Muncie, County seat in Delaware County, Indiana, United States.
Muncie sits on the White River in eastern Indiana and serves as the administrative center of Delaware County with residential neighborhoods, parks and a large university campus. Streets run in a grid through the city, connecting older areas near the river with newer developments farther out.
Goldsmith C. Gilbert, a trader, provided land in 1827 for the new county seat and named the place after the Munsee people who had previously lived in the region. The city grew through the 19th century with railroad construction and became an industrial center in the 20th century.
The Munsee, a Lenape tribe, gave the city its name and the area preserves this connection in local names and memory. University students bring movement to streets and shops during term time, while summers and breaks leave the city quieter.
City areas are accessible by car or bicycle, though some stretches between neighborhoods can be long. Visitors find public parking downtown and can walk between nearby museums, parks and shops.
Sociologists Robert and Helen Lynd chose this city in the 1920s for a long-term study of ordinary American life. Their publications made the place known worldwide as an example of typical small-town living.
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