Indiana – The Heartland

Indiana is located in the Great Lakes region of the Midwestern United States. It became a state on December 11, 1816. Originally populated by Native American tribes, Indiana was explored by the French in the late 1600’s. Disputes and ultimately fighting occurred between the British and French Canadiens over possession of Indiana’s territory due to its fur trade throughout the 1750s. By the end of the French and Indian War in 1763, French control of all land west of the colonies was ceded to Britain. At the conclusion of the American Revolution, Britain ceded its claims to the land south of the Great Lakes to While Indiana saw little action within its borders during the Civil War, it was an enthusiastic supporter of the Union cause. In the latter half of the 1800’s, Indiana began a long period of industrialization and manufacturing that extended into the 1900’s with the emergence of the auto industry. Indiana suffered during the Great Depression of the 1930’s but rebounded during World War II thanks to an established manufacturing base that supplied the U.S. with steel, food, and other resources. The meaning of the term Hoosier varies and has been used variously as a reference to woodmen, high hill people, and cotton stowers working along the docks, as well as an abbreviated form of the phrase “Who’s there?” Its exact origin is unknown.

The Hoosier Economy: Diverse

Indiana’s economy is diverse. The state has an extensive energy sector, producing coal, natural gas, and petroleum. Indiana’s manufacturing base has historically been strong and remains so today, and the state produces automobiles, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, electrical equipment, rubber products, and transportation equipment. Agriculture is also a major engine of the Indiana economy.

An Indiana Education

Educational attainment among the Indiana population is on par with that of the U.S. as a whole. As of 2000, roughly 83% of its residents aged 25 and older had completed high school and roughly 25% had completed college. There are 99 colleges and universities in Indiana. The Indiana University system is a well-known state public university system with over 107,000 students across nine campuses. The flagship campus is located in Bloomington. Among the elite private institutions of higher learning in Indiana are: DePauw University, Earlham College, and Wabash University.

The Crime Scene in Indiana: Moving Down

Indiana is experiencing lower crime rates than its historically higher levels of the early to mid-1990’s. Most major forms of crime in Indiana, including violent crime, aggravated assault, burglary, and forcible rape have declined in the past decade. In 2006, Indiana ranked 29th among U.S. states for violent crimes with 315 per 100,000 population.

The Indiana Population and Politics: Republican Leaning for Presidents, More Balanced in State

Indiana has a population of approximately 6.4 million people. Its population has been growing slightly, at a rate of 0.8% per year over the past decade. Indiana has been mixed since in the mid 1850’s with regard to its political preferences. However, over the past several decades, Indiana has leaned decidedly Republican in presidential votes. It was therefore surprising that among nearly 2.7 million votes cast in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Indiana voters chose Democratic candidate Barack Obama over Republican candidate John McCain by a ratio of 50%-49%.