Indiana Facts

69 Indiana Facts

1. Indiana is one of the 50 states of the United States of America.
2. Indiana was the 19th state to join the United States on December 11, 1816.
3. Indiana is in the midwestern region of the United States.
4. Indiana is the 38th largest U.S. state, covering a total of 36,419.55 square miles or 0.96% of the total area of the United States.
5. Indiana's 36,419.55 square miles is 98.37% land and 1.63% surface water.
6. Indiana is ranked 38th with the most land area in the United States, with 35,826.11 square miles of land area.
7. Indiana is ranked 39th with the most water area in the United States, with 593.44 square miles of water area.
8. Indiana is the 17th most populated U.S. state with a population of 6,785,528 or 2.05% of the total population of the United States.
9. The state capital of Indiana is the city of Indianapolis.
10. Indiana is divided into 92 counties statewide.
11. Marion County is the most populated county in Indiana
12. The most populated city in Indiana is Indianapolis with an estimated 867,125 residents.
13. The five most populated city in Indiana are Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, South Bend and Carmel.
14. A native or resident Indiana is called a  Hoosier, Indianan or Indianian.
15. Indiana's average elevation statewide is 700 feet.
16. Indiana's highest elevation point is Hoosier Hill at 1,257 feet.
17. Indiana's lowest elevation point is the Ohio River at 320 feet.
18. Indiana is in both Eastern Time Zone (ET) and Central Time Zone (CT).
19. The two letter abbreviation for Indiana is IN.
20. The ISO 3166 code for Indiana is US-IN.
21. Indiana is called the Hoosier State.
22. The estimated median household income in Indiana is $57,603.
23. Indiana is the 41st most expensive U.S. state to buy a home with an estimated median home price of $155,640.
24. Indiana is ranked 41st on the cost of living index out of all 50 U.S. states.
25. Indiana has the 36th oldest population in the United States with a median age of 38.
26. Indiana's average temperature is 51.81°F making it the 25th warmest state in the United States.
27. Indiana on average has 41.86 inches of precipitation per year, making it the 27th wettest U.S. state.
28. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Indiana was 116 °F on Tuesday, July 14, 1936, in Collegeville, IN.
29. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Indiana was -36 °F on Wednesday, January 19, 1994, in New Whiteland, IN.
30. Indiana was named after the Indians living there when settlers arrived. The name is a reference to “Land of the Indians or simply “Indian Land”.
31. The town of Santa Claus, Indiana receives letters from kids around the globe that are for Santa Clause. A group known as Santa’s Elves are volunteers who ensure there is response letter sent to each child.
32. Elvis Presley played his last concert at the Market Square Area in Indianapolis, Indiana on June 26th, 1977.
33. Indiana is a large agricultural producer of corn with around one-fifth of the corn supply coming from Indiana farmers.
34. Indiana is home to several different professional sports teams in United States. Some of these teams include the Indiana Pacers (NBA) and the Indianapolis Colts (NFL).
35. The largest outdoor memorial in Indiana is the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument.
36. Some people referred to Indiana as the Covered Bridget Capital of the World, that’s because no other place in the world has the same number of covered bridges as Historic Parke County, Indiana.
37. The first recorded train robbery in history occurred in Indiana on October 6th, 1866. The Reno Brothers gang stole $13,000 from a train in Jackson County, Indiana.
38. In 1679, French explorer Robert de La Salle became the first European to explore parts of modern-day Indiana.
39. In 1697, the French built Fort Miami, which would later become Fort Wayne, Indiana.
40. In 1787, the Northwest Territory was established and include modern-day Indiana.
41. In 1800, the Indiana Territory was established by the U.S. Congress and President John Adams.
42. In 1816, Indiana became the 19th U.S. state on December 11th.
43. In 1825, the capital city of Indiana was moved from Corydon to Indianapolis.
44. In 1846, the last remaining Native Americans were removed from Indiana.
45. In 1863, the Battle of Corydon is fought in Indiana, just south of the former capital city Corydon. The battle resulted in a victory for the Confederate States of America.
46. In 1911, the first Indianapolis 500 race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
47. In 1925, the Tri-State tornado, the deadliest tornado in U.S. history struck parts of southwest Indiana.
48. In 1929, the Brown County State Park was established in Indiana and to date it’s Indiana’s largest State Park.
49. In 1956, the Indiana Toll Road was opened. Today, the Indiana Toll Road is 156.28 miles long.
50. In 1968, Richard G. Hatcher became the first African-American mayor of Gary, Indiana.
51. In 1976, the American Basketball Association (ABA) is disbanded, and the Indiana Pacers join the National Basketball Association (NBA).
52. In 1986, high school teenager and HIV/AIDS poster child Ryan White is allowed to return to school.
53. In 1995, Myra C. Selby was both the first woman and African-American appointed to the Indiana Supreme Court.
54. In 2004, the O’Bannon Woods State Park was established in Indiana to honor deceased Indiana governor Frank O'Bannon.
55. In 2007, the Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears 29 to 17 during NFL Super Bowl XLI.
56. In 2008, the most expensive flood in the history of Indiana occurred between June 7th and June 16th. The June 2008 Indiana flood caused up to $1 billion in property damage.
57. In 2012, record exports for Indiana make its rate of export growth faster than the entire United States.
58. Businessman Colonel Harland David Sanders, also known as Colonel Sanders, was born in Henryville, Indiana on September 9th, 1890. He is famous for being the person who founded the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) fast food chain.
59. Gangster John Dillinger was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on June 22nd, 1903. He is infamous for his exploits with the Dillinger Gang during the Great Depression in the USA.
60. Aviation pioneer Wilbur Wright was born in Millville, Indiana on May 30th, 1912. Him and his brother are famous for creating the first successful motor-operated airplane that sustained flight.
61. Author Kurt Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 11th, 1922. He is famous for his 20+ publications over his five decade career as a writer.
62. Professional basketball player and coach Larry Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana on December, 7trh 1956. He is famous for is achievements in the National Basketball Association as a player and a coach.
63. Singer, songwriter, and dancer Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on August 29th, 1958. He is known for his massive achievements in the music industry, which includes 15 Grammy Awards and selling over a billion records worldwide.
64. Politian and lawyer Mike Pence was born in Columbus, Indiana on June 7th, 1959. He is famous for being the 48th Vice President of the United States between 2017 and 2021.
65. Actor Dean Norris was born in South Bend, Indiana on April 8th, 1963. He is famous for his portray of various characters in movies and his role in the AMC series Breaking Bad.
66. Indiana's official state motto is "The crossroads of America" .
67. Indiana's official state bird is the Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis).
68. Indiana's official state tree is the Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera).
69. Indiana's official state flower is the Peony (Paeonia).

Pictures of Indiana, USA

The state of Indiana and its regional area on a Map of the United States of America.

The official state flag of Indiana waving in the wind on a flag pole.

The official state seal of Indiana that is used by the state's government.

Indianapolis the capital city of Indiana.

Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States of America.

Trail At The Indiana Dunes National Park