Before Nora was “Nora,” the somewhat swampy and heavily-forested area was home to native Americans largely from the Delaware (or Lenape) tribe who farmed and hunted abundant wildlife along the White River and tributary creeks. As these native peoples were forced from the area, the forests were leveled gradually and replaced with farms.

The name Nora for this area can be traced back to December 1871 when the Swedish immigrant Peter Lawson was appointed postmaster at Nora. Lawson owned a grocery store that was situated at what is today the southwest corner of Westfield Boulevard and 86th Street.

Peter Lawson named the area after his home parish in Sweden. He was born as Per Israelsson on March 29, 1828 in Blexbergstorp, Nora parish, Örebro County Sweden. He emigrated in 1854 and from at least 1860 he is known to have lived in Washington Township, Marion County. In 1861 he was one of the founding members of the Union Church Washington Township. Lawson died on October 29, 1884 and was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery.

The locality of Nora grew around Peter Lawson’s grocery store and post office. Soon there were more shops, smithys and a train station in the area. Nora Elementary School was opened in 1895.

About 150 people lived in Nora in the 1880s, but the area didn’t become densely populated until the mid 1900s when it became a part of the expanding Indianapolis. Nora Plaza Shopping Center was built in 1959, a new post office was opened in 1961 and Nora Branch Library opened its doors in 1971.

Though it has been part of the greater Indianapolis metropolitan area since city and county governments consolidated in 1971, Nora doesn’t have firm boundaries because it was never incorporated. Today, the boundaries of Nora are commonly accepted as the area defined by the Nora Northside Community Council, established in 1967.