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Indianapolis
is the capital city of the U.S. state of Indiana, and
the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. The 2000 Census
counted the city's population (excluding included towns)
at 781,870. It is Indiana's most populous city and is
the 13th largest city in the U.S., the third largest
city in the Midwest, and the second most populous Capital
in the U.S., behind Phoenix, Arizona.
Like many other Rust Belt cities,
Indianapolis has diversified its economic base in order
to avoid relying solely on manufacturing. A large part
of this diversification includes the hosting of events,
especially sporting events. The labels of The Amateur
Sports Capital of the World, and The Racing Capital
of the World, have both been applied to Indianapolis.
The city has hosted the 1987 Pan American Games, both
Men's and Women's NCAA Basketball Tournaments, the
Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, the
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, the United States Grand
Prix (2000-2007), the 2002 World Basketball Championship,
and is perhaps most famous for the annual Indianapolis
500, known as the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing." The
attendance at the Indianapolis 500 and the Allstate 400
makes them the two largest single day sporting events
in the world, with well over 250,000 fans in attendance
at each. Indianapolis also hosts NHRA's US National Drags
just west of the city in the town of Clermont. Indianapolis
has the second most monuments inside city limits, behind
only Washington D.C.[citation needed]. There have also
been two United States Navy vessels named after Indianapolis,
including the famous USS Indianapolis (CA-35) which suffered
the worst single at-sea loss of life in the history of
the U.S. Navy.
The Indianapolis metropolitan area has
seen modest and steady growth among U.S. cities., with
growth centered in the surrounding counties of Hamilton,
Hendricks, and Johnson. Hamilton and Hendricks Counties
are currently the fastest growing counties in Indiana
and in the Midwest, although the state as a whole is
only showing modest growth] Currently, the Combined
Statistical Area stands at 1,984,644, making it the 23rd
largest in the U.S.
Geography and climate
According to the United States Census Bureau, "the
balance" (that part of Marion County not part of
another municipality) has a total area of 368.2 square
miles (953.5 km²)—361.5 square miles (936.2
km²) of it is land and 6.7 square miles (17.3 km²)
of it is water. The total area is 1.81% water. These
figures are slightly misleading because they do not represent
the entire Consolidated City of Indianapolis (all of
Marion County, except the four excluded communities).
The total area of the Consolidated City of Indianapolis,
not including the four excluded communities, covers approximately
373.1 square miles (966.3 km²).
At the center of Indianapolis is
the One-Mile Square, bounded by four appropriately-named
streets: East, West, North, and South Streets. Nearly
all of the streets in the Mile Square are named after
U.S. states. (The exceptions are Meridian Street, which
numerically divides west from east; Market Street,
which intersects Meridian Street at Monument Circle;
Capitol and Senate Avenues, where many of the Indiana
state government buildings are located; and Washington
Street, which was named after President George Washington.
The street-numbering system centers not on the Circle,
but rather one block to the south, where Meridian Street
intersects Washington Street — National
Road.)
Indianapolis is situated in the Central Till Plains
region of the United States. Two natural waterways dissect
the city: the White River, and Fall Creek.
Physically, Indianapolis is similar to many other Midwestern
cities. A mix of deciduous forests and prairie covered
much of what is considered Indianapolis prior to the
19th century. Land within the city limits varies from
flat to gently sloping; most of the changes in elevation
are so gradual that they go unnoticed, and appears to
be flat from close distances. The mean elevation for
Indianapolis is 717 feet (219 m). The highest point in
Indianapolis lies at Crown Hill Cemetery atop Strawberry
Hill (the tomb of famed Hoosier writer James Whitcomb
Riley) with an elevation of 842 feet (257 m), and the
lowest point in Indianapolis lies at the Marion County/Johnson
County line, with an elevation of about 680 feet (207
m). The highest hill in Indianapolis is Mann Hill, a
bluff located along the White River in Southwestway Park
that rises about 150 feet (46 m) above the surrounding
land. Variations in elevation from 700-900 feet occur
throughout the city limits. There are a few moderately-sized
bluffs and valleys in the city, particularly along the
shores of the White River, Fall Creek, Geist Reservoir,
and Eagle Creek Reservoir, and especially on the city's
Northeast and Northwest sides.
Indianapolis has a humid continental
climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa). Like most
cities in the Midwest, it has four distinct seasons.
Summers are hot and humid, with high temperatures approaching
90 °F
(32 °C), with some days approaching or exceeding
100 °F (38 °C). Spring and autumn are usually
pleasant, with temperatures reaching around 65 °F
(18 °C). Spring, however, is much less predictable
than autumn; midday temperature drops exceeding 30 °F
(17 °C) are common during March and April, and instances
of very warm days (86 °F; 30 °C) followed within
36 hours by snowfall not unheard of during these months.
Winters are cool to cold, with daily highs barely inching
above freezing. Temperatures occasionally fall below
0 °F (-18 °C). The rainiest months are in the
spring and summer, with average rainfalls of over four
inches (102 mm) per month, but these averages fluctuate
only slightly throughout the year.
The city's average annual precipitation is 41 inches
(1,040 mm).
The average July high is 85.6 °F
(29.8 °C),
with the low being 65.2 °F (18.4 °C). January
highs average 34.5 °F (1.4 °C), and lows 18.5 °F
(-7.5 °C). The record high for Indianapolis is 107 °F
(42 °C), on July 25th, 1954. The record low is -27 °F
(-33 °C), on January 19th, 1994. Average annual snowfall
is 27 inches.
Demographics
The 2006 Census estimate for Indianapolis, Balance (an
unofficial area which is only a portion of the Consolidated
City of Indianapolis) is 785,597. (The population of
the full Consolidated City of Indianapolis contains approximately
another 9,974 people--derived by adding the 2006 Census
estimates for areas left out of Indianapolis, Balance
and using 2000 Census data for a portion of Cumberland,
Indiana included in Consolidated City of Indianapolis).
Greater Indianapolis is a rapidly growing region located
at the center of Indiana and consists of Marion County,
Indiana and several adjacent counties. The Combined Statistical
Area (CSA) of Indianapolis will likely exceed 2 million
people in the 2007 estimate, ranking 23rd in the United
States and 7th in the midwest. As a unified labor and
media market, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Statistical
Area (MSA) had a 2006 population of 1.66 million people,
ranking 33rd in the United States. Indianapolis is the
7th largest MSA in the Midwest.
As of the census of 2000, there
were 791,926 people, 320,107 households, and 192,704
families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,163.0 people per square mile (835.1/km²).
There were 352,429 housing units at an average density
of 975.0 per square mile (376.4/km²). The racial
makeup of the balance was 69.1% white, 25.50% black
or African American, 0.25% Native American, 1.43% Asian,
0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.04% from other races, and
1.64% from two or more races. 3.92% of the population
are Hispanic or Latino of any race. The top 5 largest
ancestries include: German (16.6%), Irish (10.2%),
American (9.3%), English(7.7%), and Italian (2.2%).
From 2000 to 2004, the Hispanic population
in Indianapolis increased by 43%.The majority of the
non-white population lives in the central and north portions
of the inner-city area. Indianapolis has over 6000 immigrants
from the former Yugoslavia[citation needed].
The median income for a household in
the balance is $41,964, and the median income for a family
is $48,755. Males have a median income of $36,302 versus
$27,738 for females. The per capita income is $21,640.
14.8% of the population lives below the poverty line.
Out of the total population, 16.2% of those under the
age of 18 and 8.1% of those 65 and older are living below
the poverty line.
There are 320,107 households out of which 29.8% have
children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6%
are married couples living together, 15.1% have a female
householder with no husband present, and 39.8% are non-families.
32.0% of all households are made up of individuals and
8.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age
or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the
average family size is 3.04.
The age distribution is: 25.7% under the age of 18,
10.2% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from
45 to 64, and 11.0% who are 65 years of age or older.
The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there
are 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over,
there are 90.2 males
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