Indiana

Indiana is a U.S. state in the midwestern and Great Lakes regions of North America. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Other famous cities and towns include Bloomington, Gary, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Evansville, Muncie, Lafayette, and Marion. People who live in Indiana are sometimes called Hoosiers. Indiana's state bird is a Cardinal. Indiana's state flower is a Peony. Indiana's state tree is a Tulip Tree. Indiana has borders with four other states: Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio. It also touches Lake Michigan; which is the only one of the Great Lakes that is completely inside the United States.

Indiana
State of Indiana
Official seal of Indiana
Nickname(s): 
The Hoosier State
Motto(s): 
The Crossroads of America
Anthem: On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away
Map of the United States with Indiana highlighted
Map of the United States with Indiana highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodIndiana Territory
Admitted to the UnionDecember 11, 1816 (19th)
Capital
(and largest city)
Indianapolis
Largest metro and urban areasGreater Indianapolis
Government
  GovernorEric Holcomb (R)
  Lieutenant GovernorSuzanne Crouch (R)
LegislatureGeneral Assembly
  Upper houseIndiana Senate
  Lower houseIndiana House of Representatives
U.S. senatorsTodd Young (R)
Mike Braun (R)
U.S. House delegation7 Republicans
2 Democrats (list)
Area
  Total36,418 sq mi (94,321 km2)
  Land35,868 sq mi (92,897 km2)
  Water550 sq mi (1,424 km2)  1.5%
Area rank38th
Dimensions
  Length270 mi (435 km)
  Width140 mi (225 km)
Elevation
700 ft (210 m)
Highest elevation
(Hoosier Hill[1][2])
1,257 ft (383 m)
Lowest elevation
(Confluence of Ohio River and Wabash River[1][2])
320 ft (97 m)
Population
 (2019)
  Total6,733,219
  Rank17th
  Density183/sq mi (70.7/km2)
  Density rank16th
  Median household income
$54,181 (2,017)[3]
  Income rank
24th
Demonym(s)Hoosier
Language
  Official languageEnglish
Time zones
80 countiesUTC−05:00 (Eastern)
  Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
12 countiesUTC−06:00 (Central)
  Summer (DST)UTC−05:00 (CDT)
USPS abbreviation
IN
ISO 3166 codeUS-IN
Traditional abbreviationInd.
Latitude37° 46′ N to 41° 46′ N
Longitude84° 47′ W to 88° 6′ W
Websitewww.in.gov
Indiana state symbols
Living insignia
BirdCardinal
FishLargemouth bass
FlowerPeony
InsectSay's Firefly[4]
TreeTulip tree
Inanimate insignia
ColorsBlue and gold
FirearmGrouseland Rifle
FoodSugar cream pie
Poem"Indiana"
RockSalem Limestone
ShipUSS Indianapolis (4), USS Indiana (4)
SloganHonest to Goodness Indiana
SoilMiami
SportBasketball
OtherRiver: Wabash
State route marker
Indiana state route marker
State quarter
Indiana quarter dollar coin
Released in 2002
Lists of United States state symbols

Before it was called Indiana, most people who lived there were indigenous. France colonized the area, renaming it New France. They enslaved the indigenous peoples, and introduced black slaves too.[5] In the 18th century, the new United States took the area from France, and many slave owners from Kentucky and Virginia moved into the area.[6] By 1820, it had become a state called Indiana and the government ordered all slaves to be freed, but black people were still enslaved there into at least the 1830s.[7]

Attractions

One famous attraction of Indiana is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is where the Indy 500 is held every year. The Indy 500 is one of the most famous car races in the United States. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is not actually in Indianapolis. It is in a town called Speedway, which is completely surrounded by Indianapolis.

Sports

As well as being home to the Indy 500 there are several well known sports teams in Indiana. Professional sports teams include the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) and the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Colleges and universities in Indiana with well known sports teams include Purdue University, the University of Notre Dame, and Indiana University.

References

  1. "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  2. Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988.
  3. "Median Annual Household Income". The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  4. "Lightning bug becomes Indiana's official state insect". 13 WTHR Indianapolis. February 27, 2018. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  5. Jacob Piatt Dunn (1888). Indiana: A Redemption from Slavery. University of Michigan. Houghton, Mifflin & Co.
  6. McCord, Shirley S. (1970). Travel Accounts of Indiana, 1679-1961: A Collection of Observations by Wayfaring Foreigners, Itinerants, and Peripatetic Hoosiers. Indiana Historical Bureau. ISBN 9781885323248.
  7. Rosenberg, Morton M.; McClurg, Dennis V. (1968). The Politics of Pro-Slavery Sentiment in Indiana 1816-1861. Ball State University. Some Hoosiers continued to ignore the Lasselle verdict as the Federal Census of 1830 indicated, for three slaves were registered as still residing in Indiana. Moreover, a local census in Vincennes and Knox County revealed thirty-two slaves there.

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