Indiana Summary

Indiana ranks among the top 10 states in both agricultural and industrial output. Because Indiana’s railways, waterways, and ports provide access to the world, “The Crossroads of America” was selected as the state motto in 1937.

The state has a population of more than 6 million, which is the 14th-highest in the US, and its 36,420 square miles make it the 38th-largest state. The state’s name, which means “land of Indians,” recalls the many Native Americans who once lived here. Indiana people are known as “Hoosiers.” One explanation is that it was the early pioneers’ version of “Who’s there?” Another is that in 1826 a canal contractor named Samuel Hoosier gave employment preference to men living on the Indiana side of the Ohio River. The men in his work gang were known collectively as Hoosier’s men, which then shortened to Hoosiers.

The top two-thirds of Indiana is level or gently rolling; the southern part is somewhat hilly. The highest point, in the east near the Ohio state line, is 1,257 feet; the lowest, at 320 feet, is found in the southwestern corner. Indiana has more than 8,600 manufacturing plants, and manufacturing accounts for more than 25 percent of all Hoosier jobs. Top industries are auto parts, electronics, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, steel, chemicals, medical equipment, machinery, hardwood, manufactured housing, and recreational vehicles. The state is also a major agricultural exporter, with 16.4 million acres of farmland and 65,000 farms. Principal products are corn and soybeans, pork, hay, dairy products, and chickens. Other major crops include tomatoes, melons, peaches, apples, and mint.

The two largest public seats of learning, Purdue University and Indiana University, are of national distinction, and the University of Notre Dame is one of the most prestigious Catholic universities in the world.

The state has more than 500 lakes, dozens of state parks, a national lakeshore, and a national forest.