Long famous for its exciting sports scene, Indianapolis has been gaining increasing recognition for its rapid economic growth and accompanying cultural richness. From institutions like the superb Indianapolis Opera and Symphony Orchestra to local community art forms like folk art, jazz and gospel groups, Indianapolis life is sophisticated and culturally varied. Local sports teams and facilities are excellent, and several yearly sporting events, like Colt NFL home games and the famous Indy 500, bring visitors from all over. America’s twelfth largest city and Indiana’s state capital, Indianapolis stands in the nation’s heartland. More interstate highways meet here than in any other American city, bringing much of the nation and southern Canada within a day’s drive. Time and again the State Capital rates as one of America’s cleanest and safest cities, with living costs and unemployment rates firmly below the national average. It’s easy to see why so many are choosing community-minded Indianapolis as the place to live and bring up children.
Location/Distances Between Towns/Cities
Smack in the center of America’s heartland and intersected by more major interstates than any other national city, Indianapolis enjoys an enviable ease of access to much of the nation. About seventy-five percent of the United States and Canadian population can be reached in a day’s drive, and more than sixty-five percent of the national population lives within 700 miles of Indianapolis.
Indianapolis’s comprehensive network of highways supports the city’s thriving transportation, distribution and logistics sector and gives locals a relatively stress-free commute. I 465 encircles the city and is intersected by several interstates which radiate to nearby urban centers and beyond. These include I 70 and I 65, which pass through the city center on their way east-west and north-south respectively, and I 59 northeast, I 74 southeast, and I 74 northwest. Primary highways like SH 40 and SH 136 links suburbs to the interstates.
Lafayette is about 45 miles north of Indianapolis on I 65; Chicago IL is a further 120 miles. Louisville KN is about 100 miles south on I 65. Cincinnati OH is about 100 miles southeast on I 74; I 74 northwest leads to Illinois and beyond. Greenwood and Center Grove are about 12 miles south of downtown Indianapolis.
Airports
Indianapolis International Airport is home to 18 airlines which provide flights to cities across the nation, to Canada and to Europe. There are several smaller airports in the region, including the Mount Comfort Airpark and Eagle Creek Airpark. The Greenwood Municipal Airport is about 15 miles from downtown Indianapolis.
Terrain
Deep in the nation’s heartland, Indianapolis is flat and green, with long, hot, and humid summers and short, cold winters with an average of 6 inches of snow at most. Parks and greenways wind through the city. There is a canal at its center, and the many wild nature areas bring a bit of the natural countryside into the heart of the urban jungle.
Population
About 785,000 people live in Indianapolis.
Jobs
Indianapolis is currently experiencing an economic upturn thanks to a diverse economic base and a supportive climate for entrepreneurs. Primary employers include Celadon Group (trucking), Ipalco Enterprises (electric services), Lilly Eli & Co (pharmaceutical preparations), Interactive Intelligence (software), Wellpoint Inc (hospital & medical service plans), Marsh Supermarkets (retail-grocery) and several real estate companies. 86% of the local population are high school graduates and 27.5% hold a bachelors degree or higher qualification.
Colleges/Universities
Indianapolis has a fantastic range of higher education facilities, including Indiana University-Purdue University (which has a top medical school), Butler University, Martin University, Ivy Tech State College-Central Indiana, the University Of Indianapolis, Marian College, the ITT Technical Institute, the Lincoln Technical Institute, the Indiana Business College, the Professional Careers Institute, the International Business College (Indianapolis Branch), the Indiana Business College, Wilson College, Christian Theological Seminary, and several beauty colleges.
Housing
Indianapolis presents a wide range of choices to the would-be homebuyer. From pre-war villas to post-war single family homes, to condominiums, apartments, and homes built during the 1970s real estate boom, shoppers are spoiled for choice. A large number of dwellings have been built since the early nineteen-nineties and these range from affordable starter homes to elegant estates, and also include condominiums, neighborhood apartments and more.
There are many community support groups in Indianapolis and several influential community housing bodies that work to maintain the city’s safe, clean, and affordable neighborhoods, including the Indianapolis Coalition for Neighborhood Development.
Historic Buildings
Historic downtown Indianapolis has many lovely historic buildings and has a stunning fountain at its heart.
The Athenaeum/American Cabaret Theatre was built in 1898 and the Hilbert Circle Theatre was built in 1916. Once the city’s original movie palace, the Hilbert now houses the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
The 1927 Indiana Repertory Theatre has a facade based on 17th-century Spanish architecture and houses the repertory theatre and an elegant rooftop ballroom designed to resemble the plaza of a Spanish village.
The Madame Walker Theatre Center is a National Historic Landmark, built by the nation’s first self-made female millionaire, and sports fantastic Egyptian and African motifs.
Fountain Square was the city’s first commercial district and today houses antique and specialty shops, a restored duckpin bowling alley, and a 1950s diner.
Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
Parks abound in this green city, leafy and lovely in summer, glorious and golden in the fall, and white and snowy in winter. A network of greenways connect various parts of the city with larger parks and provide relaxing spaces for hiking, biking and skating. Several follow canals or link ponds.
A range of wild Natural Resource Areas protect the natural flora and fauna of the region and many have dirt trails.
The beautiful White River Gardens opened in 1999, and includes almost two miles of flowered walks, a wedding garden, a resource room, and superb glass-enclosed conservatory.
White River State Park covers 250 acres and has become the green heart of the city.
Downtown’s Canal Walk takes pedestrians along the canal past fountains, antique-style street lamps, beautiful landscaping, and murals of Indiana life. The Canal ends with a 17-foot waterfall at McCormick's Rock, which commemorates the founding of the city in 1822.
Indianapolis is known nationwide for the excellence of its sports teams and facilities and the city administers many good golf courses and ice-skating rinks. Top annual sporting events include the Colt home games, and the Indy 500.
Special Attractions/Events
From world-class culture to top amateur sports, to state of the art performing arts and sporting facilities, Indianapolis has much to recommend it.
Community spirit abounds in annual festivals like the annual Fall Fun Festival and the Holiday celebration in December.
The world-famous Indy 500 happens here and this fantastic spectacle brings race lovers from around the world.
Sport loving Indianapolis has fantastic Formula One action and is home to some of the country’s best teams, like the NFL Colts, the Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever and the Indianapolis Indians. State of the art sporting venues host yearly sporting events like the Colts Weekend and the NCAA Men’s Final Four that draw visitors and locals alike.
Interesting Facts
Indianapolis was once home to a Madame Walker, who became America’s first self-made female millionaire when she made a fortune out of hair products for African Americans. The historic theater she built in downtown Indianapolis still hosts jazz concerts, theater, and the like.
Now a world famous racing spectacular, the city’s Indy 500 race had humble beginnings. Enterprising local Carl Fisher was inspired by European racetracks and set out to create his own. He sold the idea to car manufacturers — they could use the track to test their new cars and pit them against those of other manufacturers, and the public could pay to watch. Fisher joined with friends to purchase land for $72,000 and on February 8, 1908, they launched their company. Little did they know that their track was to become the site of one of the world’s top racing events.
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