Indianapolis

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. It is located in the East North Central region of the Midwest, near the confluence of the White River and Fall Creek. The city covers 372 square miles (963.5 km²) and had an estimated population of 853,173 in 2015, making it the largest city in Indiana, second largest in the Midwest, and 14th largest in the U.S. Approximately 1,988,817 people live in the Indianapolis metropolitan area (MSA), the 34th most populous MSA in the U.S. Its combined statistical area (CSA) ranks 26th, with a population of 2,372,530.

Founded in 1821 as a planned city for the new seat of Indiana's state government, Indianapolis was platted by Alexander Ralston and Elias Pym Fordham on a 1-square-mile (2.6 km2) grid. The city grew beyond the Mile Square, as the advent of the railroad and completion of the National Road solidified the city's position as a manufacturing and transportation hub. Indianapolis continues to be a distribution and logistics center, as more interstate highways intersect with the city than any other in the U.S. This has led to the city's nickname as the "Crossroads of America." Three Fortune 500, four Fortune 1000 companies, and a robust sport tourism and convention industry, contributed to a gross domestic product (GDP) of $125.8 billion in 2014. Indianapolis hosts many notable events annually, including the largest single-day sporting event in the world, the Indianapolis 500 automobile race. As headquarters for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the city frequently hosts the Men's and Women's Final Four basketball tournaments. It hosted Pan American Games X in 1987 and Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.

The city's philanthropic community has been instrumental in the development of its most well-known cultural institutions, including The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis Zoo, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indiana State Museum, and Indiana Landmarks. Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment is among the largest foundations in the U.S., with nearly $10 billion in assets. The city maintains the largest collection of monuments dedicated to veterans and war dead in the U.S., outside of Washington, D.C. Since the 1970 city-county consolidation, known as Unigov, local government administration has operated under the direction of an elected 25-member city-county council, headed by the mayor. Indianapolis is considered a "high sufficiency" global city.

History

In 1816, the year Indiana gained statehood, the U.S. Congress donated four sections of federal land to establish a permanent seat of state government. Two years later, under the Treaty of St. Mary's (1818), the Delaware relinquished title to their tribal lands in central Indiana, agreeing to leave the area by 1821. This tract of land, which was called the New Purchase, included the site selected for the new state capital in 1820.

The availability of new federal lands for purchase in central Indiana attracted settlers, many of them descendants of families from northwestern Europe. Although many of these first European and American setters were Protestants, a large proportion of the early Irish and German immigrants were Catholics. Few African Americans lived in central Indiana before 1840. The first European Americans to permanently settle in the area that became Indianapolis were either the McCormick or Pogue families. The McCormicks are generally considered to be the town's first permanent settlers; however, some historians believe George Pogue and family may have arrived first, on March 2, 1819, and settled in a log cabin along the creek that was later called Pogue's Run. Other historians have argued as early as 1822 that John Wesley McCormick, his family, and employees became the first European American settlers in the area, settling near the White River in February 1820.

On January 11, 1820, the Indiana General Assembly authorized a committee to select a site in central Indiana for the new state capital. The state legislature appointed Alexander Ralston and Elias Pym Fordham to survey and design a town plan for Indianapolis, which was platted in 1821. Indianapolis became a seat of county government on December 31, 1821, when Marion County, was established. A combined county and town government continued until 1832, when Indianapolis incorporated as a town. Indianapolis became an incorporated city effective March 30, 1847. Samuel Henderson, the city's first mayor, lead the new city government, which included a seven-member city council. In 1853, voters approved a new city charter that provided for an elected mayor and a fourteen-member city council. The city charter continued to be revised as Indianapolis expanded. Effective January 1, 1825, the seat of state government relocated to Indianapolis from Corydon, Indiana. In addition to state government offices, a U.S. district court was established at Indianapolis in 1825.

Growth occurred with the opening of the National Road through the town in 1827, the first major federally funded highway in the U.S. The first railroad to serve Indianapolis, the Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad, began operation in 1847, and subsequent railroad connections fostered growth. Indianapolis Union Station was the first of its kind in the world when it opened in 1853.

During the American Civil War, Indianapolis was loyal to the Union cause. Governor Oliver P. Morton, a major supporter of President Abraham Lincoln, quickly made Indianapolis a rallying place for Union army troops. On February 11, 1861, president-elect Lincoln arrived in the city, en route to Washington, D.C. for his presidential inauguration, marking the first visit from a president-elect in the city's history. On April 16, 1861, the first orders were issued to form Indiana's first regiments and establish Indianapolis as a headquarters the state's volunteer soldiers. Within a week, more than 12,000 recruits signed up to fight for the Union.

Indianapolis became a major logistics hub during the war, establishing the city as an crucial military base. Between 1860 and 1870, the city's population more than doubled. An estimated 4,000 men from Indianapolis served in 39 regiments, and an estimated 700 died during the war. On May 20, 1863, Union soldiers attempted to disrupt a statewide Democratic convention at Indianapolis, forcing the proceedings to be adjourned, sarcastically referred to as the Battle of Pogue's Run. Fear turned to panic in July 1863, during Morgan's Raid into southern Indiana, but Confederate forces turned east toward Ohio, never reaching Indianapolis. On April 30, 1865, Lincoln's funeral train made a stop at Indianapolis, where an estimated crowd of more than 100,000 people passed the assassinated president's bier at the Indiana Statehouse.

Following the Civil War, Indianapolis experienced tremendous growth and prosperity, much attributed to the Indiana gas boom. By 1890, the city's population surpassed 100,000. Some of the city's most notable businesses were founded during this period of growth and innovation, including L. S. Ayres (1872), Eli Lilly and Company (1876), Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company (1910), and Allison Transmission (1915). Once home to 60 automakers, Indianapolis rivaled Detroit as a center of automobile manufacturing. With railroads leading out of the city in all directions, the city became a national transportation hub, connecting to booming manufacturing centers like Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Louisville, and St. Louis. The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, dedicated on May 15, 1902, would later become an iconic symbol of the city. Ray Harroun won the inaugural running of the Indianapolis 500, held May 30, 1911 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Indianapolis was one of the hardest hit cities in the Great Flood of 1913, resulting in five known deaths and the displacement of 7,000 families.

The city was an early focus of labor organization. The Indianapolis Street Car Strike of 1913 and subsequent police mutiny and riots led to the creation of the state's earliest labor-protection laws, including a minimum wage, regular work weeks, and improved working conditions. The International Typographical Union and United Mine Workers of America were among several influential labor unions to be based in the city.

Indianapolis served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, and up to the time of the Great Migration in the early 20th century, the city had a higher black population (nearly 10%) than any other city in the Northern States. Led by D. C. Stephenson, the Indiana Klan became the most powerful political and social organization in Indianapolis from 1921 through 1928, controlling City Council, the Board of School Commissioners, and the Board of County Commissioners. More than 40% of native-born white males in Indianapolis claimed membership in the Klan. Race relations would continue to be problematic throughout the 20th century. Though Indianapolis abolished segregated schools before Brown v. Board of Education, the later action of court-ordered desegregation busing by Judge Samuel Hugh Dillin proved controversial. On April 4, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy delivered one of the most highly-regarded speeches in 20th century American history from the city, urging calm after the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Under the mayoral administration of Richard Lugar, the city and county governments restructured, consolidating most public services into a new entity called Unigov. The plan removed redundancies, captured increasingly suburbanizing tax revenue, and created a Republican political machine that dominated Indianapolis politics until the 2000s. Unigov went into effect on January 1, 1970, increasing the city's land area by 308.2 square miles (798 km2) and population by 268,366 people.

Amid the changes in government and growth, the city invested in an aggressive strategy to brand Indianapolis as a sport tourism destination. Under the administration of the city's longest-serving mayor, William Hudnut (1976–1992), millions of dollars were poured into sport facilities. Throughout the 1980s, $122 million in public and private funding built the Indianapolis Tennis Center, Major Taylor Velodrome, Indiana University Natatorium, Carroll Track and Soccer Stadium, and RCA Dome. The latter project secured the 1984 relocation of the NFL Baltimore Colts and the 1987 Pan American Games. The economic development strategy succeeded in revitalizing the central business district through the 1990s, with the openings of the Indianapolis Zoo (1988), Circle Centre Mall (1995), Victory Field (1996), and Bankers Life Fieldhouse (1999).

During the 2000s, the city and state continued investing heavily in infrastructure projects, including two of the largest building projects in the city's history: the $1.1 billion Colonel Harvey Weir Cook Terminal and $720 million Lucas Oil Stadium. Construction began in 2011 on DigIndy, a $1.9 billion project to correct the city's combined sewer overflows (CSOs) by 2025.

Geography

Indianapolis is in the East North Central region of the Midwestern United States, in Central Indiana. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Indianapolis (balance) encompasses a total area of 368.2 square miles (954 km2), of which 361.5 square miles (936 km2) is land and 6.7 square miles (17 km2) is water. The consolidated city boundaries are coterminous with Marion County, with the exception of the autonomous municipalities of Beech Grove, Lawrence, Southport, and Speedway.

Indianapolis is situated on flat to gently sloping terrain within the Eastern Corn Belt Plains, as defined by the U.S. EPA. The city has a mean elevation of 717 feet (219 m) above sea level. Indianapolis lies in the Southern Great Lakes forests ecoregion, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund. Two navigable in law waterways dissect the city: the White River and Fall Creek.

Culture

In 1999, Indianapolis designated six cultural districts to capitalize on the city's cultural institutions within historically significant neighborhoods unique to the city's heritage. These include Broad Ripple Village, Canal and White River State Park, Fountain Square, Indiana Avenue, Mass Ave, and Wholesale. A seventh cultural district, Market East, was designated in 2014. After 12 years of planning and six years of construction, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene and Marilyn Glick officially opened in 2013. The $62.5 million public-private partnership resulted in 8 miles (13 km) of urban bike and pedestrian corridors linking six cultural districts with neighborhoods, IUPUI, and every significant arts, cultural, heritage, sports, and entertainment venue downtown.

The city is home to dozens of annual festivals and events showcasing and celebrating Indianapolis culture. Notable events include the "Month of May" (a series of celebrations leading to the Indianapolis 500), Circle City IN Pride (June), Indiana Black Expo (July), Indiana State Fair (August), and Historic Irvington Halloween Festival (October).

Visual arts

Founded in 1883, the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is the ninth oldest and eighth largest encyclopedic art museum in the U.S. The permanent collection comprises over 54,000 works, including African, American, Asian, and European pieces. In addition to its collections, the museum consists of 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park; Oldfields, a restored house museum and estate once owned by Josiah K. Lilly, Jr.; and restored gardens and grounds originally designed by Percival Gallagher of the Olmsted Brothers firm. The IMA also owns the Miller House, a Mid-Century modern home designed by Eero Saarinen located in Columbus, Indiana. The museum's holdings demonstrate the institution's emphasis on the connections among art, design, and the natural environment.

The Indianapolis Art Center, located in Broad Ripple Village, was founded in 1934 by the Works Project Administration. The center opened at its Michael Graves-designed building in 1996, including three public art galleries, 11 studios, a library, auditorium, and ArtsPark along the White River. The Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art was established in 2001, and is located in The Murphy Art Center in Fountain Square. In 2014, the museum opened a second public gallery in The Alexander Hotel at CityWay in downtown Indianapolis.

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art opened in 1989 at White River State Park as the only Native American art museum in the Midwest. Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) contains the Herron School of Art and Design. Established in 1902, the school's first core faculty included Impressionist painters of the Hoosier Group: T. C. Steele, J. Ottis Adams, William Forsyth, Richard Gruelle, and Otto Stark. The university's public art collection is extensive, with more than 30 works.

Performing arts

Indianapolis' most notable performing arts venues are located in the Mass Ave cultural district or Downtown. Located on Monument Circle since 1916, the 1,786-seat Hilbert Circle Theatre is the current home of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. The Indiana Theatre opened as a movie palace on Washington Street in 1927, currently housing the Indiana Repertory Theatre, a regional repertory theatre. Madame Walker Theatre Center also opened that year on Indiana Avenue, in the heart of the city's African American neighborhood. The theater is named for Madame C.J. Walker, an African American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist who began her beauty empire in Indianapolis.

Mass Ave is home to the Old National Centre, Phoenix Theatre, and the Athenæum (Das Deutsche Haus). Old National Centre at the Murat Shrine is the oldest stage house in Indianapolis, opened in 1909. The building is a prime example of Moorish Revival architecture and features a 2,600-seat performing arts theatre, 1,800-seat concert hall, and 600-seat multi-functional room, hosting approximately 300 public and private events throughout the year. The nonprofit Phoenix Theatre focuses on contemporary theatrical productions. The Athenӕum, houses the American Cabaret Theater and Young Actors Theater.

Other notable venues include the Indianapolis Artsgarden, a performing arts center suspended over the intersection of Washington and Illinois streets, Clowes Memorial Hall on the Butler University campus, and The Emerson Theater in Little Flower.

Indianapolis is home to Bands of America (BOA), a nationwide organization of high school marching, concert, and jazz bands, and the international headquarters of Drum Corps International (DCI), a professional drum and bugle corps association. Annual music events include the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, Midwest Music Summit, and Indy Jazz Fest. The Heartland Film Festival, Indianapolis International Film Festival, Indianapolis Jewish Film Festival, Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, and the Indianapolis Alternative Media Festival are annual events held in the city.

Museums and monuments

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the largest of its kind in the world. In total, the museum has 472,900 square feet (43,933.85 m2) of floor space. The museum has a collection of over 120,000 artifacts, divided into three collections: Natural World, Cultural World, and American. The museum's collection includes the Broad Ripple Park Carousel, a National Historic Landmark. Because of its leadership and innovations, the museum is a world leader in its field. Child and Parents magazine have both ranked the museum as the best children's museum in the U.S. The "institution is considered the gold standard of museums for children." The museum is one of the city's most popular attractions, with 1.2 million visitors in 2014.

A National Historic Landmark, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum (in Speedway) exhibits an extensive collection of auto racing memorabilia showcasing various motorsports and automotive history. The museum is the permanent home of the Borg-Warner Trophy, presented to Indianapolis 500 winners. Daily grounds and track tours are also based at the museum. The NCAA Hall of Champions opened in 2000 at White River State Park housing collegiate sports artifacts and interactive exhibits covering all 23 NCAA-sanctioned sports.

Indianapolis is home to several museums and organizations relating to Indiana history, including the Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum, the Indiana Historical Society, Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau, Indiana State Museum, Indiana Medical History Museum, and Indiana Landmarks. The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site is open for daily tours, including thousands of books and memorabilia related to the 23rd President of the U.S. The National Historic Landmark is located in the Old Northside Historic District. The city maintains the largest collection of monuments dedicated to veterans and war dead in the U.S., outside of Washington, D.C. Notable sites include:

• Crown Hill National Cemetery
• Indiana World War Memorial Plaza
• Landmark for Peace Memorial
• Medal of Honor Memorial
• Project 9/11 Indianapolis
• Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
• USS Indianapolis Memorial

Other points of interest

• Crown Hill Cemetery
• Indianapolis City Market
• Jazz Kitchen
• Slippery Noodle Inn
• St. Elmo Steak House
• Sun King Brewing

Parks and recreation

Military Park was established as the city's first public park in 1852. By the 20th century, the city enlisted landscape architect George Kessler to conceive a framework for Indianapolis' modern parks system. Kessler's 1909 Indianapolis Park and Boulevard Plan linked notable parks, such as Brookside, Ellenberger, and Garfield, with a system of parkways following the city's waterways. In 2003, the system's 3,474 acres (1,406 ha) were added to the National Register of Historic Places. Noted as one of the finest examples of City Beautiful movement design in the U.S., the seven-block Indiana World War Memorial Plaza Historic District began construction in 1921 in downtown Indianapolis. The National Historic Landmark includes the Neoclassical American Legion and Indianapolis Public Library buildings, Depew Memorial Fountain, several sculptures and memorials, and open space, hosting many annual civic events.

Indy Parks and Recreation maintains nearly 200 parks covering 11,246 acres (4,551 ha). Eagle Creek Park is the largest and most visited park in the city and ranks among the largest urban parks in the U.S., covering 4,766 acres (1,929 ha). Fishing, sailing, kayaking, canoeing, and swimming are popular activities at Eagle Creek Reservoir. Recreational trails, including the Canal Walk, Pleasant Run Trail, and Monon Trail, are used for walking, running, and cycling, accommodating 2.8 million users in 2012. There are 13 public golf courses in the city.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources manages two state parks in Marion County: Fort Harrison in Lawrence and White River downtown. The latter has been home to the Indianapolis Zoo and White River Gardens since 1988. The campus covers 64 acres (26 ha) and is home to nearly 1,400 animals and 31,000 plants, including many threatened and endangered species. The zoo is one of the city's most visited attractions, with 1.2 million guests in 2014. Indianapolis' urban forestry program has been recognized by the National Arbor Day Foundation's Tree City USA standards since 1988. The city's Youth Tree Program plants 2,000 trees annually. The city lies about 50 miles (80 km) north of two state forests (Morgan–Monroe and Yellowwood) and Hoosier National Forest.

According to the Trust for Public Land's 2016 ParkScore Index, Indianapolis ranks 95th of the 100 largest U.S. cities in accessibility to public parks and open space, with some 68% of residents under served. The city's vast land area and low public funding contributed to the ranking.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Indianapolis was founded on the White River under an incorrect assumption that it would serve as a major transportation artery, but the river proved difficult to navigate and too shallow during much of the year. After the steamboat Robert Hanna ran aground along the river in 1831, no steamboat successfully returned to Indianapolis. Flatboats continued to transport goods along a portion of the river until new dams impeded their ability to navigate its waters. The first major federally funded highway in the U.S., the National Road, reached Indianapolis in 1836, followed by the railroad in 1847. By 1850, eight railroads converged in the city, ending its isolation from the rest of the country and ushering in a new era of growth. Indianapolis Union Station opened in the Wholesale District on September 20, 1853 as the world's first union station. Citizen's Street and Railway Company was established in 1864, operating the city's first mule-drawn streetcar line. By 1890, electric-powered streetcars began running. Opened in 1904, the Indianapolis Traction Terminal was the largest interurban station in the world, handling 500 trains daily and 7 million passengers annually. Ultimately doomed by the automobile, the terminal closed in 1941, followed by the streetcar system in 1957.

Indianapolis is intersected by four Interstates: Interstate 65, Interstate 69, Interstate 70, and Interstate 74. An auxiliary beltway, Interstate 465, encircles the city. More interstate highways intersect with the city than any other in the U.S., lending to the city's moniker as the "Crossroads of America." The predominant mode of transportation is the automobile, with 92.6% of Indianapolis–Carmel–Anderson MSA residents commuting by car, most traveling alone (83.4%). This reliance on the automobile has had a major impact on the city's development patterns, with Walk Score ranking Indianapolis as one of the least walkable large cities in the U.S. Only 2.7% of residents walk or bike to work. Despite this reliance, the city has encouraged enhanced bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in recent years. Indianapolis includes some 75 miles (121 km) of trails, 90 miles (140 km) of on-street bike lanes, and a 25-station bike sharing system.

The Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation, branded as IndyGo, has operated the city's public transportation system since 1975. Recent efforts to expand mass transit in the metropolitan area have been initiated through a $1.2 billion regional bus rapid transit plan called Indy Connect. The first segment to be constructed is Phase I of the Red Line, traveling 14 miles (23 km) from Broad Ripple Village to the University of Indianapolis. In 2011, a private company called the Downtown Indianapolis Streetcar Corporation began studying the feasibility of a streetcar circulator for downtown Indianapolis. Despite only 1% of residents commuting via public transportation, IndyGo had a 2014 ridership of 10.3 million, the highest in 23 years. In 2016, the Julia M. Carson Transit Center opened, the downtown hub for 27 bus routes.

Indianapolis International Airport (IND) is the busiest airport in the state, serving nearly 8 million passengers in 2015. The $1.1 billion Colonel Harvey Weir Cook Terminal opened in 2008 as the largest development initiative in the city's history. The midfield terminal includes 40 gates connecting to 47 major domestic and international destinations. As home to the second largest FedEx Express hub in the world, IND ranks as the sixth busiest U.S. airport in terms of air cargo, handling over 1 million metric tons in 2015. The Indianapolis Airport Authority also owns and operates Eagle Creek Airpark and the only public-use heliport in the state, the Indianapolis Downtown Heliport.

Amtrak currently provides two intercity rail lines to Indianapolis via Union Station. The Cardinal makes three weekly trips between New York City and Chicago, while the Hoosier State operates on the four days the Cardinal does not operate, running to Chicago. Indianapolis is a proposed connection on the Chicago Hub Network, a high-speed rail line that would run between Chicago and Cincinnati. Three intercity bus service providers stop in the city: Greyhound Lines and Burlington Trailways (via Union Station), and Megabus (via City Market). The Indiana University Health People Mover opened in 2003 connecting Indiana University Health's medical centers with related facilities on the IUPUI campus. It is currently the only example of commuter rail in Indianapolis and is also notable for being the only private transportation system in the U.S. elevated above public streets.

In 2015, the city introduced BlueIndy, an electric carsharing program that will ultimately include 500 electric cars at 200 charging stations throughout the city.

Utilities

Electricity is provided by Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL), a subsidiary of AES Corporation. IPL generates 3,343 MW of electricity at four power stations, two wind farms, and 34 solar farms, covering a service area of 528 square miles (1,370 km2). Despite a portfolio comprised 100% of nonrenewable energy sources in 2007, IPL ended coal-firing operations at its Harding Street Station in 2016. In 2016, Indianapolis had the second highest number of photovoltaics (PVs) per capita in the U.S.

Citizens Energy Group, a public charitable trust, operates five divisions: natural gas, water, thermal, oil, and resources. Covanta Energy operates a waste-to-energy plant in the city, processing solid waste for steam production. Steam is sold to Citizens Thermal Energy's Perry K. Generating Station for the downtown Indianapolis district heating system, the second largest in the U.S. Republic Services provides curbside solid waste and recycling removal.