Centerville, IN

Centerville is a Wayne County town of 2,748 residents in the 2020 census, laid out in 1814 on the Old National Road. U.S. 40 still runs through town as Main Street, and the five surviving brick arches that give Centerville its nickname sit along that historic route. The original plan centered on a town square bounded by Main Street and Main Cross Street, so the town's shape is easy to read before you even get to the antique shops. Centerville's current local set is concentrated along Main Street: town offices at 220 East Main, the public library at 204 East Main, and the Main Street group's small businesses, including antique shops, restaurants, and a hometown bar.

ATTRHeather Farr & Bruce Morgan / Public domain

The library runs regular hours and a calendar of reading and community events, while the town's location on National Road 40 keeps the wider regional road network close. Centerville is an old road town still organized around the same east-west street that first made it a stopping place.