Westward from Indianapolis, about 70 miles, Terre Haute sits on the Wabash River where US 40 and US 41 cross, which gives it the Crossroads of America nickname. About 59,000 people live in the city, and two colleges, Indiana State University and Rose-Hulman, give it a steady student presence. Housing is cheap, with plenty of older homes and a slow-growing market.
There is a fair amount to do on a modest scale. Fairbanks Park runs along the river, the Swope Art Museum and the Larry Bird Museum are worth an hour each, and the children's museum suits families. The cross country course draws big meets in the fall, and the Banks of the Wabash Festival is the summer highlight. Crime is above average for a city this size, mostly theft, so keep valuables out of parked cars. Spring brings tornado season and river flooding, and summers are hot and humid.
Cities with a similar character, anywhere on the site.
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- Known as
- Crossroads of America (US 40 and US 41); Home of Indiana State University and Rose-Hulman; Queen City of the Wabash
- Founded
- 1816 platted (named for the French 'high land' on the Wabash); 1832 incorporated as a town; 1853 chartered as a city
- Languages
- English; Spanish; smaller communities speaking Chinese, Korean, Arabic and Vietnamese
- Airports
- Terre Haute Regional (HUF), general aviation only, about 5 miles east; Indianapolis International (IND), about 70 miles east; Evansville Regional (EVV), about 105 miles south; Chicago Midway (MDW) and O'Hare (ORD), about 175 miles north
- Tipping
- Restaurants 15-20%; bars $1-2 per drink; taxis and rideshare 10-15%; hotel housekeeping $2-5 per night; bellhops $1-2 per bag; counter service optional
About this data
Population and land area (34.22 sq mi), median home value ($115,700) and median gross rent ($922) are Census QuickFacts (July 1, 2025 estimate; ACS 2020-2024), fetched successfully. Metro figure 169,241 is the 2025 estimate for the Terre Haute MSA from Wikipedia's Indiana statistical areas page. Visitor bureau and calendar URLs were seen in search results (Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau); the events page was fetched. Elevation, coordinates, founding, event months, cost-of-living index, hotel ranges, current median sale price, crime characterization and airport distances are approximate or from general knowledge and not verified in this pass; lower confidence on these.
