TRANSPORTATION:

Indianapolis has one of the most comprehensive highway networks in the country. It is within a day’s drive of half the U.S. and Canadian population, and within a day-and-a-half of 75 percent of the two countries’ population. It is home to the second-largest FedEx distribution hub in the world. Cargolux and Continental Cargo also operate out of Indianapolis.

Indiana ranks fifth in the U.S. in commercial freight traffic and is one of the largest export states in the country, moving $34.7 billion in total goods in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Central Indiana region is home to more than 1,500 logistics-related companies who employ over 100,000 workers. 

I-65 connects Indianapolis to Chicago, Ill., and points north and to Louisville, Ky., and points south. I-70 connects to Columbus, Ohio, and points east and St. Louis, Mo., and points west.

I-69 and I-74 also serve the Indianapolis area. There is access to each interstate via I-465, the beltway that surrounds Indianapolis. This gives the Indianapolis area the most interstate highway coverage in the nation.

Indianapolis International Airport is the region’s hub airport and is located 15 miles west of the Property. The airport averages 143 daily flights to 46 nonstop destinations on nine major airlines. In 2016, approximately 4.2 million passengers boarded flights at Indianapolis International Airport. 

Rail service is extensive, with service from CSX, whose Great Lakes Division is based in Indianapolis; Norfolk Southern; Indiana Railroad; Indiana Southern Railroad; and the Louisville & Indiana Railroad. The Property is adjacent to CSX lines, which historically served the Property.

In addition, Amtrak provides service to Indianapolis Union Station. There are daily routes to and from Chicago and service three times a week to New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Seaports via the Great Lakes and its tributaries are available on Lake Michigan to the north and the Ohio River to the south and southwest.

EDUCATION:

The Indianapolis region is served by more than 500 primary and secondary schools, including public, private and charter schools. The region also is home to several four-year colleges and universities as well as Ivy Tech Community College, which has over 81,000 students spread across 32 state-wide locations.

The region has 10 high schools that provide an International Baccalaureate diploma and houses 39 charter schools, half the total for the state. There also are 20 magnet schools in the region. Indianapolis has 8 unified public school districts (in addition to IPS, Speedway and Beech Grove), each of which provides primary, secondary, and adult education services within its boundaries. Private schools run by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis are Bishop Chatard, Roncalli, Cardinal Ritter and Scecina. Other private schools include the International School of Indiana, Brebeuf, Park Tudor, Cathedral and Heritage Christian.

A comprehensive list of the state’s school districts can be found on the Indiana Department of Education’s website. 

The region has a broad selection of highly regarded colleges and universities, with 21 college campuses within 70 miles of Indianapolis. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), with an enrollment of more than 30,000, is Indiana’s premier urban public research university, offering more than 290 degrees and certificates. The campus has a health and life sciences focus, with a medical school and a nursing school that are among the largest in the nation. IUPUI offers degrees from both Indiana University and Purdue University.

Butler University, which has soared to national prominence with the success of its men’s basketball program, is located five miles from downtown Indianapolis. It emphasizes a liberal arts-infused education, with degree programs through its colleges of Business, Communication, Education, Fine Arts, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Pharmacy & Health Sciences.

CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & RECREATION:

Indianapolis is awash in quality-of-life enhancements. The city features The Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the Indiana State Museum and the Indianapolis Zoo/White River Gardens. Adjacent to the Property, the 64-acre Indianapolis Zoo drew 1.2 million visitors in 2015, and the White River State Park draws over 3 million visitors annually.  

Indianapolis also hosts the American Pianists Association and its international jazz and classical piano competitions; Heartland Truly Moving Pictures, an international film festival; The International Violin Competition; Music for All and its Grand National Championship; Drum Corps International and its world championships; and the Percussive Arts Society and its international convention.

Championship sporting events are a staple of Indianapolis, which has played host to the men's and women's college basketball Final Four, Super Bowl XLVI and Big Ten men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in addition to the largest single-day sporting event in the world: The Indianapolis 500, which draws an estimated 400,000 fans annually to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Over the past three and a half decades, national and international championships have generated more than $4 billion in direct visitor spending within the region.

Fans of team sports can follow the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, the WNBA’s Indiana Fever or top-level minor league and collegiate programs.

Indianapolis consistently ranks among the most affordable cities in the U.S. CNNMoney.com ranked Indianapolis No. 1 among most affordable cities to buy a home in 2012; Apartments.com ranked Indianapolis No. 8 of the top 10 Best Cities for Recent College Graduates; and the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index has ranked Indianapolis as the most affordable major U.S. housing market every quarter since 2005.

Indianapolis-area residents generally have time to enjoy the amenities of living in the area; the average commute time is 24.7 minutes, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

EMPLOYMENT:

With several strongly developed industry sectors, Indianapolis has an available and well-trained workforce in the areas of life sciences, information technology, advanced manufacturing, logistics, motorsports and clean technology, including hybrid, renewable batteries, wind and solar electricity production.

The Rose-Hulman Institute, a 2,300-student college in nearby Terre Haute, is among the nation’s top institutions for undergraduate engineering, science and math education. Purdue University in West Lafayette also offers a top-tier engineering program, and Indiana University in Bloomington is ranked among the national leaders for its School of Business and its Entrepreneurship Program.

More than half of the adult population of the Indianapolis region has at least attended college, and one of every 10 has a graduate degree or higher.

In 2014, public colleges and universities in the region awarded over 11,000 degrees in business management or administration, more than 10,000 degrees in the sciences and health, and over 4,200 degrees in engineering or other technical fields, according to the Indy Partnership.

As of December 2016, 21.7 percent of the region’s workforce was employed in the trade, transportation and utilities sector, 15.7 percent in professional or business services, 14.6 percent in education and health services, 10.2 percent in leisure and hospitality and 8.7 percent worked in manufacturing, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Indianapolis region was No. 1 in metro technology job growth in the U.S. from 2000-2008, per the American Electronics Association, and ranked No. 1 for business climate in the Midwest and No. 5 nationally (Chief Executive Magazine, 2016), No. 1 among state employment from foreign investment (IBM Global Business Service, 2009), and No. 2 in per capita employment in pharmaceuticals (Battelle Memorial Institute, 2010).