|
Thanks to an early nineteenth-century influx of northward migrants,
much of INDIANA still displays vestiges of the easygoing South.
Among these early settlers was the family of Abraham Lincoln, who
set up home near the present village of Santa Claus in 1816 and
stayed for fourteen years before moving to Indiana. Unlike the
abolitionist Lincolns, many brought slaves to this new territory;
Indiana allowed a system of "voluntary servitude" to operate
until 1843. At the outbreak of the Civil War, thousands of ex-Southerners
rioted against the draft, in part expressing a concern that Indiana
was every bit as subservient to the northeast as Deep South slaves
were to their masters. However, since the 1870s, industrialization
has integrated Indiana into the regional economy. The sports-happy
state is at the forefront of the nation in automobile racing and
high school basketball.
Despite some beautiful dunes and beaches, the most lasting memories
provided by Indiana's fifty-mile lakeshore (by far the shortest
of the Great Lake states) are of the grimy steel mills and poverty-stricken
neighborhoods of towns like Gary and East Chicago . In northern
Indiana, the area in and around Elkhart and Goshen contains one
of the nation's largest Amish settlements . The central plains are
characterized by small market towns, except for the sprawling capital,
Indianapolis , which has brightened up its downtown in recent years
to the point that it's not a bad stopover. Hilly southern Indiana,
at its most appealing in the fall, is a welcome contrast to the
central cornbelt, boasting several quaint towns such as Nashville,
Vincennes, Madison and Corydon . Thriving Columbus exhibits a great
array of contemporary architecture for such a small city, and former
resort town West Baden Springs is restoring the elegant hotel that
made it famous.
Dozens of explanations have been offered as to why residents of
the state are called " Hoosiers "; the most believable
is that its use spread from the days of the Ohio Falls Canal construction
in the 1820s, when a contractor, Samuel Hoosier, gave employment
preference to those living on the Indiana side of the Ohio River.
Nine interstates - five of them slicing through Indianapolis -
provide boring but fast ways of traversing Indiana. Greyhound runs
frequent services, particularly on I-65 between Chicago and Louisville
and I-70 between the East and St Louis. Indianapolis, Michigan City
and South Bend are the major stops on the three different Amtrak
routes that cut through the state. Flights from most Midwestern
and Eastern cities land at Indianapolis International Airport .
See what Indiana car rentals has to offer today. Choose a link
above to view today's special Indiana rental car rates from different
agencies! Click here to get started with a car
rental quote now!
|
