A state in the Midwest region of the U.S. Bordered by
Illinois, Kentucky,
Ohio and the likes of
Michigan. Known as the "Hoosier State," its
name is often mistakingly referred to as its largest city of Indianapolis by outsiders from the Midwest (except those from
Michigan) who are too
stupid to know the difference between Indiana and Indianapolis. It ranks 14th in population with over 6 million residents. It is often stereotyped as a place of rednecks (some believe it to have the most of any midwest state), corn, covered bridges and homes with a basketball hoop adjacent to a gigantic cornfield. The
real Indiana, although with a lot of corn ranks #1 in the production of steel (Gary),
popcorn, mint, tomatoes, musical instuments, caskets, recreational vehicles (RVs), pharmacueticals and
truck bodies. Other important things about Indiana is its love for basketball and auto racing. "Hoosier hysteria" is the term that describes its craze for the sport. The Indy 500 in Indianapolis is the world's largest
single-
day sporting event. The Brickyard 400, also in Indianapolis is the 2nd largest race in the
NASCAR circuit.
Indiana's capital and largest city is Indianapolis. It is the 12th largest largest city in the U.S. with 792,000 in its city limits and 1.7 million in the metro area. Indy is not Napt-town anymore. It is in the midst of a huge renneisance and Carmel is perhaps its most well-known suburb, known for its posh setting. No other city in Indiana can come remotely close to being rivaled in size, culture and commerce.
Gary is the steel-manufacturing center of the country and is considered a
Chicago suburb. Gary is perhaps the epitome of urban blight and decay and is among the most dangerous cities in the country notoriuos for its violence and poverty.
The rest of Indiana is pretty low-key and conservative. Fort
Wayne is OK. South Bend has Notre Dame University. West Lafayette is known for Purdue University, while Bloomington is the home of Indiana University. Indiana residents are often divided in loyalty among
college sports fans between Purdue and Indiana.
Indiana is pretty average as far as state's go. It's not too big, not too small. Not overly populated and not sparsely populated. It's a pretty good state, all-in-all and is much better than its neighbor to the north in Michigan and not as many rednecks as its southern neighbor Kentucky.
