Indianapolis

The city spreads across central Indiana in a grid of broad avenues radiating from Monument Circle, where downtown towers rise above older blocks of brick buildings. Neighborhoods like Broad Ripple to the north and Fountain Square to the southeast maintain their own commercial strips and residential streets, connected by tree-lined boulevards and greenways along the water.

Two planners laid out the settlement in 1821 on farmland chosen to become the new state capital, replacing earlier temporary seats of government. The arrival of railroads in the mid-1800s transformed the modest town into a regional hub for manufacturing and trade, drawing workers from surrounding farms and distant states.

Throughout May, racing enthusiasts gather in neighborhoods near the speedway to host backyard parties and hang banners celebrating the month-long motorsport festival. On summer weekends, residents head to the riverfront greenways and downtown canal walk, where food vendors set up tables and local bands play beneath the bridges.

An international airport east of downtown provides direct connections to major cities, while several interstate highways loop around and through the central districts. The downtown core is walkable, especially around the central circle and along the canal, though many neighborhoods spread far enough to make a car or rideshare helpful for reaching outer districts.

The local children's museum houses a spiral staircase entirely covered in glass mosaic tiles that climbs more than 130 feet (40 meters) inside the building. Below the motor speedway, old tunnels and maintenance chambers once used for track infrastructure remain hidden beneath the grandstands, occasionally opened during special behind-the-scenes tours.

Location: Marion County

Inception: 1821

Elevation above the sea: 218 m

Shares border with: Beech Grove, Lawrence, Southport, Speedway, Cumberland, Greenwood, Avon, Zionsville, Carmel, Fishers, McCordsville

GPS coordinates: 39.76861,-86.15806

Latest update: December 2, 2025 21:32