For statistical purposes, the consolidated city-county is organized into 99 “neighborhood areas” with most containing numerous individual historic and cultural districts, subdivisions, and some semi-autonomous towns. The White River flows 31 miles (50 km) north-to-south through the city and is fed by some 35 streams, including Eagle Creek, Fall Creek, Pleasant Run, and Pogue’s Run. The consolidated city-county borders the adjacent counties of Boone to the northwest; Hamilton to the north; Hancock to the east; Shelby to the southeast; Johnson to the south; Morgan to the southwest; and Hendricks to the west. Two of the city’s largest capital projects, the Indianapolis International Airport’s new terminal and Lucas Oil Stadium, were completed in 2008. Further consolidation of city and county units of government resulted in the establishment of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in 2007. It was the first major city-county consolidation to occur in the U.S. without a referendum since the creation of the City of Greater New York in 1898.
Neighborhoods to Visit
Other notable interments at the cemetery include three U.S. vice presidents (Fairbanks, Hendricks, and Marshall), notorious American gangster John Dillinger, and First Lady Caroline Harrison. Harrison is buried about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the site at Crown Hill Cemetery. The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site includes the archives and restored home of the 23rd president of the U.S., Benjamin Harrison.
The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, dedicated on May 15, 1902, would later become the city’s unofficial symbol. On April 16, 1861, the first orders were issued to form Indiana’s first regiments and establish Indianapolis as a headquarters for the state’s volunteer soldiers. For his presidential inauguration, marking the first visit from a president-elect in the city’s history. On February 11, 1861, President-elect Lincoln arrived in the city, en route to Washington, D.C. Governor Oliver P. Morton, a major supporter of President Abraham Lincoln, quickly made Indianapolis a rallying place for Union army troops.
- It is among the largest privately funded zoos in the U.S. and one of the city’s most visited attractions, with 1.1 million guests in 2023.
- Once home to 60 automakers, Indianapolis rivaled Detroit as a center of automobile manufacturing.
- Her work has appeared in Afar, Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Business Insider, among other publications.
- The city’s Indianapolis Speedrome is believed to be the oldest operating figure 8 racing venue in the U.S.
- Additional publications include Indianapolis Monthly, a regional lifestyle publication; Indianapolis Business Journal, a weekly business newspaper; and NUVO, an alternative weekly that became digital-only in 2019.
- The Williams Institute reported that the Indianapolis metropolitan area had an estimated 4.6% LGBT adult population in 2020, totaling about 68,000.
There is a Michigan left at 96th and Allisonville, the extreme north of the city. Washington Street is the main east–west through street, which bends to the south on the westside and Meridian runs north–south far past the boundaries of the city. A handful of streets cut across the city north–south and only a few (10th, 38th, 82nd/86th, and 96th) go across east–west. There is also a ramp onto Washington Street, which is the main east–west artery in the city. Direct travel using I-69 or I-74 is not possible; both are routed around the center of the city on I-465. Travel directly through the city on I-70 (east and west) or I-65 (north and south).
This downtown biergarten serves authentic German cuisine and extensive beer selection in Indianapolis’s best beer garden atmosphere. Its eclectic programming includes local and touring acts across multiple genres. Tour the historic track, kiss the famous bricks at the start and finish line, and explore exhibits featuring winners’ cars and memorabilia. The internationally acclaimed institution provides educational entertainment for families, and sometimes the museum even hosts adults-only museum nights. The world’s largest children’s museum has five floors of interactive exhibits covering everything from dinosaurs to space exploration.
All skyscrapers are in a relatively compact cluster downtown. Taxi services are available 24/7 and will transport you anywhere in the city and the surrounding areas. IndyGo buses include two bike racks in the front for storing your cycle, but if they are full, then you’ll be out of luck.
Fountain Square
In recent years, significant capital and operational investments have been made in public safety, criminal justice, and public transit. Since 2016, the administration of Joe Hogsett has focused on addressing a rise in gun violence and the city’s racial disparities. In 2012, construction began https://www.royalspiniacasino.org/ on a $2 billion tunnel system, a project known as DigIndy, which was designed to reduce sewage overflows into the city’s waterways. In 2001, the mayor’s office became the first in the U.S. to authorize charter schools.
There are now about 50 craft brewers in Indianapolis, with Sun King Brewing being the largest. Microbreweries have become a staple in the city, increasing fivefold since 2009. In 2016, Condé Nast Traveler named Indianapolis the “most underrated food city in the U.S.”, while ranking Milktooth as one of the best restaurants in the world. Locally based chains include MCL Restaurant & Bakery, Noble Roman’s, and Steak ‘n Shake. According to the city’s Office of Sustainability, there were 129 community farms and gardens in 2020.
- Indianapolis’s Hispanic or Latino community was 9.4% of the city’s population in the 2010 U.S.
- Sampson Levingston’s Walk & Talk tours have garnered national recognition as he takes people through the hidden history of Indianapolis streets.
- IndyGo buses include two bike racks in the front for storing your cycle, but if they are full, then you’ll be out of luck.
- As consumer habits evolved and residents moved from the central city, City Market transitioned from a traditional marketplace to a food hall.
- Indianapolis (/ˌɪndiəˈnæpəlɪs/ ⓘ IN-dee-ə-NAP-ə-lis), colloquially known as Indy, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County.
- If you think you will be staying longer, you can get a week-long card for $20 or a 31 days for $60; purchase them at the transit center in downtown or online.
- The city is also home to three national sport governing bodies, as recognized by the U.S.
As a consolidated city-county, Indianapolis’s city limits are coterminous with Marion County, except the autonomous and semi-autonomous municipalities outlined in Unigov. In 2021, a mass shooting occurred at a FedEx facility on the city’s southwest side, killing nine (including the gunman) and injuring seven others. Ballard pursued several environmental sustainability efforts, including establishing an office of sustainability, installing 200 miles (320 km) of bike lanes and trails, and spearheading a controversial deal to start an electric carsharing program.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) is the city’s primary law enforcement agency. The 2019 City-County Council elections expanded Democratic control of the council, flipping six seats to hold a 20–5 supermajority over Republicans. While Indianapolis as a whole leans Democratic, the southern third of the city, consisting of Decatur, Perry, and Franklin townships, trends Republican.
Healthcare
Indianapolis became a major logistics hub during the war, establishing the city as a crucial military base. In 1853, voters approved a new city charter that provided for an elected mayor and a fourteen-member city council. Samuel Henderson, the city’s first mayor, led the new city government, which included a seven-member city council.
Primary and secondary schools
As of 2010update, 32% of the non-family households included individuals living alone, 8.3% of these households included individuals age 65 years of age or older. Age distribution for the city’s inhabitants was 25% under the age of 18; 4.4% were between 18 and 21; 16.3% were age 21 to 65; and 13.1% were age 65 or older. The remaining 2.8% of the population was reported as multiracial (two or more races). In 2020, the larger Indianapolis–Carmel–Muncie, IN combined statistical area (CSA) had a population of 2,492,514, home to nearly 37% of Indiana residents across 20 of Indiana’s 92 counties. In 2020, the metropolitan area’s population was 2,111,040, the most populous in Indiana and home to 31% of the state’s residents.
The heart of the city is downtown’s Monument Circle, while neighborhoods like Fountain Square and Broad Ripple have built their own distinct flairs and personalities. The Indiana War Memorial Plaza (1927) is a five-block area just to the north that honours the state’s war dead and includes the American Legion National Headquarters building. The city limits became coextensive with the limits of the county, thus increasing the city’s population by almost a half overnight and greatly expanding its tax base. Indianapolis had become a major rail centre by the start of the American Civil War in 1861, and its importance to Union logistics spurred further growth; its population more than doubled between 1860 and 1870. Waste collection services in Indianapolis are provided by the city’s Department of Public Works Solid Waste Division, Republic Services, and WM.
There are many national/international hotel/motel chains in town; listed below are some more unique and/or regionally owned operations. Includes Speedway & Lafayette (parts of Indy incorporated) and Plainfield. Northern Suburbs include Carmel, Zionsville, Noblesville, Westfield and Fishers.
The Williams Institute reported that the Indianapolis metropolitan area had an estimated 4.6% LGBT adult population in 2020, totaling about 68,000. Much of this growth can be attributed to thousands of Burmese-Chin refugees who have settled in Indianapolis, particularly Perry Township, since the late 1990s. In 2015, Brookings characterized the Indianapolis metropolitan area as a minor-emerging immigrant gateway with a foreign-born population of 126,767, or 6.4% of the total population, a 131% increase from 2000. The consolidated city is coterminous with Marion County, except the independent municipalities of Beech Grove, Lawrence, Southport, and Speedway. Severe weather is not uncommon, particularly in the spring and summer months. The city lies at the transition between USDA plant hardiness zones 6a and 6b.
The Indiana National Guard’s major command units and joint headquarters staff are based at the former Stout Army Air Field on the city’s southwest side. Annual film festivals held in Indianapolis include the Circle City Film Festival, Heartland International Film Festival, Indy Film Fest, the Indianapolis Jewish Film Festival, and the Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival. Other motion pictures at least partially filmed in the city include Going All the Way (1997), Palindromes (2004), Saving Star Wars (2004), Amanda (2009), Walter (2015), The MisEducation of Bindu (2019), Athlete A (2020), and Our Father (2022). Contemporary literary culture includes bestselling young adult fiction author John Green, whose 2012 novel The Fault in Our Stars is set in Indianapolis and reflects the city’s local character. In the twentieth century, Indianapolis produced internationally acclaimed novelist Kurt Vonnegut, whose darkly satirical work, including Slaughterhouse-Five, often incorporated the city as a setting or featured Indianapolis-born characters. Prominent writers based in the city during this period included poet James Whitcomb Riley and novelists Booth Tarkington and Meredith Nicholson, who gained national recognition for their work.
Urban agriculture in the city dates to the 1930s, when Flanner House began teaching Black arrivals how to farm on vacant lots during the Great Migration. Other notable events include the Indy Pride Festival and the Marion County Fair in June, the Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration in July, the Historic Irvington Halloween Festival in October, and the Circle of Lights during the holiday season. The largest is the Indiana State Fair, regularly drawing more than 800,000 attendees each August. Combined, it is the largest war memorial project in the United States, encompassing 24 acres (9.7 ha).
