51 Facts About Indiana

1.

Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th state on December 11, 1816.

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2.

Indiana received its name because the state was largely possessed by native tribes even after it was granted statehood.

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3.

Indiana has a diverse economy with a gross state product of $352.

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4.

Indiana's name means "Land of the Indians", or simply "Indian Land".

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5.

In 1679, French explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle was the first European to cross into Indiana after reaching present-day South Bend at the St Joseph River.

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6.

Indiana returned the following year to learn about the region.

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7.

Tribes in Indiana did not give up: they captured Fort Ouiatenon and Fort Miami during Pontiac's Rebellion.

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8.

Indiana's success is often credited for changing the course of the American Revolutionary War.

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9.

Corydon, a town in the far southern part of Indiana, was named the second capital of the Indiana Territory in May 1813 in order to decrease the threat of Native American raids following the Battle of Tippecanoe.

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10.

The largest immigrant group to settle in Indiana were Germans, as well as many immigrants from Ireland and England.

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11.

Indiana was the first western state to mobilize for the United States in the war, and soldiers from Indiana participated in all the war's major engagements.

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12.

In 1861, Indiana was assigned a quota of 7, 500 men to join the Union Army.

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13.

The only Civil War conflicts fought in Indiana were the Newburgh Raid, a bloodless capture of the city; and the Battle of Corydon, which occurred during Morgan's Raid leaving 15 dead, 40 wounded, and 355 captured.

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14.

However, the discovery of natural gas in the 1880s in northern Indiana led to an economic boom: the abundant and cheap fuel attracted heavy industry; the availability of jobs, in turn, attracted new settlers from other parts of the country as well as from Europe.

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15.

Early decades of the 20th century saw Indiana develop into a leading manufacturing state with heavy industry concentrating in the north.

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16.

Indiana's population continued to grow after the war, exceeding five million by the 1970 census.

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17.

Indiana is bordered on the north by Michigan, on the east by Ohio, and on the west by Illinois, partially separated by the Wabash River.

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18.

Central Indiana is mainly flat with some low rolling hills and soil composed of glacial sands, gravel and clay, which results in exceptional farmland.

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19.

Northern Indiana is similar, except for the presence of higher and hillier terminal moraines and hundreds of kettle lakes.

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20.

In northwest Indiana there are various sand ridges and dunes, some reaching nearly 200 feet in height; most of them are at Indiana Dunes National Park.

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21.

Southern Indiana is characterized by valleys and rugged, hilly terrain, contrasting with much of the state.

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22.

Major river systems in Indiana include the Whitewater, White, Blue, Wabash, St Joseph, and Maumee rivers.

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23.

Indiana is one of 13 U S states that are divided into more than one time zone.

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24.

Indiana recorded a population of 6, 785, 528 in the 2020 United States census, a 4.

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25.

Hamilton County has grown faster than any county in the states bordering Indiana, and is the 20th-fastest growing county in the country.

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26.

Three other cities in Indiana have a population greater than 100, 000: Fort Wayne, Evansville (117, 429) and South Bend (101, 168).

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27.

Indiana is home to the Benedictine St Meinrad Archabbey, one of two Catholic archabbeys in the United States and 11 in the world.

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28.

Governor of Indiana serves as the state's chief executive and has the authority to manage the government as established in the Constitution of Indiana.

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29.

Indiana served until his death on November 25, 1885, under President Grover Cleveland.

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30.

Indiana has long been considered a Republican stronghold, particularly in Presidential races.

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31.

Indiana was one of only ten states to support Republican Wendell Willkie in 1940.

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32.

Indiana is home to several current and former military installations.

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33.

Indiana developed a reputation as the "American heartland" after the publication of several widely read novels, beginning with Booth Tarkington's The Gentleman from Indiana, Meredith Nicholson's The Hoosiers (1900), and Thompson's Alice of Old Vincennes (1900).

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34.

Prominent musicians and composers from Indiana reached national acclaim, including Paul Dresser, whose most popular song, "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away", was later adopted as the official state song.

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35.

Indiana is host to a major unlimited hydroplane racing power boat race circuits in the major H1 Unlimited league, the Madison Regatta.

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36.

Indiana went on to lead the Boston Celtics to the NBA championship in 1981, 1984, and 1986.

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37.

Indiana was home to two charter members of the National Football League teams, the Hammond Pros and the Muncie Flyers.

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38.

Indiana has had great sports success at the collegiate level.

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39.

In men's basketball, the Indiana Hoosiers have won five NCAA national championships and 22 Big Ten Conference championships.

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40.

In 2016, Indiana was home to seven Fortune 500 companies with a combined $142.

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41.

Property taxes are imposed on both real and personal property in Indiana and are administered by the Department of Local Government Finance.

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42.

Indiana is one of six U S states to not allow a line-item veto.

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43.

Indiana is home to the coal-fired plant with the highest sulfur dioxide emissions in the United States, the Gallagher power plant, just west of New Albany.

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44.

Many residents of Northwest Indiana, which is primarily in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, use Chicago's airports, O'Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport.

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45.

Major U S Interstate highways in Indiana are I-64, I-65, I-265, I-465, I-865, I-69, I-469, I-70, I-74, I-80, I-90, I-94, and I-275.

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46.

Indiana allows highways of different classifications to have the same number.

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47.

Indiana is implementing an extensive rail plan prepared in 2002 by the Parsons Corporation.

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48.

The Ports of Indiana manages three major ports which include Burns Harbor, Jeffersonville, and Mount Vernon.

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49.

The overall goal of these new state standards is to ensure Indiana students have the necessary skills and requirements needed to enter college or the workforce upon high school graduation.

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50.

The International Union Of Operating Engineers has seven local unions in Indiana, offering apprenticeship and training opportunities.

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51.

State's community college system, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, serves nearly 200, 000 students annually, making it the state's largest public post-secondary educational institution and the nation's largest singly accredited statewide community college system.

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