BigDaddyData.Com: Indiana Indianapolis

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    Indianapolis is the capital and largest city of Indiana. Located in the center of the state on the unnavigable White River, the city is the seat of Marion County. The city has a population of 741,952 (1990 census) and the metropolitan area has a population of 1,249,822 (1990 census). Indianapolis has a January mean temperature of - 3.3 deg C (26 deg F) and a July mean of 24 deg C (75 deg F).

    Indianapolis is the market center for the surrounding grain and livestock region and is an important trucking center along long-distance cargo routes. Among the products manufactured in the city are pharmaceuticals, paper, furniture, transportation equipment, televisions, telephone and electrical equipment, medical diagnostic equipment, and phonograph records. The meat-packing industry is also important.

    The city's streets are laid out in a wheel pattern, with major arteries converging at Monument Circle, with the 87-m-high (285-ft) Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Nearby are the 5-block World War Memorial Plaza and the state capitol.

    The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with its annual Indianapolis 500 Auto Race, is to the northwest. Other places of interest are the historic Lockerbie Square area with its 19th-century homes, including the home of Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley; the Scottish Rite Cathedral; President Benjamin Harrison home; the Indianapolis Museum of Art; and the Children's Museum. Indianapolis is also the home of Butler University (1855).

    Indianapolis was settled in 1820 and was designated the state capital in 1825, replacing Corydon. By 1827 the National Road had reached Indianapolis. In 1836 it was incorporated as a town and, in 1847, as a city. The railroad arrived in 1847, linking the city with markets to the east.