Indianapolis City Guide

Indianapolis is the capital of the US state of Indiana. It’s the most populous city of Indiana and the 12th largest city of the United States. Indianapolis was made the state capital in 1821 by an act of the Indiana General Assembly. Indianapolis witnessed an era of great prosperity in the beginning of the 20th century when a large natural gas deposit was discovered there. However, the natural gas deposits were used up by 1915 and this led to an abrupt end of its prosperous times.

State: Indiana

Country: United States of America

Location: Indianapolis is located in the center of the state of Indiana.

Geographic Coordinates: Latitude 39.46 ° N, Longitude 86.09° W

Map: To view an Indianapolis city map,
click here. Map of Indianapolis

Area: It has a total area of 368.1 sq miles (953.5 sq km).

Per Capita Income: The per capita income of the city is $21,640.

Population: According to a US Census estimate of the year 2004, the population of Indianapolis is 794,160

Age Distribution: 25.7 percent of the people of Indianapolis are under the age of 18. The 18 to 24 age group accounts for 10.2 percent of the population, while the 25 to 44 age group makes up 32.9 percent. 20.3 percent of the people are between the ages of 45 to 64, while 11 percent are 65 years or older.

Racial Makeup: African-Americans make up 25.29 percent of the population of Indianapolis, while Asians account for 1.31 percent. Native Americans make up only 0.3 percent of the population. Hispanics account for 3.79 percent, while Whites account for 67.52 percent of the population.

Economy: Indianapolis is the main processing point for a rich agricultural region. It has a flourishing grain and livestock market. The city today has an economy that has many well-developed core areas, which include biomedical research, insurance, real estate management, development, and manufacturing. Some other industries that sustain the city’s economy are printing, publishing, flour milling, manufacturing of construction and agricultural equipment, clay, paper, lumber, dairy products, electronics, chemicals, auto parts, feeds, fertilizers, apparel, and pharmaceuticals.

Climate: Summers in Indianapolis prove to be hot and sticky, but they are still tolerable. Temperatures during the summer can reach up to 90o F, but on an average, the summer temperatures are from 60o F to 85o F. The warmest months are July and August with temperatures at the 85o F mark. The spring and early fall months are the most pleasant, when temperatures hit 65o F. The coldest months are December, January, and February, which often experience sub zero temperatures. Indianapolis also experiences snowfall during the months between November and March. Winter temperatures usually range between 17o F and 39o F.

Government Type: Indianapolis has adopted a unique system of government called Unigov. Under this system, the city and county governments have been consolidated. This has proven to be very helpful in Indianapolis’s economic development. Unigov, which was created nearly a generation ago, has demonstrated to the other municipalities how efficient this form of government can be. Under Unigov, the City Council and the County Council combined to form the City-County Council. Under Unigov, the Mayor is the chief executive officer of both the city and the county. The legislative branch of the city is made up of the 29-member City-County Council. Of these, 25 members are elected from each district and the voters of the entire county elect 4 members.

Major Political Parties: Democratic Party, Republican Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party, Indiana Constitution Party