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Real Estate & Homes in Indianapolis - Indiana - Indianapolis, Indiana homes and communities
Indianapolis
Background The largest city in Indiana as well as its capital, Indianapolis has a reputation as a friendly, safe city with a clean and well-organized downtown district. Probably most famous as the home of the Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis is the second-most populous state capital in the United States after Phoenix, AZ. A quintessentially midwestern city known for its historical monuments and sprawling suburbs, Indianapolis is considered underrated by most of its residents. History The first settler in the Indianapolis area is thought to have been George Pogue, who arrived in 1819 and built a log cabin along the White River. The city was created to be the state capital in 1821; Alexander Ralston, a student of Washington, D.C. planner Pierre L’Enfant, was hired to lie out the new city. He designed the town center around a large circular commons which he called Governor’s Circle, which served as a town market until a Governor’s mansion was completed there in 1827; however, no one ever lived there due to the total lack of privacy. It was demolished in 1857, and the Circle became Monument Circle once the 284-foot-tall Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was completed there in 1901. Streets radiate outward from this central circle, a similar city layout to the one L’Enfant used for the nation’s capital. The city founders assumed that the White River would be a major trade artery to Indianapolis, but the river was found to be too sandy for these purposes. The city undertook a mammoth project to construct the Central Canal as a river bypass. It was planned to run almost 300 miles from Logansport through Indianapolis and on to Evansville, connecting the Wabash and Erie Canal to the Ohio River. Construction began in 1836, but the state went bankrupt in 1839 and work ceased. The Canal still runs through downtown Indianapolis, but only eight miles of it were ever operational as a trade route. At the beginning of the 20th century, Indianapolis entered a time of great growth and prosperity, largely due to the discovery of a natural gas deposit in the area. The state offered a free supply of natural gas to any factories that were built there, and almost overnight the city was bristling with glass and automobile manufacturing. This golden era abruptly ended, however, when the gas was depleted in 1915. Despite the fact that the city’s demographics skew heavily towards whites, Indianapolis has been a hotbed of racial conflicts. The Indiana chapter of the KKK was the most powerful Klan organization in the United States in the 1920s. At one point, the Klan had control of the Indiana General Assembly and had placed their own corrupt governor in office. At that time, more then 40% of white males in Indianapolis claimed Klan membership. This influence began to wane as the local Grand Dragon, D.C. Stephenson, was convicted for rape in 1925. The Klan continued to lose support until the national organization was disbanded in 1944. Years later, Senator Robert Kennedy was in Indianapolis when he learned of the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. He gave an impromptu speech on race relations to a largely black crowd in a poor inner-city neighborhood; it is worth noting that Indianapolis was the only major city where rioting did not occur after Dr. King’s death. In 1970, Indianapolis pioneered a new form of government when their city and county systems merged into a single, unified body known as Unigov. This resulted in a merging of the city proper with its suburbs, although a number of “legacy” suburbs retain some measure of independence. Fast Facts City population: 791,926 Community Indianapolis is deservedly famous for its well-maintained and organized downtown area. The striking semi-circular glass atrium of Circle City Mall rubs elbows with major sports venues, restaurants and an unusually large number of military monuments, for which the city is also famous. The downtown Canal Walk is an oasis of attractive tranquility. The city sank considerable funds into making the Walk a pleasantly landscaped, appealing feature of their city center, and it is a popular gathering place. The heart of downtown is known as the Mile Square, because the original city planners laid out the city center to be just that – a mile square. Ringing this central area are historic districts such as Woodruff Place and Lockerbie Square. The historic center of the city’s African-American community is Indiana Avenue just northwest of downtown. Another key historic neighborhood is the North Meridian Street Historic District, located about four miles north of downtown, which is filled with mansions built in the 1920s and 1930s, including the Governor’s Mansion. The Broad Ripple neighborhood is an eclectic area near Keystone and Westfield on the city’s north side filled with bars, clubs, restaurants and cafes. Butler University is located in Broad Ripple, and the student population brings live music, college hangouts, and a multitude of bike trails and parks. Picturesque suburb Zionsville, just north of town, is an upscale area with brick lined streets and beautiful autumn colors. Carmel, located in wealthy Hamilton County, was ranked by the Wall Street Journal as one of America’s “20 Hottest White Collar Addresses.” Suburbs such as Carmel, Greenwood, and Fishers have seen tremendous growth in the last twenty years. Politically, Indianapolis has traditionally been strongly Republican; in fact, it was considered one of the most conservative of major US cities until the 1990s. Just in the last half-decade, the city and county unified government has been edging towards the Democratic end of the spectrum with the election of Democrat Bart Peterson as mayor. Attractions Indianapolis boasts a truly varied set of attractions and activities. The downtown War Memorial Plaza is second only to Washington, D.C. for sheer concentration of monuments. The Plaze is an impressive collection of architectural and historical monuments to fallen soldiers; Monument Circle is another example of this local tradition of commemorating the past with mammoth edifices of stone and artistry. The single largest tourist attraction in the city is probably the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, site of the Indianapolis 500 and other automobile racing events. With a capacity of 300,000, it is the largest sporting facility in the country. The Brickyard, as it is colloquially known, is also the second-oldest racing track in the world, having existed since 1908; it has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The track also has a 27-hole golf course, site of the PGA Tour’s Nextel Cup, and a Hall of Fame Museum. The city has several museums to its credit, as well. The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art has an impressive collection of Native American arts and crafts along with a great deal of American Southwestern Art. The Children’s Museum, ranked as one of the best museums of its kind in the world, features hands-on exhibits about dinosaurs, world cultures, plants, biology and history. The Indiana State Museum features architecture, art and historical exhibits from Indiana as well as an IMAX theater. In addition, just fifteen miles northeast of the city is Connor Prairie, a living-history museum of a late 1800s village, featuring costumed guides and role-played exhibits about life during the period. Last but not least, the 64-acre Indianapolis Zoo boasts a variety of biomes and animals from different world regions presented in their trademark “cage less” facilities. Located in White River State Park, the Zoo also features a botanical garden and recreational venues. Arts & Culture The Indianapolis Symphony is one of the nation’s few 52-weeks-per-year orchestras, performing 200 concerts annually to more than 500,000 people. It performs at its home venue, Hilbert Circle Theater in downtown Indianapolis, and at Connor Prairie in a “Marsh Symphony on the Prairie” series every summer. The city has many other music organizations, including an opera company, a chamber orchestra, professional chorus and several smaller, independent orchestras. Clowes Memorial Hall, aside from hosting several musical groups, also hosts several of Indianapolis’s array of dance companies. Founded in 1883, the Indianapolis Museum of Art boasts a permanent collection of more than 50,000 works; they are in the process of adding a large number of new collections including textiles and fashions, decorative arts, and printing. The three-part Museum is comprised of the Art Museum, the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, and the Oldfields-Lilly House & Gardens. Education Indianapolis is home to a number of post-secondary institutions. Butler University, a private liberal arts university of some 4000 students, is located in the Broad Ripple neighborhood; the big state final game in the film “Hoosiers,” which was loosely based upon the story of Milan High School’s 1954 basketball team, was shot in Butler’s Hinkle Field house. The University of Indianapolis, also a private university of 4000 students, is located on the city’s south side. The largest campus in town, the awkwardly named Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (known as IUPUI) is a university of 30,000 students and also home to Indiana University Medical Center, a major disease research facility. Sports & Recreation Indianapolis’ major sport event is, as previously mentioned, the Indianapolis 500, held each Memorial Day weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which also hosts the NASCAR Brickyard 400 and the Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix. However, there is more to the local sports scene than just automobile racing. Indianapolis is home to two major-league sports franchises: the Indiana Pacers basketball team and the Indianapolis Colts football team. In addition, the city hosts a WNBA team, the Indiana Fever, and minor league baseball team the Indianapolis Indians, who are affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Indianapolis is very dedicated to amateur sports; in fact, the headquarters of the National Collegiate Athletic Association is located there. The city also hosted the 1987 Pan American Games. Indianapolis has an extensive municipal park system, including Eagle Creek Park, the fourth-largest city-owned park in the United States, which was originally acquired by the Lilly family (of Lilly pharmaceuticals) and eventually came to city ownership. The park is comprised of 3100 acres of park and 1300 acres of water; it is open year-round, dawn to dusk. Activities there include canoeing and kayaking, hiking, and a nature center with an arboretum. Festivals Indianapolis festivals span the entire year, beginning in January with the Circle City Grand National Rodeo, held indoors at Conseco Field house and showcasing some of the best rodeo cowboys in the world. The city hosts a St. Patrick’s Day parade, a Taste of Indianapolis festival in April and a Vintage Wine & Food Fest in June. One of the year’s biggest events is the Indy Jazz Festival, a fairly new three-day event featuring live music from local artists all the way up to major headliners such as Tony Bennett and David Sanborn. The summer winds down with the Indiana Stage Fair and the Indy Irish Fest. Dining Indianapolis cuisine tends towards good-old fashioned midwestern fare. Take, for example, St. Elmo’s Steak House, one of the city’s most venerable eateries. A feature of Indianapolis dining since the early 1900s, St. Elmo’s features black-tie service and feeds the city’s elite, but they are still best known for their large, delicious steaks. Another favorite local tradition is the German restaurant Rathskeller, famous for their baked brie, biergarten, and live polka music. The Broad Ripple Brew Pub is an unassuming hangout in the hip, eclectic north Indy neighborhood with local ales on tap; for the beer-lover with a guilty conscience, the Alcatraz Brewing Company can put you behind bars while you enjoy their beers on tap. As in every city, the locals have their own favorite, forgotten little bistros and pubs tucked away and holding their treasures in secret. The residents of nearby Fishers favor Sahm’s Restaurant, and downtown diners can get a nostalgic taste of the 1950’s at the Fountain Diner, once a Woolworth’s soda fountain. Economy Indianapolis is the main processing point in the middle of a huge agricultural region; it is a major grain and livestock market as well as being the chief commercial and industrial center for a sizable area (the nearest large cities are Columbus and Chicago, both of which are 250 miles distant). Due to its central location, Indianapolis is also a major transportation hub; more interstate freeways and federal highways cross in Indianapolis than any other major American city. Indianapolis is also home to a major Amtrak hub, and the airport serves 17 carriers. Major manufacturing segments in Indianapolis include automobile parts, pharmaceuticals, electrical components and transportation equipment. However, the city is not home to very many major headquarters; the largest is Eli Lilly & Company, a large pharmaceutical manufacturer. The largest employer in the city is the government; in fact, more than 60 percent of residents are in white-collar professions including management, technical and clerical. The median income in Indianapolis is $40,051 for households and $48,755 for families. The city’s economy is healthy and becomes more so as it moves away from manufacturing; the percentage of residents living below the poverty line is surprisingly low for a city of this size.
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