INDIANA FACTS & LINKS
Index
Population for Indiana:
1988 - 5,556,000
1989 - 5,593,000
1991 - 5,610,000
1992 - 5,662,000
1993 - 5,713,000
1994 - 5,752,000
1995 - 5,803,000
1997 - 5,864,000
2000 - 6,080,485
2002 - 6,151,102
2003 - 6,184,519
2004 - 6,218,863
2005 - 6,257,121
2006 - 6,302,646
2007 - 6,345,289
In 2000, Indiana was the 14th largest state by population
Population Density: 167 persons per square mile, the 13th highest density among
the states
Geography
Longitude: 84° 49' W to 88° 4' W
Latitude: 37° 47' N to 41° 46' N
width: 140 miles
length: 270 miles
Geographic Center: 14 miles NNW of Indianapolis in Marion County at Longitude:
86° 16.0'W Latitude: 39° 53.7'N
Total land area: 35,870 square miles
Total water area: 550 square miles
Total area: 36,420, the 38th largest state
Borders: Lake Michigan as well as the state of Michigan border Indiana to the north. Kentucky is on the southern border with Ohio on the east and Illinois on the west.
Average Elevation: 700 feet
Highest Point: 1,257 feet above sea level in Wayne County
Lowest Point: 320 feet above sea level in Posey County
Climate:
Indiana generally has all four distinct seasons.
Average annual rainfall: 40 inches
Average Summer temperature: 70-80 degrees fahrenheit
Average Winter temperature: 25-35- degrees fahrenheit
Record high temperature: 116 degrees, Fahrenheit on 14 July 1936 at Collegeville
Record low temperature: -36 degrees, Fahrenheit on 19 January 1994 at New Whiteland
History
The name, Indiana means “Land of Indians.” It was used when the Indiana Territory was created from the Northwest Territory in 1800.
Indiana was admitted to the Union, on December 11, 1816, as the 19th State.
It was nicknamed "The Hoosier State"
The State Motto, "The Crossroads of America", was adopted in 1937.
The first state capitol was Corydon. Indianapolis became the capitol of Indiana.
in 1825
What is a Hoosier?
There are many versions of how the Hoosier nickname became used in Indiana.
Here is one of those versions. See the above website for other ideas!
Here in Indiana, the people are known as "Hoosiers". How this
name came about, years ago during the gas boom days, there were so many southerners
that moved here from West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia that people
didn't know who was who. So with their southern accent, it was common
for people to ask, "Who's your Mother" or "Who's your Father."
Thus, the name "Hoosier" stuck.
Trivia
Indiana has earned the nickname "Mother of Vice-Presidents". There have been five men from Indiana elected as vice-presidents: Schuyler Colfax, Thomas A. Hendricks, Charles W. Fairbanks, Thomas Marshall and Dan Quayle.
The first train robbery in the United States was committed by the Reno brothers in 1866. They hopped the Ohio and Minnesota train as it pulled out of the Seymour, Indiana depot. Their take was $15,000.
The Greene County (Indiana) viaduct was completed in 1906. Locally known as "Tulip Trestle", it is 180 feet high and 2,295 feet long making it the longest train trestle in the U. S.
Indiana was the first state to provide for a free public school system in its constitution.
It was once illegal to take a bath in the wintertime in Indiana.
Indianapolis, Indiana was laid out on a wheel pattern following the design of Washington, D.C
The first professional baseball game was played in Fort Wayne, Indiana on May 4, 1871.
Crawfordsville, Indiana is the home of the only known working rotary jail in the United States. The jail, with its rotating cellblock, was built in 1882 and served as the Montgomery County jail until 1972. It is now a museum.
Historic Parke County, Indiana has 32 covered bridges and is the Covered Bridge Capital of the world.
Deep below the earth in Southern Indiana is a sea of limestone that is one of the richest deposits of top-quality limestone found anywhere on earth. New York City’s Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the Pentagon, the U.S. Treasury, and a dozen other government buildings in Washington, D.C., as well as 14 state capitols around the nation are built from this sturdy, beautiful Indiana limestone.
In 1862, Richard Gatling of Indianapolis, Indiana invented the rapid-fire machine gun.
The Saturday Evening Post is published in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Courthouse in Greensburg, Indiana has a tree growing from it.
Tomato juice was first served at a French Lick, Indiana Hotel in 1925.
An average of 400 funnel clouds are sighted each year in Indiana.
Infamous bank robber, John Dillinger, declared he would never rob any banks in Anderson, Indiana because there were railroad tracks over every exit road.
Crown Hill Cemetery (Indianapolis) is the largest cemetery in the U.S.
Pendleton, Indiana was the site of the first hanging of a white man for killing Indians.
Indianapolis has the most Interstate legs in the U.S. earning it the title of "Crossroads of America".
The world's first transistor radio was made in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Elkhart, Indiana is the band instrument capitol of the World.
LaPorte County (Indiana) is the only county in America having 2 functioning Courthouses.
Southern Indiana Chamber of Commerce
4100 Charlestown Road
New Albany, Indiana 47150
Phone: (812) 945-0266
Fax: (812) 948-4664
Indiana Chamber of Commerce
115 West Washington St. Suite 850 South
Indianapolis, IN 46244
Phone: (317) 264-3110
Fax: (317) 264-6855
Indiana Historical Bureau
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2296
Phone: 317-232-2535
Indiana Historical Society
450 W. Ohio St
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Phone: (317) 232-1882
Try this very comprehensive timeline for the state, including many links
The Indiana State Library website
State Information Center
Indiana Government Center South
402 W. Washington Street
Room W160A
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2725
Phone: 800-45-STATE or 317-233-0800
Government Links page
for Indiana
Great links page for all levels of government in Indiana
Information about Indiana for kids
What is a Hoosier? - Find
out here
List of all cities, towns, communities,
counties in Indiana.
This list also includes towns which no longer exist or what they are named now
How was Indiana named? Find out here!
Take a look at the Indiana State Seal
Covered Bridges in Indiana
Muncie and Indiana Law Enforcement Guide
Find the weather for anyplace in the USA
This page was last updated 10 May 2008 at 8:31 am
Return to the Indiana State page on Key to the City
To go to another state, go to the States page
Thanks for dropping by. Be sure to come back soon!!