About Indianapolis

Indianapolis is the 12th largest city in the nation and the capital of Indiana, the Circle City is the center of America’s heartland. Its metro area population is nearly 1.4 million. It is one of the cleanest and safest cities in the nation, with the cost of living and unemployment rates remaining below the national average.

Diversity and steady growth have long been the hallmarks of the Indianapolis economy and have been the foundation of Indy’s strong performance during the last five years. Indianapolis can boast of diverse strengths in the manufacturing, distribution, retail and service sectors.

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History

Take a trip through Indianapolis’ storied past, from 1821 to present.

1821

General Assembly approves site selected by the commissioners and adopts the name of Indianapolis on January 6. Corydon continues as state capital until 1825.

1825

Indianapolis became the state capital of Indiana.

1830

The National Road, U.S. 40, was routed through Indianapolis.

1839

The Central Canal on the White River was built to provide a transportation link for factories, papermills and sawmills.

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Fast Facts

Population

860,454 – City of Indianapolis (MarionCounty)

1,607,486 – Indianapolis Metropolitan

Statistical Area (MSA)

Source: 2000 U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Population Demographics

70.5% White

24.2% African-American

3.9% Hispanic Origin

2.0% Other Races

0.3% American Indian

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City Government

Organizational Structure of Unigov

Under Unigov, the City Council and County Council combined to form the City-County Council. City-county government is now divided into three branches, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, similar to the federal system of government.

Executive Branch

The executive branch consists of the mayor’s office and five departments, each with its own functions and responsibilities.

Under Unigov, the mayor is the chief executive officer of both the city and the county. A director is appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City-County Council for each of the five departments:

1. Capital Asset Management – monitors condition of infrastructure assets such as streets, bridges, sewers, etc., manages parking meters, and maintains street and bridge lighting

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License & Registration

Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles
(317) 233-6000
100 N. Senate Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
www.in.gov/bmv

Obtaining an Indiana Driver License
You must visit an Indiana license branch to obtain the license. An applicant for a new Indiana operator license who holds a valid photo license issued by another state, the District of Columbia or U.S. Territory must successfully pass a written and vision test. If the outof-state license is expired over one year, in addition to the applicant successfully passing a written and vision test, a drive test will be required. If an applicant is less than 18 years of age, they must have an appropriate family member sign the financial responsibility portion of the application.

Automobile Title and Registration
Within 60 days of becoming an Indiana resident, a person must obtain a certificate of title for all vehicles owned by that person. All out-of-state vehicles require VIN inspections. This inspection may be done at the license branch for no charge. A law officer may charge up to $5.00 for this service. A form for the officer to complete is available online.

Once you have your title to register you must bring
• Title
• Certificate of Origin
• Odometer Statement
• Proof of Insurance
• Verification of Social Security Number

Public Transportation

Metro Bus
635-3344
Indianapolis Metro Bus carries about 30,000 passengers daily. Current fares range from $.75 to $1.25.

Inter-City Transportation
Greyhound (800) 231-2222
Amtrak (800) 872-7245

Service from Indy to numerous locations throughout the U.S.

Air Transportation

Indianapolis International Airport
487-9594

Indianapolis International Airport is a 12-minute drive from downtown Indianapolis and boasts 206 scheduled departures daily.

The airport is listed by the FAA as having one of the best “on time” performance records.

Rental Cars
Avis, www.avis.com (800) 331-1212
Budget, www.budget.com (800) 527-0700
Dollar, www.dollar.com (800) 800-4000
Enterprise, www.enterprise.com (800) 736-8222
Hertz, www.hertz.com (800) 654-3131
National, www.nationalcar.com (800) 227-7368
Thrifty, www.thrifty.com (800) 367-2277

Taxi & Shuttle Services

Taxis can be located from any metro-area location. Taxis charge $2.45 for the first mile and $1.50 for each additional mile. An approximate fare from the Airport to the Indianapolis Convention Center and Hoosier Dome is $20.

A-Metro Taxi 251-9800

Carmel Circle City Cab 848-5757

Noblesville Cab Co. 773-5732

Yellow Cab Inc. 487-7777

Television

Radio

Newspapers

Indianapolis Business Journal
(317) 634-6200
41 E. Washington St., Suite 200
Indianapolis, IN 46204-3592
www.ibj.com

Indianapolis Monthly
(317) 237-9288
1 Emmis Plaza
40 Monument Circle
Suite 100
Indianapolis, IN 46204
www.indianapolismonthly.com

Indianapolis Recorder
(317) 924-5143
2901 N. Tacoma Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46218
www.indianapolisrecorder.com

Indianapolis Star/News
(317) 444-4444
307 N. Pennsylvania Street
P.O. Box 145
Indianapolis, IN 46206-0146
www.indystar.com

Memorials & Attractions

Massachusetts Avenue Arts District

This five-block downtown area includes art galleries, theaters, the Indianapolis Arts Academy, restaurants and bars. It also includes a jazz club, alternative bookstore, coffee house, architectural, graphic, and interior design firms, advertising and marketing agencies and apartment and condominium complexes. Each year, the area hosts the Rib America Festival at the Murat Centre and Oktoberfest at the Athenaeum.

Broad Ripple Village

About 20 minutes from downtown, this northside neighborhood features a concentration of eclectic boutiques, art galleries, sidewalk cafes, nightclubs, pubs, vintage clothing stores and ethnic restaurants. Feeding the ducks at the canal that runs through Broad Ripple and walking, running and bicycling the Monon Trail are popular pastimes.

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Architecture

Hilbert Circle Theatre

Built in 1916, the Hilbert Circle Theatre was prominent as the Midwest’s best-known performance house for traveling entertainers, silent movies, world premiere features, classical concerts and talking motion pictures. After highly skilled painters and plaster craftsmen from throughout the country restored and preserved the Theater’s ornate Greco-Roman architecture during a 1982-84 renovation/conservation project, it became the home of the internationally acclaimed Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. The Theatre seats 1,835 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Madame Walker Theatre Center

Listed as a National Historic Landmark, the Madame Walker Theatre Center four-story building stands as a memorial to Madame C. J. Walker, America’s first female self-made millionaire.

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Dance

Ballet International Indianapolis

Indiana’s only professional ballet company, under the direction of Artistic Director Eldar Aliev, has earned an international reputation for excellence. Ballet international boasts an outstanding repertoire featuring the finest in classical and contemporary ballet and influence of the world’s finest designers, teachers and artisans.

Locally, Ballet International presents a September-April season at downtown’s historic Murat Centre and operates a pre-professional dance academy. The company also performs for more than 20,000 Indianapolis area students each year as part of Dancing for the Future, the company’s educational outreach program. Ballet International’s annual performance of The Nutcracker has been hailed as one of the best in the nation.

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Theater

American Cabaret Theatre

The American Cabaret Theatre (ACT) relocated to Indianapolis from New York and opened its first season in 1990. This professional theatrical company produces original musical revues and Broadway shows. For its original revues, ACT incorporates a unique blend of music, song, dance and visuals. ACT is located in the renovated 450-seat ballroom of the century-old Athenaeum building downtown.

Asante Children’s Theatre

Founded in 1991 by veteran stage actress Deborah Asante, the Asante Children’s Theatre is an independent drama group based at the Christamore House, a center that houses community and social services. The Asante Children’s Theatre empowers, educates and enlightens youth through theatrical arts, exploring and celebrating African culture.

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Museums

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

3000 N. Meridian Street

(317) 334-3322

Whether measured by size, number of artifacts or number of visitors, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is the world’s largest and was recently ranked as the “best children’s museum” in the country by Child magazine. Attracting more than 1.3 million adults and children a year, the museum has been identified by the American Association of Museums as one of the 20 most-visited museums of any kind in the nation. The five-story museum houses 100,000 artifacts in 10 major galleries that explore the physical and natural sciences, history, foreign cultures and the arts.

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Music

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra

(317) 262-1100

45 Monument Circle

Founded in 1930, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) has earned national and international recognition for its development into one of America’s most skilled musical ensembles. The 87-member Orchestra is made up of resident artists from all parts of the world and now performs a year-round schedule of 200 classical, pops, education, holiday and summer concerts to an audience of 500,000 people annually.

The Orchestra owns and maintains its own downtown concert hall, the Hilbert Circle Theatre. Built in 1916 as a classic movie palace, the Hilbert Circle Theatre was renovated in the early 1980s into an acoustically superb concert hall and has been a catalyst in both the revitalization of the downtown as well as the Orchestra’s artistic growth since its move to the heart of the city in 1984.

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History Exhibits

Indiana Historical Society

Established in 1830, the Indiana Historical Society is an independent, non-profit organization that serves to collect, preserve and interpret Indiana history. These Indiana treasures are housed at the Indiana Historical Society’s 165,000-square-foot, four-story building in downtown Indianapolis. This $35.75 million state-of-the-art facility, which is located along the historic Central Canal, opened its doors to the Indianapolis community in July 1999. The Society’s headquarters, inspired by Renaissance architecture, is a neoclassical design that showcases superior craftsmanship and detail. In addition to granite and brick, Indiana limestone is one of the primary materials used in the exterior structure.

There are numerous attractions and programs at the Indiana Historical Society that invite visitors to re-live moments from Indiana’s rich past. The Society boasts an acoustically balanced theater, exhibition gallery and Great Hall to host interactive exhibits, concerts, plays, workshops and special events.

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Sports

Sports Development

In the mid-1970s, Indianapolis city leaders chose to use sports as an economic and community development tool and backed the construction of sports facilities and marketing strategies to attract top sporting events.

This effort has paid off handsomely. To date, Indianapolis has hosted over 400 national and international amateur sporting events, attracted numerous sports organizations and built or renovated an estimated $400 million worth of facilities. From 1977 through 1998, the direct economic impact of amateur sports in Indianapolis was $1.18 billion.

The publicity surrounding major athletic events results in national and international name recognition for Indianapolis. The events provide opportunities to showcase the city – not only as a sports center, but also as a tourist destination, a business center and a good place in which to live, work and invest.

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Parks

White River State Park

Located in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana’s first urban state park offers a variety of recreational facilities and natural green spaces. The park is home to several exciting venues.

The Indianapolis Zoo has nearly 3,000 animals and 1,900 species of plants, and is the only facility in the United States to be accredited as a zoological park, botanical garden and aquarium. White River Gardens is the site of a 3.3-acre botanical garden with seasonal shows, theme demonstration gardens and water and wedding gardens.

Indiana’s only IMAX theater, the IMAX Theater lets visitors experience a movie like never before. Whether it is watching a 3D or 2D movie, the six-story screen and digital sound system make you feel like you’re in the movies.

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