Indianapolis - geography.

Indianapolis - geography. I INTRODUCTION Indianapolis, city in the geographical center of Indiana and capital of the state. It is also the seat of Marion County, with which it consolidated in 1970. Historically a leading center of manufacturing and commerce in the Midwest, Indianapolis also is an important transportation hub. Known as the Crossroads of America, four interstate freeways and four federal highways meet in Indianapolis, putting the city within a day's drive of one-half the nation's population. Indianapolis is located on the Tipton Till Plain, an area of flat to gently rolling land shaped by the retreat of a glacier 18,000 years ago. The White River, which flows through the city from northeast to southwest, is too shallow to be used for shipping. In fact, Indianapolis is noted as being the largest United States city not on a natural body of navigable water. The city's climate is temperate, with no pronounced wet or dry seasons. Annual precipitation is 1,014 mm (39.9 in). In January the average high temperature is 1°C (34°F) and the average low is -8°C (17°F); in July the average high is 30°C (86°F) and the average low is 18°C (65°F). The development of Indianapolis began in 1820 when a committee from the state's legislature chose the site for a new state capital because of its central location. The legislature named the city Indianapolis, which literally means the City of Indiana (from the Greek polis, or "city"). II INDIANAPOLIS AND THE METROPOLITAN AREA With boundaries coextensive with Marion County, Indianapolis has a land area of 1,026.7 sq km (396.4 sq mi). Included within that area are the enclaves of Lawrence, Beech Grove, Speedway, and Southport. These small communities retained local autonomy when Marion County and Indianapolis merged. But because the Indianapolis mayor's power extends to the entire county in many matters, residents of the four communities can vote for the mayor of Indianapolis and some of its council members. Indianapolis is at the core of a metropolitan region covering nine counties: Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Morgan, and Shelby. Encompassing 9,125.3 sq km (3,523.3 sq mi), the region contains a number of smaller established cities, including Anderson, Carmel, and Greenwood. With few natural barriers to restrict its growth, Indianapolis has spread outward rather than upward, and the city has a relatively low population density. The tallest buildings appear in a ten-block area known as Mile Square, so named because the original city plat was 1 sq mi (2.6 sq km) in area. This is the business and historic heart of Indianapolis. Modeled after Washington, D.C., main streets radiate from Monument Circle at the heart of Mile Square to all parts of the city. At the center of the circle is the Soldiers and Sailors Monument (dedicated in 1902), considered by many as the symbol of the city. Standing 87 m (284 ft) tall, the monument is topped by a victory statue. Other notable historic structures near the city center are the Statehouse, constructed with Indiana marble and completed in 1888, and the Gothic-style Scottish Rite Cathedral, completed in 1929. The Indiana War Memorial Plaza, covering five city blocks and a popular site for festivals and events, also contains a massive memorial to the state's military dead and the national headquarters of the American Legion. The enclosed four-square block Circle Centre Mall opened downtown in 1995. Union Station, built in 1888, was renovated in 1986 into a market and entertainment complex. The original station constructed in 1852 was the first train station in the nation to handle multiple railroad lines (thus the name "union"). Ringing the Mile Square are a number of historic districts such as Woodruff Place and Lockerbie Square. To the immediate northwest of downtown is Indiana Avenue, the historic center of the city's black population. Some 6 km (4 mi) due north of Monument Circle is the North Meridian Street Historic District, a stretch of mansions built in the 1920s and 1930s, including the Governor's Residence. The district ends at the Central Canal, a waterway constructed in the 1830s. Office parks, shopping centers, and other large commercial structures exist at the city's edge, especially to the north along Interstate 465. III POPULATION After decreasing during the 1970s, the population of Indianapolis grew from 700,807 in 1980 to 791,926 in 2000. In 2006, its population was estimated at 795,484. The population of the metropolitan area also was increasing, climbing from 1,380,491 in 1990 to 1,666,032 in 2006. Since the 1970s the city's population growth has occurred primarily in the suburbs, with a number of cities just outside Indianapolis--Carmel, Greenwood, and Fishers most prominent among them--experiencing rapid increase. Indianapolis has representatives of many ethnic groups, but its population historically has come from English, German, Irish, and African origins. A smaller percentage came from eastern Europe in the early 20th century, with Hispanics and Asians arriving more recently. In 2000 more than two-thirds of all Indianapolis residents reported at least one ancestor of European origin, with German (16.7 percent), Irish (10.3 percent), and English (7.8 percent) descendants predominating. According to the 2000 national census, whites were 69.3 percent of the population, blacks 25.3 percent, Asians 1.4 percent, Native Americans 0.3 percent, and people of mixed heritage or not reporting race 3.7. Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders numbered 326 at the time of the census. Hispanics, who may be of any race, were 3.9 percent of the people. IV EDUCATION AND CULTURE Indianapolis has a large number of colleges and universities and a wide variety of cultural institutions. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (founded in 1969), includes the Indiana University Medical School. Among the city's private colleges are Butler University (1855), University of Indianapolis (1902), Marian College (1851), Martin University (1977), and Christian Theological Seminary (1925). Another publicly supported institution is Ivy Tech State College (1963), formerly Indiana Vocational Technical College. Prominent among the cultural institutions in the city is The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the world's oldest and largest such institution, with exhibits ranging from world cultures to natural sciences. The Indianapolis Museum of Art has major collections in African, Asian, and European art in several specialized pavilions set amid expansive gardens. The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art displays Native American art and artifacts and art of the American West. It began as the collection of Indianapolis businessman Harrison Eiteljorg. Of historical interest are the restored home of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd United States president; the Indiana State Museum, located in the old City Hall; and a wide variety of specialty museums ranging from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum to the Indiana Medical History Museum. Artistic groups supported by the city are the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Opera, Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, Indianapolis Repertory Company, and numerous other professional and community theaters. V RECREATION Indianapolis maintains more than 100 public parks, golf courses, and pools, including Eagle Creek Park, one of the nation's largest municipal parks at 1,800 hectares (4,400 acres), and the Indianapolis Zoo. The city annually hosts the state fair at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Amateur athletic competitions are frequent in Indianapolis. Each summer it is the site for the finals of the Hoosier State Games, with athletes of all ages and skill levels competing in 21 sports. In 1987 Indianapolis hosted the Tenth Pan American Games, and is often the site for numerous Olympic trials and collegiate sports championships. Among the many sports facilities are those for tennis, bicycle racing, skating, and track and field. The city's professional football team, the Indianapolis Colts, plays in the 60,300-seat RCA Dome (once known as the Hoosier Dome). The Indiana Pacers and the Indiana Fever, men's and women's professional basketball teams, play in the Conseco Fieldhouse, which opened in 1999. By far the biggest professional show in the city is the annual Indianapolis 500, officially the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, a Memorial Day weekend automobile race that is the world's largest single-day sporting event. The Brickyard 400, a stock-car race, was established at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994. VI ECONOMY Indianapolis has a well-balanced economy and since the 1970s has experienced steady, sometimes impressive, economic growth. Major manufactures include automobile parts, electrical components, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, metal products, processed food, paper products, printed materials, and rubber and plastic goods. Government activity, financial and insurance institutions, construction, sports, tourism, and the convention trade are also important contributors to the city's economy. The city houses few headquarters of major corporations; the best known is Eli Lilly and Company, a major pharmaceutical manufacturer. The largest employer in Indianapolis is government--local, state, and federal--followed by retailing, manufacturing, and health care. More than 60 percent of Indianapolis workers are in professional, management, technical, sales, and clerical occupations, while fewer than 20 percent are blue-collar workers. The Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee (formed in 1965), a nonprofit civic improvement association, and the Indianapolis Economic Development Corporation (formed in 1983) have been important in developing the Indianapolis economy, which before the 1970s relied heavily on manufacturing. Without access to a navigable river, transportation has always been important to Indianapolis. Today more interstate freeways (I-65, I-69, I-70, and I-74) and federal highways (routes 31, 36, 40, and 52) cross in Indianapolis than any other major American city. The Indianapolis International Airport serves the city. Rail connections are excellent, with a major Amtrak repair facility in the county. VII GOVERNMENT Indianapolis and Marion County consolidated city and county governments in 1970 to reduce duplication of services that wasted public funds. Known as Unigov, the plan greatly increased the size and population of the city as areas once under county jurisdiction joined with Indianapolis. The combined government is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. An elected mayor heads the executive branch. The mayor appoints the directors of five executive departments, who oversee the city's infrastructure, development, public works, public safety, and parks. The legislative branch consists of a 29-member city-county council that confirms appointments by the mayor, adopts budgets, and enacts local laws. Each member is elected to a four-year term; 25 members are selected by their districts and 4 members are chosen citywide. The county is also divided into nine townships that have elected officials such as assessors and trustees. Both the townships and the city operate public school systems. In addition, the cities of Lawrence, Beech Grove, and Southport and the town of Speedway opted at the time of consolidation to retain local control. Each still elects a mayor and council. But because the communities are also part of Marion County, residents have the right to vote in Indianapolis elections as well. VIII HISTORY The Miami and Delaware cultures were dominant in central Indiana when the first white settlers arrived in what would become Indianapolis. Both Native American peoples soon left the area, and few traces remain of their heritage in the Indianapolis region. In 1820 a committee from the state legislature, searching for a site for a new state capital to replace Corydon near the state's southern extreme, selected a location along the White River because of its central location. The legislature approved the selection in 1821, named the capital Indianapolis, and chose Alexander Ralston to lay out the town. Ralston had been assistant to Pierre L'Enfant while he designed Washington, D.C., and he modeled his plan for Indianapolis after the plan for the nation's capital created by L'Enfant. The state capital moved to Indianapolis from Corydon in 1825 but experienced slow growth because of a lack of good transportation. The White River was too shallow to sustain navigation. Increased population, including immigrant Germans and Irish, arrived following construction of the National Road in the 1830s and railroads after 1847. Rapid growth, however, began only with the American Civil War (1861-1865) when the Union Army chose centrally located Indianapolis as a training and staging ground for troops. The city also became a major supply depot. Aided by a superior transportation system, industrialization became the driving force in the city's economic development after the Civil War. Discovery of short-lived natural gas fields in central Indiana in the 1890s spurred economic growth. By World War I (1914-1918), Indianapolis ranked in the nation's top 20 cities in both population and the value of its manufactured products. Its diversified economy ranged from agricultural processing to metalworking to meatpacking and carriage (later automobile) manufacturing. Economic growth brought increased attention to Indianapolis in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Local attorney Benjamin Harrison captured the presidency in 1888, four Indianapolis residents won a major party's nomination for vice president--two were elected, Thomas Hendricks (1884) and Charles W. Fairbanks (1904)--and the Socialist Party of America was formed and held its first convention in the city in 1906. National literary figures James Whitcomb Riley, Meredith Nicholson, and novelist Booth Tarkington (twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize) claimed Indianapolis as home, as did one of the nation's largest publishers, Bobbs-Merrill. Black migrants from the South arrived in large number in the early 1900s, establishing the city as a center for jazz and blues music. So many labor unions established headquarters in the city--including the United Mine Workers of America and the Teamsters Union--that Indianapolis for decades was recognized as the nation's labor capital. During the first half of the 20th century, Indianapolis was a center for automobile manufacturing and the auto-parts industry. Numerous local shops produced cars still prized for their classic character, including Stutz, Marmon, National, and Cole. This activity spurred the creation of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to test new cars and led later to the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, now the world's largest single-day sporting event. While automobile manufacturing ultimately disappeared from the city (some parts manufacturing remains), other industries flourished, especially during World War II (1939-1945) when Indianapolis was called "Toolmaker to the Nation." Although Indianapolis exhibited prosperity and stability during the early to mid 20th century--95 percent of its dwellings in 1930 were single-family residences, highest among the nation's largest cities--there was a darker side to these decades. Few places experienced stronger antiforeign sentiment or a more active Ku Klux Klan. Into the 1960s Indianapolis had a reputation as one of the most segregated northern cities. Following a decline in its economic base and the flight of more affluent residents to the suburbs, Indianapolis and Marion County created Unigov, one of the nation's earliest and most successful consolidations of city-county governments. When instituted on January 1, 1970, the city's population jumped from 485,000 to 745,000. With a new governmental structure came an effective partnership between public and private interests to revitalize the city, stimulated in large part by the Lilly Endowment, one of the nation's largest charitable foundations. This activity led to the creation of a new urban landscape, especially downtown, and a renewed sense of civic pride. By the 1980s and 1990s the national media and others pointed to Indianapolis as a model for the revitalization of former industrial cities of the Midwest, then frequently called the Rust Belt. Today Indianapolis is a prosperous and growing city that faces the same economic and social challenges that confront the rest of the nation. Contributed By: David J. Bodenhamer Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.