Indianapolis the capital city of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana . The 2000 Census counted the city's population (excluding included towns) at 781,870. It is Indiana's most populous city and is the 13th largest city in the U.S by population.

Although Indianapolis sits in the Rust Belt, like many larger Rust Belt cities it has diversified its economic base to not rely solely on manufacturing. A large part of this diversification also involves the hosting of events, especially sporting events. The Indianapolis metropolitan area has seen modest and steady growth among U.S. cities, with growth centered in the surrounding counties of Hamilton, Hendricks, and Johnson. Hamilton and Hendricks Counties are currently the fastest growing counties in Indiana and in the Midwest, although the state as a whole is only showing modest growth. Currently, the Combined Statistical Area stands at 1,984,644, making it the 23rd largest in the U.S.

In the 1970's the city center, like many other 'Rust Belt' cities of the United States, saw decreased economic activity. As a result, Downtown Indianapolis saw little new construction. The city of Indianapolis dealt with these issues by developing plans, in the 1980's, to redefine the city's downtown. Downtown Indianapolis began to develop into the state that it is today. Neighborhoods in the downtown area were designated in relation to their proximity to the city center, and plans were initiated for them to be redeveloped. A series of modern skyscrapers were constructed, including what is currently the tallest building in downtown, the newly renamed Chase Tower. The third tallest building, One Indiana Square, is going through an exterior make over after being damaged by high winds in April 2006. The opening of Circle Centre Mall in downtown Indianapolis signaled a revitalization continued. Currently, the city is experiencing growth in the hospitality industry with the Convention Center expansion and the construction of Lucas Oil Stadium . A new Conrad Hotel was built to add more hotel rooms. This adds to the growing list of downtown accommodations and restaurants.

Indianapolis is the international headquarters of the pharmaceutical corporation Eli Lilly and Company, wireless distribution & logistics provider Brightpoint, health insurance provider Wellpoint, insurance company American United Life, airline ATA Airlines, and real estate companies Simon Property Group & Hunt Construction Group, Finish Line, Inc., Duke Realty Corp. and Teleservices Direct. The U.S. headquarters of Roche Diagnostics, Thomson SA, Conseco, Interactive Intelligence, First Internet Bank of Indiana, Peerless Pump Company, CP Morgan and Dow AgroSciences are also located in Indianapolis. Other major Indianapolis area employers include Clarian Health, Sallie Mae, Cook Group, Rolls Royce, and General Motors.

Before Detroit came to dominate the American automobile industry, Indianapolis was also home to a number of carmakers, including American Motor Car Company, Parry Auto Company, and Premier Motor Manufacturing. In addition, Indianapolis hosted auto parts companies such as Prest-O-Lite, which provided acetylene generators for brass era headlights and acetylene gas starters.

Recently, the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo ranked Indianapolis the most affordable major housing market in the U.S. for the fourth quarter of 2006, and Forbes magazine ranked it the sixth best city for jobs in 2008, based on a combined graded balance of perceived median household incomes, lac.k of unemployment, income growth, cost of living and job growth.

Source: Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License