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City Overview
Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana and the seat of Marion County; the Indianapolis metropolitan statistical area includes Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Morgan, and Shelby counties. Decreed by proclamation in the nineteenth century as the state capital and carved out of the wilderness where only a settlers' camp had previously stood, Indianapolis redefined itself by the end of the twentieth century. The city is undergoing a renaissance of far-ranging proportions through development and improvement projects that are transforming both the image and the character of the downtown area. Building on the fame of the annual Indianapolis 500 automobile race, the city has become a national center for amateur sports and athletics; it is also a major financial, industrial, commercial, and transportation center for the Midwest. Education and the arts flourish in Indianapolis, and Circle Centre, an entertainment and shopping complex, has sparked renewed commercial and economic development in the city center. More
City Facts
- Founded: 1821 (incorporated, 1847)
- Head Official: Mayor Bart Peterson (D) (since January 2000) Past Indianapolis Mayors
- City Population
- 1980: 701,000
- 1990: 731,278
- 2000: 781,870
- 2003 estimate: 783,438
- Percent change, 1990–2000: 6.9%
- U.S. rank in 1980: 12th
- U.S. rank in 1990: 13th
- U.S. rank in 2000: 17th (State rank: 1st)
- Metropolitan Area Population
- 1980: 1,167,000
- 1990: 1,380,491
- 2000: 1,607,486
- Percent change, 1990–2000: 16.4%
- U.S. rank in 1980: 30th
- U.S. rank in 1990: Not reported
- U.S. rank in 2000: 29th
- Area: 361 square miles (2000)
- Elevation: Ranges from 645 to 910 feet above sea level
- Average Annual Temperature: 52.1° F
- Average Annual Precipitation: 40 inches of rain, 23 inches of snow
- Major Economic Sectors: Trade, services, manufacturing
- Unemployment Rate: 5.7% (March 2005)
- Per Capita Income: $21,640 (1999)
- 2002 FBI Crime Index Total: Not reported
- Major Colleges and Universities: Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis; Butler University; University of Indianapolis; Ivy-Tech; Marian College
- Daily Newspaper:The Indianapolis Star
Historical Snapshot
City Resources
Local & State Government
- Indianapolis utilizes Unigov, a complex, multi-tiered City-county consolidated government, with overlapping and incomplete jurisdictions at many levels. The current mayor of Indianapolis (as of 2006) is Bart Peterson (D). Mayors since the institution of the current government structure have been Steve Goldsmith (R), Peterson's predecessor 1992-1999, William Hudnut (R), 1976-91, U.S. Senator Dick Lugar (R), who served 1968-1975, and Al Feeney (D) 1948-1950.
- Past Mayors of Indianapolis
U. S. Post Office
Chamber of Commerce
Visitor Information
Indianapolis Hospitals
Libraries
Safety Tips
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