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A resident of Indiana is called a Hoosier (which is also the name used for a student of Indiana University, Bloomington).
The USS Indiana was named in honor of this state.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Law and Government
3 Geography
4 Economy
5 Demographics
5.1 Religion
6 Important cities and towns
7 Education
7.1 Colleges and universities
8 Professional sports teams
9 Time zones
10 Miscellaneous information
11 Natural resources
12 External links
[edit]
History
The area of Indiana has been settled since before the development of the Hopewell culture (ca. 100–400 CE). It was part of the Mississippian culture from roughly 1000CE up to the conventional end of Mississippian dating ("contact with Europeans"). The specific Native American tribes that inhabited this territory at that time were primarily the Miami and the Shawnee. 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.
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Law and Government
The current governor of Indiana is Mitch Daniels, whose campaign slogan was "My Man Mitch," elected on November 2, 2004. The state's U.S. senators are B. Evans "Evan" Bayh III (Democrat) and Richard G. Lugar (Republican).
Indiana is generally considered one of the safest states for the Republicans in the nation. Since it supported Lyndon B. Johnson over Barry Goldwater in 1964, Indiana has not backed a single Democratic presidential candidate.
See: List of Indiana Governors, Indiana General Assembly
[edit]
Geography
Map of IndianaIndiana is bounded on the north by Lake Michigan and the state of Michigan, on the east by Ohio, on the south by Kentucky with which it shares the Ohio River as a border, and on the west by Illinois. Indiana is one of the Great Lakes states.
The 475 mile long Wabash River bisects the state from northeast to southwest and has given Indiana two themesongs, the state song On the Banks of the Wabash as well as The Wabash Cannonball. The White River (a tributary of the Wabash, which is a tributary of the Ohio) zigzags through central Indiana. Indianapolis and Muncie are large cities on this river. Evansville, the third largest city in Indiana, is located on the Ohio river, which forms all of the Indiana-Kentucky border.
Northern Indiana is mostly farmland; however, the northwest corner of the state is part of the greater metropolitan area of Chicago and is therefore more densely populated. Gary, a city on Lake Michigan, is effectively a suburb of Chicago, even though it is in Indiana. The Kankakee River, which winds through Northern Indiana, serves somewhat as a demarcating line between rural and suburban northwest Indiana.
See also: List of Indiana counties, List of Indiana rivers, Watersheds of Indiana
[edit]
Economy
The total gross state product in 2003 was $214 billion. Indiana's per capita income, as of 2003, was $28,783.
Most of northern Indiana is very flat farmland dotted with small towns, such as North Manchester.Indiana is located well 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. Soybeans are also a major cash crop. The state's nearness to large urban centers, such as Chicago, Illinois, also assures that much dairying, egg production, and specialty horticulture occur. Specialty crops include melons (southern Wabash Valley), tomatoes (concentrated in central Indiana), grapes, and mint (Source: USDA crop profiles). In addition, Indiana is a significant producer of tobacco. It should be remembered that while the state is in the Corn Belt, the original land was not prairie and had to be cleared of deciduous trees. Many isolated parcels of woodland remain, and much of the southern, hilly portion is heavily forested (a condition which supports a local furniture-making sector in that part of the state).
A high percentage of Indiana's GDP comes from manufacturing, and much of this activity is heavy manufacturing. In the state, industry tends to be concentrated in the northern half. The Calumet region of northwest Indiana is the largest steel producing area in the USA, and this activity also requires that very large amounts of electric power be generated. Indiana's other manufactures include electrical equipment, transportation equipment, chemical products, rubber, petroleum and coal products, and factory machinery. In addition, Indiana has the international headquarters of the Eli Lilly and the U.S. headquarters of the Roche pharmaceutical companies. Surprisingly, in view of the large agricultural sector, comparatively little food processing occurs in the state.
Like most interior states, Indiana is poorly located with respect to emerging coastal markets and new overseas sources of raw materials for manufacturing. However, Indiana has been much less hit by declines in traditional Rust Belt manufactures than many of its neighbors. The explanation appears to be certain factors in the labor market. First, much of the heavy manufacturing, such as industrial machinery and steel, requires highly skilled labor, and firms are often willing to locate where hard-to-train skills already exist. Second, Indiana's labor force is located primarily in medium-sized and smaller cities rather than in very large and expensive metropolises. This makes it possible for firms to offer, and labor accept, somewhat lower wages for these skills than would normally be paid. 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. One of the many public buildings faced with this stone is The Pentagon, and after the attack of September 11, 2001, a special effort was made by the mining industry of Indiana to replace those damaged walls with as nearly identical type and cut of material as the original facing. There are also large coal mines in the southern portion of the state. Like most Great Lakes states Indiana has small to medium operating petroleum fields; the principal location of these today is in extreme southwest Indiana in an area somewhat confusingly called the "Illinois Field."
[edit]
Demographics
Historical populations
Census
year Population
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1800 2,632
1810 24,520
1820 147,178
1830 343,031
1840 685,866
1850 988,416
1860 1,350,428
1870 1,680,637
1880 1,978,301
1890 2,192,404
1900 2,516,462
1910 2,700,876
1920 2,930,390
1930 3,238,503
1940 3,427,796
1950 3,934,224
1960 4,662,498
1970 5,193,669
1980 5,490,224
1990 5,544,159
2000 6,080,485
As of 2004, the population of Indiana was estimated to be 6,237,569. This includes about 229,000 foreign-born (3.7%).
Racially, the state is:
85.8% White
8.4% Black
3.5% Hispanic
1% Asian
0.3% Native American
1.2% Mixed race
The five largest ancestries in the state are: German (22.7%), American (12%), Irish (10.8%), English (8.9%), African American (8.4%).
German is the largest ancestry reported in Indiana, with almost one-in-four whites reporting German ancestry in the Census. Persons of American and British ancestry are also present throughout the state, especially in the southern and central parts of the state. Gary and the surrounding Chicago suburbs, along with the city of Indianapolis, have large black populations.
In addition, the more populated regions are the central area around Indianapolis, the far northwest and north central areas near Lake Michigan, and the northeastern area near Fort Wayne. Major cities that are not in these areas include Evansville, Bloomington, and Terre Haute.
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Religion
Religiously, Indiana is predominantly Protestant, although there is also a moderate-sized Roman Catholic population. The Catholic presence is perhaps better known than its size would imply due to the existence of the University of Notre Dame in the state. Indiana is home to a significant proportion of Mennonite and Amish Christians, and the state has the nation's largest population of members of the Protestant "Churches of Christ" denomination.
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%
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Important cities and towns
population > 1,000,000 (urbanized area)
Indianapolis, capital city, near center of state
population > 100,000 (urbanized area)
Fort Wayne, in the northeast
South Bend, near Michigan border, home of University of Notre Dame
Evansville, in the southwest, on the Ohio River
Gary, in the northwest, birthplace of Michael and Janet Jackson
population > 10,000 (urbanized area)
Anderson
Bloomington, home of Indiana University (main campus)
Muncie, home of Ball State University
Terre Haute, home of Indiana State University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Clabber Girl Baking Powder and the home of Eugene V. Debs (famous socialist presidential candidate) and where the first Coca-Cola bottle was created
Elkhart
Lafayette
West Lafayette, home of the main campus of Purdue University
Michigan City
Kokomo
Columbus
Marion, birthplace of actor James Dean and cartoonist Jim Davis.
Richmond
Warsaw
Logansport
New Castle
Vincennes
Auburn, home of Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum.
Seymour
Shelbyville
Huntington, home of Huntington University
Frankfort
Connersville
Crawfordsville
Greenfield
Peru
Bedford
Lebanon
Madison
Jasper
Lawrenceburg
Martinsville
Washington
Plymouth
Wabash
North Vernon
Scottsburg
Angola
Elwood
Kendallville
Greensburg
Decatur
Valparaiso, home of Valparaiso University
Brazil
Jeffersonville
Important Suburbs of Indianapolis
Avon
Beech Grove
Brownsburg
Carmel
Cory
Fishers
Franklin
Greenwood
Lawrence
Noblesville
Plainfield
Pendleton
Southport
Speedway, home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Important Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois
Crown Point
East Chicago
Gary
Griffith
Hammond
Highland, Lake County
Hobart
Merrillville
Munster
Portage
Important Suburbs of Louisville, Kentucky
Clarksville
Jeffersonville
New Albany
Important Suburbs of Fort Wayne
Huntertown
Leo-Cedarville
New Haven
Important Suburbs of South Bend-Elkhart
Goshen
Granger
Mishawaka
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Education
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Colleges and universities
State-Supported
Ball State University
Indiana State University
Indiana University System
Indiana University at Bloomington
Indiana University East
Indiana University at Kokomo
Indiana University Northwest
Indiana University South Bend
Indiana University Southeast
Indiana University Purdue University at Columbus
Indiana University Purdue University at Fort Wayne
Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis
Ivy Tech State College
Purdue University System
Purdue University
Purdue University Calumet
Purdue University North Central
Indiana University Purdue University at Columbus
Indiana University Purdue University at Fort Wayne
Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis
Purdue University School of Technology
Anderson
Columbus
Indianapolis
Kokomo
Muncie
New Albany
Richmond
Indiana University South Bend
Versailles
University of Southern Indiana
Vincennes University
Private
Ancilla College
Anderson University
Bethel College
Butler University
Calumet College of St. Joseph
Christian Theological Seminary
Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne
DePauw University
Earlham College
Franklin College
Goshen College
Grace College
Hanover College
Holy Cross College
Huntington University
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 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
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Professional sports teams
Indianapolis Colts, National Football League
Indiana Pacers, National Basketball Association
Indiana Fever, Women's National Basketball Association
Fort Wayne Komets, United Hockey League
Minor League baseball teams
Indianapolis Indians
South Bend Silver Hawks
Fort Wayne Wizards
[edit]
Time zones
Map of U.S. time zones, with Indiana shaded out.Most of Indiana has historically exempted itself from the observation of daylight saving time (DST). The area that is within the Eastern time zone is legally exempt from daylight saving time; some counties within this area, particularly Floyd, Clark, and Harrison counties near Louisville, Kentucky, and Ohio and Dearborn counties near Cincinnati, Ohio, observe daylight saving time unofficially and illegally by local custom. Several counties in the northwestern corner of Indiana, near Chicago, Illinois, and several counties in the southwestern corner of Indiana are in the Central time zone and remain subject to daylight saving time.
The history of this unique arrangement is fairly convoluted. When DST was formally adopted, Indiana was in the Central time zone. However, many parts of the state stayed on Central DST the entire year. Eventually, a long-fought battle in the Indiana state legislature led to the current compromise. In the past several years, there have been attempts to place the entirety of Indiana in the Eastern time zone, with Eastern DST, but these have proved impossible to implement. More recently, support has begun to grow for returning Indiana to the Central time zone with Central time zone DST, but this has not been popular enough to implement. On April 28, 2005, the state legislature voted 51-46 for the entire state to observe daylight saving time starting April, 2006. Counties would remain under their current time zones, but the bill also asks the federal Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over time zones, to reconsider whether more counties should switch to the Central zone.
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Miscellaneous information
State bird: Cardinal
State flower: Peony
State motto: "The Crossroads of America"
State poem: Indiana, by Arthur Franklin Mapes
State song: On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away
State river: Wabash
State stone: Salem limestone
State tree: Tulip tree
Indiana is the home state of a disproportionately large number of Astronauts, including such notables as "Gus" Grissom, and Frank Borman. Many other astronauts, including Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan, were graduates of Purdue University in West Lafayette ([1]). Neil Armstrong's Purdue class ring may be the only such object that has ever traveled to the moon and back.
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Natural resources
There are 24 Indiana state parks, nine man-made reservoirs and hundreds of lakes in the state.
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External links
Wikimedia Commons has more media related to:
IndianaIndiana government home page
Indiana state emblems
U.S. Census Bureau
Indiana Newspapers
Regions of Indiana
Chicagoland (includes the Chicago suburbs (Indiana) | Michiana | Nine-County Region | Southern Indiana
Largest cities
Anderson | Bloomington | Carmel | Columbus | Elkhart | Evansville | Fishers | Fort Wayne | Gary | Hammond | Indianapolis | Kokomo | Lafayette | Lawrence | Mishawaka | Muncie | New Albany | Richmond | South Bend | Terre Haute
Counties
Adams | Allen | Bartholomew | Benton | Blackford | Boone | Brown | Carroll | Cass | Clark | Clay | Clinton | Crawford | Daviess | De Kalb | Dearborn | Decatur | Delaware | Dubois | Elkhart | Fayette | Floyd | Fountain | Franklin | Fulton | Gibson | Grant | Greene | Hamilton | Hancock | Harrison | Hendricks | Henry | Howard | Huntington | Jackson | Jasper | Jay | Jefferson | Jennings | Johnson | Knox | Kosciusko | Lagrange | Lake | LaPorte | Lawrence | Madison | Marion | Marshall | Martin | Miami | Monroe | Montgomery | Morgan | Newton | Noble | Ohio | Orange | Owen | Parke | Perry | Pike | Porter | Posey | Pulaski | Putnam | Randolph | Ripley | Rush | Saint Joseph | Scott | Shelby | Spencer | Starke | Steuben | Sullivan | Switzerland | Tippecanoe | Tipton | Union | Vanderburgh | Vermillion | Vigo | Wabash | Warren | Warrick | Washington | Wayne | Wells | White | Whitley
Political divisions of the United States
States Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming
Federal district District of Columbia
Insular areas American Samoa | Baker Island | Guam | Howland Island | Jarvis Island | Johnston Atoll | Kingman Reef | Midway Atoll | Navassa Island | Northern Mariana Islands | Palmyra Atoll | Puerto Rico | Virgin Islands | Wake Island
