An assessment of the Indianola downtown area done by the Iowa Economic Development Authority showed that Indianola is strong with locally owned shops.

The survey shows that the downtown area has 75 locally owned businesses, with a central location near a major highway. The survey also showed a variety of easily accessible restaurants, and that the downtown was an excellent venue for community events. Also highlighted in the survey was a need for parking in the downtown area, and a need to replace the courthouse on the square. County departments will have fully vacated the courthouse by the end of the month, with demolition scheduled for this spring.