Indianapolis is the capital city of the State of Indiana and also called "Indy", "Naptown", and "The Circle City". Indianapolis was founded as the state capital in 1821. Jeremiah Sullivan, a judge of the Indiana Supreme Court, invented the name Indianapolis by joining Indiana with polis, the Greek word for city; literally, Indianapolis means "Indiana City". Popular for hosting sporting events, the labels of The Amateur Sports Capital of the World, and The Racing Capital of the World, have both been applied to Indianapolis.The most famous is the annual Indianapolis 500 race; One of the largest single day sporting events in the world. The track is often referred to as "the Brickyard," as it was paved with 3.2 million bricks shortly after its initial construction in 1909. Today the track is paved in asphalt although a section of bricks remains at the start/finish line. Indianapolis is also home to the Super Bowl XLI Champion Indianapolis Colts of the NFL, the Indiana Pacers of the NBA, the Indiana Fever of the WNBA, the Indianapolis Indians of the IL, and the Indiana Ice of the USHL. The Indianapolis Colts moved to Indianapolis in 1984 The opening of Circle Centre Mall in downtown Indianapolis signaled revitalization. Currently, the city is experiencing growth in the hospitality industry with the new Convention Center addition and the construction of Lucas Oil Stadium. Beginning in 1999 the city became host to the annual Indy Jazz Festival. The festival is a three day event held in Military Park near the canal. At the center of Indianapolis is Monument Circle, a traffic circle at the intersection of Meridian and Market Streets, featuring the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument. (Monument Circle is depicted on the city’s flag, and is generally considered the city’s symbol). Monument Circle is in the shadow of Indiana's tallest skyscraper, the Chase Tower. War Memorial Plaza is a five-block plaza at the intersection of Meridian and Vermont surrounding a large memorial dedicated to Hoosiers who have fought in American wars. Some info courteous of www.wikipedia.org |