Indianapolis - geography.

« nation to handle multiple railroad lines (thus the name “union”). Ringing the Mile Square are a number of historic districts such as Woodruff Place and Lockerbie Square.

To the immediate northwest of downtown is Indiana Avenue, thehistoric center of the city’s black population.

Some 6 km (4 mi) due north of Monument Circle is the North Meridian Street Historic District, a stretch of mansions built in the1920s and 1930s, including the Governor’s Residence.

The district ends at the Central Canal, a waterway constructed in the 1830s.

Office parks, shopping centers, and otherlarge commercial structures exist at the city’s edge, especially to the north along Interstate 465. III POPULATION After decreasing during the 1970s, the population of Indianapolis grew from 700,807 in 1980 to 791,926 in 2000.

In 2006, its population was estimated at 795,484.

Thepopulation of the metropolitan area also was increasing, climbing from 1,380,491 in 1990 to 1,666,032 in 2006.

Since the 1970s the city’s population growth has occurredprimarily in the suburbs, with a number of cities just outside Indianapolis—Carmel, Greenwood, and Fishers most prominent among them—experiencing rapid increase. Indianapolis has representatives of many ethnic groups, but its population historically has come from English, German, Irish, and African origins.

A smaller percentage camefrom eastern Europe in the early 20th century, with Hispanics and Asians arriving more recently.

In 2000 more than two-thirds of all Indianapolis residents reported at leastone ancestor of European origin, with German (16.7 percent), Irish (10.3 percent), and English (7.8 percent) descendants predominating.

According to the 2000 nationalcensus, whites were 69.3 percent of the population, blacks 25.3 percent, Asians 1.4 percent, Native Americans 0.3 percent, and people of mixed heritage or not reportingrace 3.7.

Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders numbered 326 at the time of the census.

Hispanics, who may be of any race, were 3.9 percent of the people. IV EDUCATION AND CULTURE Indianapolis has a large number of colleges and universities and a wide variety of cultural institutions.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (founded in 1969),includes the Indiana University Medical School.

Among the city’s private colleges are Butler University (1855), University of Indianapolis (1902), Marian College (1851),Martin University (1977), and Christian Theological Seminary (1925).

Another publicly supported institution is Ivy Tech State College (1963), formerly Indiana VocationalTechnical College. Prominent among the cultural institutions in the city is The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the world’s oldest and largest such institution, with exhibits ranging fromworld cultures to natural sciences.

The Indianapolis Museum of Art has major collections in African, Asian, and European art in several specialized pavilions set amidexpansive gardens.

The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art displays Native American art and artifacts and art of the American West.

It began as thecollection of Indianapolis businessman Harrison Eiteljorg.

Of historical interest are the restored home of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd United States president; the IndianaState Museum, located in the old City Hall; and a wide variety of specialty museums ranging from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum to the Indiana Medical HistoryMuseum.

Artistic groups supported by the city are the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Opera, Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, Indianapolis Repertory Company,and numerous other professional and community theaters. V RECREATION Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500 is held every May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana.

Thirty-three drivers in specially designed carsduel for 200 laps around the banked, oval racetrack, covering a total distance of 500 mi (805 km).

Here, driver Buddy Rice leads thepack on his way to the 2004 title.John Harrell/AP/Wide World Photos Indianapolis maintains more than 100 public parks, golf courses, and pools, including Eagle Creek Park, one of the nation’s largest municipal parks at 1,800 hectares (4,400acres), and the Indianapolis Zoo.

The city annually hosts the state fair at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Amateur athletic competitions are frequent in Indianapolis.

Each summer it is the site for the finals of the Hoosier State Games, with athletes of all ages and skill levelscompeting in 21 sports.

In 1987 Indianapolis hosted the Tenth Pan American Games, and is often the site for numerous Olympic trials and collegiate sports championships.Among the many sports facilities are those for tennis, bicycle racing, skating, and track and field. The city’s professional football team, the Indianapolis Colts, plays in the 60,300-seat RCA Dome (once known as the Hoosier Dome).

The Indiana Pacers and the IndianaFever, men’s and women’s professional basketball teams, play in the Conseco Fieldhouse, which opened in 1999.

By far the biggest professional show in the city is theannual Indianapolis 500, officially the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, a Memorial Day weekend automobile race that is the world’s largest single-day sporting event.

TheBrickyard 400, a stock-car race, was established at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994. VI ECONOMY Indianapolis has a well-balanced economy and since the 1970s has experienced steady, sometimes impressive, economic growth.

Major manufactures include automobileparts, electrical components, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, metal products, processed food, paper products, printed materials, and rubber andplastic goods.

Government activity, financial and insurance institutions, construction, sports, tourism, and the convention trade are also important contributors to the city’seconomy.

The city houses few headquarters of major corporations; the best known is Eli Lilly and Company, a major pharmaceutical manufacturer. The largest employer in Indianapolis is government—local, state, and federal—followed by retailing, manufacturing, and health care.

More than 60 percent of Indianapolisworkers are in professional, management, technical, sales, and clerical occupations, while fewer than 20 percent are blue-collar workers.

The Greater Indianapolis ProgressCommittee (formed in 1965), a nonprofit civic improvement association, and the Indianapolis Economic Development Corporation (formed in 1983) have been important indeveloping the Indianapolis economy, which before the 1970s relied heavily on manufacturing. Without access to a navigable river, transportation has always been important to Indianapolis.

Today more interstate freeways (I-65, I-69, I-70, and I-74) and federal. »