pop (2000e) 6 081 000; area 93 716 km²/36 185 sq mi. State in EC USA, S of L Michigan, divided into 92 counties; the Hoosier State; 19th state to join the Union, 1816; visited by La Salle in 1679 and 1681; occupied by the French, who ceded the state to the British in 1763; scene of many major Indian battles; capital, Indianapolis; chief towns, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Gary, Evansville; ports on L Michigan; hilly in the S, fertile plains in the C, and flat glaciated land in the N; grain, soybeans, pigs, cattle; bituminous coal, limestone, steel and iron, chemicals, motor vehicles, electrical goods.
background: none;">| Flag of Indiana | Seal of Indiana |
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Nickname(s): The Hoosier State, |
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| Motto(s): The Crossroads of America | |
| Official language(s) | English |
| Capital | Indianapolis |
| Largest city | Indianapolis |
| Area | Ranked 38th |
| - Total |
36,418 sq mi (94,321 km²) |
| - Width | 140 miles (225 km) |
| - Length | 270 miles (435 km) |
| - % water | 1.5 |
| - Latitude | 37°47'N to 41°46'N |
| - Longitude | 84°49'W to 88°4'W |
| Population | Ranked 15th |
| - Total (2000) | 6,080,485 |
| - Density |
169.5/sq mi 65.46/km² (16th) |
| Elevation | |
| - Highest point |
Hoosier Hill 1,257 ft (383 m) |
| - Mean | 689 ft (210 m) |
| - Lowest point |
Ohio River 320 ft (98 m) |
| Admission to Union | December 11, 1816 (19th) |
| Governor | Mitch Daniels (R) |
| U.S. Senators |
Richard Lugar (R) Evan Bayh (D) |
| Time zones | |
| - most of state | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| - extreme NW & SW | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Abbreviations | IN US-IN |
| Web site | www.in.gov |
Indiana, meaning the "Land of the Indians," is a state in the Great Lakes region of the Midwestern United States. Indiana is 15 and 38 making it 17
Geography
See also: List of Indiana counties, List of Indiana rivers, and Watersheds of IndianaIndiana is bounded on the north by Lake Michigan and the state of Michigan; Indiana is one of the Great Lakes states.
The 475 mile (764 km) long Wabash River bisects the state from northeast to southwest and has given Indiana two theme songs, the state song On the Banks of the Wabash as well as The Wabash Cannonball.
Areas under the control and protection of the National Park Service include:
George Rogers Clark National Historical Park in Vincennes Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore near Porter Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Lincoln City Hoosier National Forest in BedfordNorthern Indiana
The northwest corner of the state is part of the greater metropolitan area of Chicago and is therefore more densely populated with almost one million residents.
The Kankakee River, which winds through northern Indiana, serves somewhat as a demarcating line between suburban northwest Indiana and the rest of the state.
South Bend, Mishawaka, Elkhart and Goshen, in north central Indiana, make up the region known as Michiana. Fort Wayne, the state's second largest city, is located in the northeastern part of the state.
Central Indiana
The state capital, Indianapolis, is situated in the central portion of the state.
Southern Indiana
Evansville, the third largest city in Indiana, is located in the southwestern corner of the state.
Climate
Most of Indiana has a humid continental climate, with the extreme southern portions of the state bordering on a humid subtropical climate. While not considered part of Tornado Alley, Indiana is the Great Lakes state which is most vulnerable to tornadic activity. The area was claimed for New France in the 17th century, handed over to the Kingdom of Great Britain as part of the settlement at the end of the French and Indian War, given to the United States after the American Revolution, soon after which it became part of the Northwest Territory, then the Indiana Territory, and joined the Union in 1816 as the 19th state.
Pioneer Era: 1816-1860
On June 29, 1816, Indiana adopted a constitution, and on December 11, 1816, became the 19th State to join the Union. The first state capital was in southern Indiana in Corydon.
Demographics
As of 2005, Indiana has an estimated population of 6,271,973, which is an increase of 45,436, or 0.7%, from the prior year and an increase of 191,456, or 3.1%, since the year 2000.This includes a natural increase since the last census of 159,488 people (that is 451,681 births minus 292,193 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 38,656 people into the state.
| Demographics of Indiana (csv) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| By race | White | Black | AIAN | Asian | NHPI |
| AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | |||||
| 2000 (total population) | 90.13% | 8.91% | 0.65% | 1.21% | 0.08% |
| 2000 (hispanic only) | 3.31% | 0.15% | 0.07% | 0.03% | 0.02% |
| 2005 (total population) | 89.57% | 9.42% | 0.63% | 1.44% | 0.08% |
| 2005 (hispanic only) | 4.29% | 0.19% | 0.08% | 0.04% | 0.02% |
| Growth 2000-2005 (total population) | 2.51% | 8.99% | -0.26% | 23.11% | 11.31% |
| Growth 2000-2005 (non-hispanic only) | 1.33% | 8.68% | -2.87% | 22.97% | 9.77% |
| Growth 2000-2005 (hispanic only) | 33.38% | 26.82% | 21.02% | 28.42% | 16.70% |
As of 2005, the population included 242,281 foreign-born (3.9%). Bloomington, home of Indiana University, tends to be much more culturally liberal than the rest of the state. Southern Indiana is the home to a number of Catholic monasteries and one of the two archabbeys in the United States, St. Meinrad Archabbey.
The current religious affiliations of the people of Indiana are shown below:
Christian – 82% Protestant – 62% Baptist – 15% Methodist – 10% Lutheran – 6% Church of Christ – 5% Pentecostal – 3% Mennonite/Pietist – 1% Other Protestant – 23% Roman Catholic – 19% Other Christian – 1% Other Religions – 1% Non-Religious – 17%In 1906, the Census reported there were 938,405 members of different religious denominations;
Important cities and towns
| 30 Largest Cities | 2005 Population |
|---|---|
| Indianapolis | 784,118 |
| Fort Wayne | 223,341 |
| Evansville | 115,918 |
| South Bend | 105,262 |
| Gary | 98,715 |
| Hammond | 79,217 |
| Bloomington | 69,017 |
| Muncie | 66,164 |
| Lafayette | 60,459 |
| Carmel | 59,243 |
| Anderson | 57,500 |
| Fishers | 57,220 |
| Terre Haute | 56,893 |
| Elkhart | 52,270 |
| Mishawaka | 48,497 |
| Kokomo | 46,178 |
| Greenwood | 42,236 |
| Lawrence | 40,959 |
| Columbus | 39,380 |
| Noblesville | 38,825 |
| Richmond | 37,560 |
| New Albany | 36,772 |
| Portage | 35,687 |
| Michigan City | 32,205 |
| Merrillville | 31,525 |
| Goshen | 31,269 |
| East Chicago | 30,946 |
| Marion | 30,644 |
| Valparaiso | 29,102 |
| Jeffersonville | 28,621 |
Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana, near the geographic center of the state. Other Indiana cities functioning as centers of United States metropolitan areas include Anderson, Bloomington (home of Indiana University's main campus), Columbus, Elkhart, Evansville (home of University of Evansville and University of Southern Indiana), Fort Wayne, Gary (home of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore), Kokomo, Lafayette (home of Purdue University) , Michigan City, Muncie (home of Ball State University), South Bend (home of University of Notre Dame), and Terre Haute (home of Indiana State University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology).
Indiana cities that function as centers of United States micropolitan areas include Angola, Auburn, Bedford, Connersville, Crawfordsville, Decatur, Frankfort, Greensburg, Huntington, Jasper, Kendallville, Logansport, Madison, Marion, New Castle, North Vernon, Peru, Plymouth, Richmond, Scottsburg, Seymour, Vincennes,Wabash, Warsaw, and Washington.
Fort Wayne's Indiana suburbs include Huntertown, Leo-Cedarville, Monroeville, and New Haven, Woodburn.
South Bend's Indiana suburbs include Granger, Mishawaka, North Liberty, Osceola, Walkerton, and Roseland.
See also: MichianaLaw and government
See also: List of Indiana Governors See also: Indiana General Assembly See also: Indiana Supreme CourtIndiana's government has three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. Indiana's fifty State Senators are elected for four-year terms and one hundred State Representatives for two-year terms. The judicial branch consists of the Indiana Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, the Indiana Tax Court, and local circuit courts. Republicans have generally reliable assurance that they will win the state, while Democrats do not appear to want to make the effort to win votes there because of all-but-assured Republican dominance making Indiana. Indiana's delegation to the United States House of Representatives is not overly Republican as one might suspect. Gun politics (Indiana was the first state to enact a lifetime concealed-carry license for handguns), unions, gay marriage, taxes or workers' rights issues (Indiana is a staunchly pro-management, at-will employment state) are not popular issues among many Hoosiers, which can explain their attachment to the GOP.
Indiana is located within the Corn Belt, and the state's agricultural methods and principal farm outputs reflect this: a feedlot-style system raising corn to fatten hogs and cattle. In other words, firms often see in Indiana a chance to obtain higher than average skills at lower than average wages for those skills, which often makes location in the state desirable. (Source for basic manufacturing facts in the above two paragraphs is generally McCoy and McNamara, "Manufacturers in Indiana," Purdue University Center for Rural Development, Research Paper 19, July 1998.)
In mining, Indiana is probably best known for its decorative limestone from the southern, hilly portion of the state, especially from Lawrence County (the home area of Apollo I astronaut Gus Grissom). Like most Great Lakes states, Indiana has small to medium operating petroleum fields;
Indiana's economy is considered to be one of the most business-friendly in the U.S. This is due in part to its conservative business climate, low business taxes, and many labor laws that have remained unchanged since the 1800s, emphasizing the supremacy of employer/management.
Indiana has a flat state income tax rate of 3.4%.
Transportation
Highways
The major U.S. Interstate highways in Indiana are I-69, I-65, I-94, I-70, I-74, I-64, I-80, and I-90.
In the state of Indiana there were 947 traffic deaths in 2004.
Education
| State-chartered colleges | Private colleges | |
|---|---|---|
| Ball State University Indiana State University Indiana University System Indiana University (Bloomington) Indiana University East (Richmond) Indiana University Kokomo Indiana University Northwest Indiana University South Bend Indiana University Southeast Indiana University-Purdue University Joint Campuses Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC) Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Ivy Tech State College Purdue University System Purdue University Purdue University Calumet Purdue University North Central Purdue University College of Technology Anderson Columbus Indianapolis Kokomo Muncie New Albany Richmond South Bend Versailles University of Southern Indiana Vincennes University |
|
Ancilla College Anderson University Bethel College Butler University Calumet College of St. Joseph Christian Theological Seminary Concordia Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne campus) DePauw University DeVry University Earlham College Franklin College Goshen College Grace College Hanover College Holy Cross College Huntington University Hyles-Anderson College Indiana Institute of Technology Indiana Wesleyan University Manchester College Marian College Martin University Oakland City University Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Saint Joseph's College Saint Meinrad College Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Saint Mary's College Taylor University Tri-State University University of Evansville University of Indianapolis University of Notre Dame University of Saint Francis Valparaiso University Wabash College |
Professional sports teams
Indiana currently has two major professional sports league franchises, both of which are based in Indianapolis:
Indianapolis Colts, National Football League Indiana Pacers, National Basketball AssociationSeveral minor league professional teams also play in Indiana:
| FC Indiana, Women's Premier Soccer League Fort Wayne Komets, United Hockey League Gary Steelheads, Continental Basketball Association Indiana Fever, Women's National Basketball Association Indiana Ice, United States Hockey League | Minor League baseball teams Evansville Otters Fort Wayne Wizards Gary SouthShore RailCats Indianapolis Indians South Bend Silver Hawks |
Miscellaneous topics
There are 24 Indiana state parks, nine man-made reservoirs, and hundreds of lakes in the state.
Several vessels of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Indiana in honor of this state.
Scouting in Indiana The HerbalistMilitary installations
Indiana was formerly home to two major military installations, Grissom Air Force Base near Peru (reduced to reservist operations in 1994) and Fort Benjamin Harrison near Indianapolis, now largely reduced to reservist operations, though the Department of Defense continues to operate a large financial institution there.
Time zones
Prior to 2006, most of Indiana historically exempted itself from the observation of daylight saving time (DST). Due to the confusion of anyone not from Indiana, the state passed a bill in 2005 whereby the entire state began observing daylight saving time starting in April 2006.
State symbols
State bird: Cardinal State flower: Peony State motto: "Crossroads of America." State song: On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away State river: Wabash State stone: Salem limestone State tree: Tulip treeFamous Hoosiers
| George Ball, industrialist Albert J. Debs, Socialist Presidential candidate Mark Dismore, racecar driver Theodore Dreiser, novelist Paul Dresser, song writer Edward Eggleston, author Jim Gaffigan, comedian Lillian Gilbreth, home economist Charles Halleck, politician | Benjamin Harrison, U.S. President William Henry Harrison, U.S. President and General Richard Hatcher, politician Elwood Haynes, inventor Theodore Hesburgh, educator and religious leader Paul Hoffman, industrialist Alfred Kinsey, sex researcher Bobby Knight, basketball coach David Letterman, comedian and talk show host Eli Lilly, industrialist & Meyer founder of Indiana Botanic Gardens 1910 Caleb Mills, educator Meredith Nicholson, novelist Michael Jackson, singer/songwritter | Robert Dale Owen, utopian Cole Porter , song writer George Rapp, Utopian Orville Redenbacher, farming (popcorn) James Whitcomb Riley, poet Knute Rockne, football coach D. Stephenson, KKK leader Tony Stewart, NASCAR driver Gene Stratton-Porter, novelist Booth Tarkington , novelist Steve Tesich, writer Maurice Thompson, novelist Kurt Vonnegut, writer Lew Wallace, novelist Wendell Willkie, politician John Wooden, basketball coach |
Indiana is the home state of many astronauts, including such notables as "Gus" Grissom, Frank Borman and David Wolf.
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