated community of Thayer. Shelby is southeast of Lowell, east of Schneider and west of DeMotte.

Indiana State Road 55 State Road 55 (SR 55) is a north–south road in Northern and Central Indiana. State Road 55 runs from the Crawfordsville area in the south to Gary in the north, a distance of approximately . Route description SR 55 southern ter ...

crosses the Kankakee River at Shelby, making one of the few Kanakee River crossings from Lake County. Shelby, along other small Kankakee River communities, has historically had to contend with periodic flooding from the Kankakee River. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the Shelby CDP has an area of , all of it recorded as land.

Demographics

Economy

Whiteco Industries, an Indiana business which, with its affiliates, is engaged in advertising (particularly billboard advertising) in Indiana, and in ownership of hotels, grew along with Dean White from a small advertising business in Shelby.White sad at closing of Shelby plant where success story / nwi.com
/ref> The successor to the Shelby location of Whiteco's business (in this location making graphics for commercial vehicles), Modagraphics, closed its doors, however, in 1993, as a result of a consolidation within its new parent company from Illinois.

Education

Students from Shelby attend schools operated by the

Tri-Creek School Corporation Tri-Creek School Corporation is a school district in Lowell, Lake County, Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital a ...

Lowell, Indiana Lowell is a town in West Creek and Cedar Creek townships, Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 9,276 at the 2010 census. History Lowell was platted in 1853. It was named after Lowell, Massachusetts. The James Brannon Hou ...

.The school that was there was changed into a park. The movie ''Now and Then'' is set in Shelby, Indiana, but the Shelby of the movie is fictional. The movie is actually based on the town of

Winchester, Indiana Winchester is a city in White River Township, Randolph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 4,935 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Randolph County. It is the home of Winchester Speedway. History Winchester ...

Notable people

* Jigger Sirois, IndyCar driver

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Lake County, Indiana Census-designated places in Indiana populated places established in 1886 1886 establishments in Indiana