Pendleton

Small Town Breakdown

86 down, 914 to go. Our 1,000 towns journey continues with a visit to Madison County and Pendleton, home of good eats, high school history, and the beautiful Falls Park.

Fast Facts

📍LOCATION: Central Indiana

• Pendleton is located in southern Madison County.

• I-69 runs just west and north of Pendleton, leading southwest to Indianapolis and north to Fort Wayne

• U.S. Route 36 (Pendleton Pike) leads southwest to Ingalls and east toward Ohio

• Indiana State Road 38 cuts through town and leads west to Noblesville and east to New Castle

• Indiana State Road 9 leads north to Anderson and south to Greenfield

• Indiana State Road 132 leads northwest to Lapel

• 40 minutes northeast of downtown Indianapolis

• 1 hour and 30 minutes south of Fort Wayne

👥 POPULATION & RANKING

• 5,758 residents (as of 2024)

• Ranks as Indiana’s 120th-largest city

• Third-largest incorporated town/city in Madison County behind Anderson (55,851) and Elwood (8,495)

📏 LAND AREA

• 1.8 square miles

📅 FOUNDED

• Madison County was organized in 1823.

• It was named for James Madison, the fourth president of the United States.

• Anderson was selected as the county seat.

• Pendleton was platted by Thomas Pendleton in 1821.

• John Rogers was the first non-native settler in the area and built his home near the falls on Fall Creek. Other settlers arrived and built there as well because it was the community’s source of water and power.

🏥 MAIN INDUSTRIES: Distribution, Healthcare

• Tractor Supply Company has a distribution center in town and serves the area with products for farming, livestock, pets, and power equipment.

• The Correctional Industrial Facility, known as the CIF, is an Indiana Department of Corrections prison and employs over 300 people.

• Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent - Pendleton Primary Care delivers health screenings and care for illness and injuries.

Start at Falls Park

Falls Park is the go-to spot to get outdoors in town. Once a public dump, it was converted into a public park in 1920 thanks to Town Board member and hardware store owner, Mr. B.F. Phipps, who had the vision of transforming the eyesore into the town’s jewel. It is home to trails, a playground, disc golf course, pool, dog park, basketball courts, and more. It’s also the best photo op in Pendleton.

Golfers can also play 18 holes at Fall Creek Golf Club in Falls Park. It opened as Idlewold Country Club in 1920 as a nine-hole course, then added nine more holes in 1923.

Mystic Waters

Staying outdoors, Mystic Waters Campground just west of town near I-69 offers cabin stays, RV sites, and tent camping. Enjoy swimming, kayaking, canoeing and paddleboarding on the water, volleyball, and games inside the lodge.

Festies

For festival-goers, the Pendleton Fall Festival in September has craft and food vendors, shopping and eateries, and a popular scarecrow contest. Then in November, Christmas in Pendleton is a day-long experience of holiday activities. There’s reindeer, a petting zoo, pony rides, face painting, and snowball fight in Falls Park, plus food vendors, illuminated parade, and lighting of the Christmas tree.

Pendleton Palate

For breakfast, head to Invited to the Table. They’ve got 4.8 stars on Google with many reviews raving about their waffles, cinnamon rolls, scones, and atmosphere.

Anita’s Diner (also known as The Diner) is another popular spot for breakfast and lunch. You can’t go wrong with their biscuits and gravy, tenderloin sandwich, and breakfast served all day.

INItaly Pizzeria & Bar is known for its Neapolitan-style pizza, meatballs, bruschetta, and more Italian favorites.

If you’re looking for good Chinese food, Happy Dragon will fill you up with favorites like fried rice, chicken on a stick, and General Tso’s chicken.

For the best summer bites and dessert, Jimmie’s Dairy Bar dishes out barbecue sandwiches, tenderloin sandwiches, soft serve ice cream, shakes, and more.

High School History

Pendleton Heights High School opened in 1969 and its mascot is the Arabians.

They have won numerous Indiana Cheer Championships over the years, including a Varsity 3A title in 2005 and Varsity B titles in 2013, ‘14, ‘17, ‘18 and ‘20.

Softball has racked up 10 regional titles and finished as the 3A runner-up in both 2001 and ‘05.

Boys basketball won a 3A regional in 2000 and girls basketball secured a 4A regional in 2009, but neither reached the state finals. 

Arabians football hasn’t yet made it to semi-state, but they do have four seasons of 10 or more wins, including a 10-2 campaign in fall 2025.

Before Pendleton Heights’ existence, Pendleton High School’s mascot was the Irish.

They made it to the very first IHSAA baseball state tournament in 1912.

In boys basketball, they qualified for the 1914 state tournament and reached the Sweet 16 in 1917, losing to the eventual single-class runner-up Kendallville. They also won a regional title in 1947 but lost 45-41 in semi-state to Lawrenceburg, which won the state title the following week.

Check out Nate’s breakdown of Pendleton ⬇️