About 900,000 people live in Indianapolis, best known for the Indianapolis 500 every Memorial Day weekend, and racing runs through the city's identity, with the Motor Speedway and its museum open all year. It is also a good city for families, thanks to The Children's Museum, the zoo and Newfields with its art museum and gardens. Downtown is compact and walkable, with Monument Circle at the center, Mass Ave for restaurants and theaters, and Fountain Square and Broad Ripple for nightlife.
Affordability is the draw. Housing is inexpensive for a city this size, though prices are climbing and homes sell quickly. The city is flat, spread out and car-dependent. Winters are cold with ice, summers are humid and spring can bring tornadoes. Violent crime is well above the national median and homicides have been elevated in recent years, though they are trending down, so it pays to choose neighborhoods carefully. Downtown, Mass Ave, Broad Ripple and Carmel are generally fine with normal precautions.
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Out of 10. Open any score to see how it’s worked out. “Data-based” scores come from published figures; “Hey! En Route estimate” scores are worked out from what we know about the city; “Hey! En Route rating” scores were set by our editors.
- Known as
- Indy; Circle City; Naptown; Crossroads of America; Racing Capital of the World; Hoosier Capital
- Founded
- 1820 settled; 1821 selected as capital; 1832 incorporated as town; 1847 chartered as city; 1970 Unigov consolidation with Marion County
- Languages
- English; Spanish; Burmese (Hakha Chin and other Chin languages); Arabic; Chinese; Hindi
- Airports
- Indianapolis International (IND), about 7 miles southwest of downtown; nearest alternatives Cincinnati (CVG) about 110 miles, Louisville (SDF) about 115 miles, Columbus (CMH) about 175 miles
- Tipping
- Restaurants 18-20% for table service; bars $1-2 per drink; taxis and rideshare 15-20%; hotel housekeeping $3-5 per night; bellhops $1-2 per bag; hair and spa 15-20%; counter service optional
