19th century
The rising of the city of Indianapolis
Indianapolis was chosen to be the site for the new state capital in 1820. Strategically it has had a perfect location, since most of the U.S. capitals has always tended to be located in the central region of the state and Indianapolis is the only state capital to be in the exact center of its state.
The city’s name came from Jeremiah Sullivan, a judge from the Indiana Supreme Court, who was inspired by the Greek word polis-meaning city-so literally Indianapolis means Indiana City.
The city was founded on the sides of the White River, because that the river could be usefull for a major transportation. Still, the waterway was too sandy for trade and the capital moved in 1825. and the state commissioned Alexander Ralston to design the new capital city. Ralston was an apprentice to the French architect Pierre L’Enfant and was helping him to plan Washington.
Indianapolis is located on the original east-west National Road. The first railroad in the city, the Madison & Indianapolis, began with its work on October the 1st 1847. and subsequent railroad connections made expansive growth possible.
By the end of the 19th century Indianapolis became large automobile manufacturer and rival of Detroit. The city’s nickname The Crossroads of America came from its roads leading out of the city in all directions, the reason why Indianapolis was a major center of regional transport, connected with Chicago,Cincinnati,Louisville,Columbus,Detroit,Cleveland and St.Louis.
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