Gas City

Small Town Breakdown

Small Town Breakdown: Gas City, Indiana

Gas City is located in the heart of Grant County in central Indiana. If you’ve made the trek from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne or back on I-69, then you’ve certainly stumbled upon this once-upon-a-boom-town.

Fast Facts

📍LOCATION: Central Indiana

• Located off I-69

• Central Grant County just to the east of the Mississinewa River

• 1 hour and 15 minutes northeast of Indianapolis

• 55 minutes southwest of Fort Wayne

👥 POPULATION & RANKING

• 6,091 residents (as of 2023)

• Ranks as Indiana’s 117th largest city

• Second-largest of 15 cities in Grant County behind Marion

📏 LAND AREA

• 4.846 square miles

📅 FOUNDED

• Grant County founded in 1831 by settlers from Kentucky and Virginia

• County named after brothers Samuel and Moses Grant

• Gas City was originally founded as Harrisburg in 1867 by Noah Harris

• The name Harrisburg held for the next 25 years until natural gas was discovered in the area and the city’s 150 residents renamed it Gas City

🏥 MAIN INDUSTRIES: Manufacturing and Healthcare

• American Woodmark Corporation, Packaging Corporation of America and the Walmart Distribution Center are the three biggest employers in Gas City

THE FOUNDING OF GRANT COUNTY AND GAS CITY

Grant County was founded in 1831 by settlers coming from Kentucky and Virginia. It was named after brothers Samuel and Moses Grant, who died in battle with indigenous peoples near the Ohio River in 1789. Gas City, which sits to the east of the Mississinewa River in the center of Grant County, was originally founded by local fur trader Noah Harris as Harrisburg in 1867. Twenty years later, natural gas was discovered in the area and the Gas City Land Company was formed. In March 1892, because of what locals believed to be an endless supply of natural gas, the city was renamed to Gas City.

THERE WAS GAS! (UNTIL THERE WASN’T)

After natural gas was discovered in and around Gas City, town residents thought the city would swell to a population of 25,000. In the 1890s, hundreds of people moved to the area to work in factories or start their own businesses, which included a bank, opera house, hotels and offices. The demand to live in the area was so great that those who moved there had to live in tents until their homes were built. By 1900, Gas City’s population pushed past 3,600 but that seemingly endless supply of natural gas proved to have an end. When the natural gas became depleted in the early 1900s, factories and businesses either closed up shop or relocated. The Gas City Land Company dissolved in 1904, and the ground in the area became farmland.

SAVE THE SPEEDWAY

Hoosiers love their racing, and the quarter-mile clay track at Gas City Speedway has satisfied locals’ need for speed annually from May through September. Retired NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon and Cole Whitt, and former IndyCar and current NASCAR driver J.J. Yeley have all raced there. So, save the speedway? That’s right. 2024 was the first time in years where the speedway sat empty, no stock cars revving their engines to heat up a summer night. A permanent closure would hurt the local economy in the long run and fans of the speedway are petitioning to try and prevent that from happening. Sign the petition here! 🏎

OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT

Gas City Park has it all: ball diamonds, tennis courts, pickleball courts, a swimming pool, playgrounds, fishing pond and petting zoo. Its amphitheater is also home to a summer concert series that takes place every Tuesday from June through August.

The Cardinal Greenway cuts through Gas City and is the perfect rail-trail to bike, hike, walk or jog. The 62-mile rail-trail runs from Marion to Richmond and is the longest such trail in Indiana. 🏃🚴

GOOD EATIN’

Your hunger will be satisfied in Gas City, that’s a Get Indiana promise. Payne’s Restaurant is known for its bangers and mash, fish and chips and sticky toffee pudding for dessert. Yelpers love Payne’s, too, which has a 4.5 rating among almost 500 reviews.

Pappies Smokehouse & Lunch Box started as a BBQ food truck before becoming a full-blown smokehouse with smoked meats, ribs, brisket jalapeño macaroni bowl and more on the menu. It has over 250 Google reviews and a 4.6 star rating.

Gabriella’s Old Time Pizza offers big city taste and small town love. If you can’t narrow to one pizza, pasta or dessert, mix and match with its popular flights. The chicken bacon ranch ‘za and any of its five dessert pizzas are recommended. 🍕

GASSIN’ UP GAS CITY

• The Ducktail Run is an annual car show that features hot rods, muscle cars and classics, and there were nearly 2,000 entries last year alone. Mark your calendars for Sept. 25-28 to enjoy Ducktail Run 2025.

• Pay a visit to the Gas City Museum and learn about Gas City’s founding and the natural gas that made the area boom in business and population in the late 1800s.

• First Fridays have become a summer tradition and include food vendors, live music, the chance to shop from local businesses and a free fun zone for kids. There are three First Fridays on the calendar this summer: May 2, June 6 and Aug. 1.

• “Singo” Nights at Gas City Brewing Co. are a hit. To cover a space on your “Singo” card, you have to sing in front of patrons. The drink menu includes IPAs and stouts, and the taps are always flowing.

• Locals love shopping at The Wispy Pine Boutique, Crave More Boutique and Mama Pearson’s Soaporium.

The next time you find yourself on I-69 in the heart of Indiana, stop in Gas City, grab a bite to eat and give this Indiana small town some Hoosier love.

Check out Nate’s breakdown of Gas City ⬇️