History
Industry
Snapshot | Economy/Cost of Living
Education | Recreation & Entertainment
| Transportation
Geography & Climate
| Suggested Reading
List
Indiana was home to Paleo-Indian peoples many thousands of years prior to the modern era. When the
first Europeans explored the area, Native Americans inhabited the land, leading to the state’s name
Indiana, meaning the land of Indians. French and British explorers vied for control of this region,
and ultimately the British won.
During the Revolutionary war, George Rogers Clark led the Americans to defeat the British in the
region. Over the coming years, the area would see strife between Native Americans and settlers,
culminating in the battle at Tippecanoe in 1811. Indiana became a state on December 11, 1816.
Following the Civil War, industrialization took hold of the Hoosier State. Through the twentieth
century, Indiana experienced the rise and decline of heavy industry. Modern Indiana now boasts a
diversified economy which relies both on traditionally important agricultural and manufacturing
industries, yet delves further into strong healthcare and life science industries which will enhance
its future.
Indiana is also known for its famous inhabitants. Among those who have called the Hoosier State
their home are singer Michael Jackson; basketball player Larry Bird; television host David Letterman;
actor James Dean; astronauts Frank Borman and Virgil Grissom; zoologist Alfred Kinsey; actresses
Carole Lombard and Shelley Long; labor leader James R. Hoffa; songwriter Cole Porter; former vice
president J. Danforth Quayle; comedian Red Skelton; physicist Harold C. Urey; author Kurt Vonnegut,
Jr.; and inventor Wilbur Wright, among others.
Related Resources:
Back to Destination Indiana
|
