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Indianapolis Facts
The most common nickname for
Indianapolis is ‘Indy’. Other nicknames include ‘Circle City’ (after
Monument Circle) and ‘Naptown’ (presumably shortened from ‘IndiaNAPolis’.
The name ‘Naptown’ was first popularized in the city's African-American
community from which sprang a rich musical heritage of unique
Indianapolis-style jazz and blues during the 1920's through the early
1960's. The term ‘Naptown’ came to refer to the style of blues and jazz
which developed in Indianapolis. Leroy Carr, an early influential blues
singer who grew up and was based in Indianapolis, recorded "Naptown Blues"
in 1929. Later, Wes Montgomery, a jazz musician born and based in
Indianapolis, recorded his version of "Naptown Blues" in 1964. Also, it is
said that the name ‘Naptown’ was possibly reintroduced to popularity by the
former local radio station WNAP, often simply called NAP, which was popular
in the 1970s and 1980s. More recently, members of the Indianapolis hip-hop
community and other local musical scenes have adopted the term ‘Naptown’ to
refer to their own style of locally bred music. Also, 'Naptown' has been
used to refer to alleged lack of "interesting" events therein. In an ironic
take-off of the moniker, the city has also been recently dubbed "City of
Siestas."
Both of the United States Navy ships named USS Indianapolis were named for
this city.
Indianapolis is the international headquarters of the pharmaceutical
corporation Eli Lilly and Company, health insurance provider Wellpoint,
insurance companies American United Life and Conseco, in addition to real
estate companies Simon Property Group, Hunt Construction Group, and Duke
Realty Corp. The US headquarters of Roche Diagnostics, Thomson SA, Rolls
Royce and Dow AgroSciences are also located in Indianapolis. Other major
Indianapolis area employers include Clarion Health, Sallie Mae, Cook Group,
and General Motors.
Indianapolis has been the headquarters of the Kiwanis International
organization since 1982. Kiwanis International seeks to serve the children
of the world. The organization and its youth-sponsored Kiwanis Family
counterparts, Circle K International and Key Club International, administer
all their international business and service initiatives from Indianapolis.
The American Legion national headquarters is located in Indianapolis. The
American Legion is the largest veterans service organization in the nation.
Indianapolis' Union Station, one of the busiest rail depots in its time,
employed a young Thomas Edison as a telegraph operator.
Indianapolis is the second most populous capital city in the United States
(including Washington, DC), after Phoenix, Arizona.
Indianapolis is the headquarters for the only international Jewish
fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi). In total, Indianapolis contains the
national headquarters for at least 26 fraternities. |
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