Indianapolis Travel Guide
Indianapolis (IPA: [ˌɪndiəˈnæpəlɪs]) is the capital city of the State of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. Indianapolis is well known as a city with a strong sports reputation, a reputation the city government encourages. It has been referred to as The Amateur Sports Capital of the World, and the Racing Capital of the World. The people of Indianapolis have hosted major sporting events such as the 1987 Pan American Games, the NCAA Basketball Tournament, the United States Grand Prix, and the city is perhaps most famous for the annual Indianapolis 500. These events, combined with an aggressive downtown revitalizing campaign, have aided in shedding a reputation as a Manufacturing, or Rust Belt, city.
According to the 2000 Census, the population is listed as 791,926 for the Consolidated City of Indianapolis, making it Indiana's most populous city, the 13th largest city in the U.S. and the third largest city in the Midwest. 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 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 and several adjacent counties. The Combined Statistical Area (CSA) of Indianapolis had a population of about 2 million people in 2006, 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 and has three very rapidly growing counties just outside city limits: Hendricks County, Hamilton County, and Johnson County.
