In 1818, the Treaty of St. Mary's opened central Indiana to European American settlement, and by 1823 the first cabin in northern Johnson County was erected by settlers John B. and Isaac Smock on land now occupied by Greenwood Park Mall.

Since this clashed with another Greenfield located in Hancock County, the name of the settlement was changed to "Greenwood" in 1833.

[7] Greenwood was an early and key cog in the Electric Indianapolis Interurban Railway System.

[5] The cannery was eventually purchased by the Stokely-Van Camp company and retained operations in Greenwood until the 1950s.

Portions of the cannery are still standing on Main Street and have been repurposed for professional office space.

The report analyzes Greenwood's housing problem within African American families in the few years leading up to 1965.

The analysis confirms a study regarding poorly constructed homes on the outskirts of Greenwood and a purchased house bought by an African American family that sold below $15,000.

[14] On July 17, 2022, three people were killed and two others wounded after a mass shooting occurred at the food court of Greenwood Park Mall.

Several creeks run through the area and influence local drainage patterns, topography, and storm water management systems.

Pleasant Run Creek flows from east to west across the northern half of the city, leading 5 miles (8 km) to the White River.

[17] Greenwood's climate is classified as warm temperate (Cfa) by the Köppen-Geiger system, with an average annual temperature of 54.3 °F (12.4 °C).

About 45 inches (1,100 mm) of precipitation falls annually, distributed fairly evenly throughout the year.

Access Johnson County provides fixed-route and demand-response bus services in the city.

[21] According to Greenwood's most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, there were 209.6 miles (337.3 km) of public streets within the city limits as of 2015.

Greenwood owns and maintain three secondary corridors east of U.S. 31: Madison Avenue connects the Greenwood Park Mall to the Old Town Historic District; Emerson Avenue serves as a major commercial and business corridor and connects St. Francis Hospital in Indianapolis to Smith Valley Road; and Graham Road, located east of Interstate 65, connects County Line Road to Worthsville Road and serves several large distribution centers.

The most recently constructed interchange, Exit 97 (Worthsville Road), features a diverging diamond traffic design.

The LIRC line traverses Greenwood from north to south and roughly parallels U.S. 31 and Interstate 65.

About 4.6% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over According to the Johnson County Chamber of Commerce's Labor Force Report,[26] in 2023 Greenwood had a total of 3,176 business establishments, employing 25,386 individuals.

The principal employers in the city by Standard Industrial Classification categories are: Greenwood is home to the headquarters or other major facilities for several large businesses.

In 2014, the company completed construction of a new 80,000 square feet (7,400 m2) customer center on its Greenwood Campus.

[28] Amazon operates a fulfillment center near Worthsville Road and Interstate 65 that employs around 1,000 people.

[46] The Johnson County Public Library also operates a separate branch within Greenwood city limits.