States from A-Z: Indiana and Iowa

Indiana – the Indian State

Indiana joined the United States on December 11, 1816 as the 19^th state. In the early 20^th century, industry was the most important economic factor, but by the 90s Indiana was also one of the leading states in agriculture, especially in the cultivation of corn and soy beans as well as pig breeding. The state’s name means Indian Land and was coined in the 1860s. The state’s nickname is Hoosier State, a nickname of uncertain origin. Most important cities include the state’s capital Indianapolis, as well as Fort Wayne, Evansville, Gary, South Bend and Hammond.

Already 150,000 years ago, prehistoric Indian cultures settled in the region of present day Indiana. The best known is the so-called Woodland-culture (ca. 500 BC until 1,000 AD). Some of their pottery and evidence of their burial rituals were found in the area. Around 750 AD it was replaced by the Mississippi culture, whose people already established big cities such as Angel Site on the Ohio near Evansville. However, all those cultures had already disappeared by the time the European settlers arrived. The most populous Indian tribes at the time of the settlers were the Delaware, the Miami and the Potawatomi, and also the Piankashaw, the Shawnee and the Wea. In 1679 French researchers came from Quebec to Indiana and crossed the territory for the first time. The French built three forts in Indiana during the early 18^th century – among them Vincennes (1732), the first permanent settlement in the region that was to become Indiana. The state was not very densely populated, so French supremacy over the region was unstable. In 1763, at the end of the French-Indian war, the territory went to the British.

Indiana’s state parks – especially Brown County, Indiana Dunes, McCormick’s Creek and Spring Hill – are popular tourist destinations. Apart from those, the state has a number of historic sites commemorating the state’s pioneer period or persons from the Civil War. The George Rogers Clark National Historical Park near Vincennes commemorates the taking of British Fort Sackville by the United States of America (1779); Historic New Harmony in New Harmony reminds of two early commune experiments (from 1814); the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial near Lincoln City displays exhibits from the old farm, and a complete reconstruction of the same, where Lincoln’s family lived from 1816 to 1830; and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument commemorates the soldiers of the Civil War.

Indiana has a low grade of urbanization, which makes it a state of mainly small and mid-sized towns. The biggest and also best-known city is Indianapolis, location of one of the most famous annual car races, the Indy 500.

Real GDP per capita was $34,058 in 2006, (national average of all 50 states: $37,714), number 33 in the national ranking.

For more information, please visit

http://www.in.gov/

Iowa: the Hawkeye State

The state was named after the Iowa River, which in turn got its name from a word of the Iowa-Indian’s language. As a tribute to Chief Black Hawk, it carries the nickname of “Hawkeye State.” It became the 29^th state of the US in 1846. Iowa’s first capital was Iowa City. When, with increasing settlement in the region, the most densely populated area shifted to the West, it was decided to move the capital more to the center of the state. This way, Des Moines became the capital in 1857.

With its fertile prairie soil and a predomination agriculture, Iowa is a typical Mid-western state, since 90% of its total are being used for agricultural purposes. It is also called “Corn State,” due to the extensive production of corn that dominates its agriculture. Most popular outdoor activities include hunting and fishing. In addition, many parks are to be found in the state, most of them of historical relevance. In former times, bison and coyotes walked the prairie, the woods were populated with deer and pumas. Today, apart from deer the state is home to only smaller mammals such as raccoons, foxes, squirrels, muskrats, and rabbits. Among the most important winged game are the quail and the pheasant that has been reintroduced to the wild of Iowa. During bird migration, different kinds of ducks and geese use Iowa’s wetlands as resting places. Many kinds of fishes can be found in the state’s lakes, most of them in high demand among anglers. They include perch, pike, and sunfish in the lakes, and in the rivers trout and catfish.

Many historically interesting places in Iowa commemorate the state’s pioneer period of settlement in Iowa, as well as famous persons who came from this state. At the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in West Branch in the Southeast, the birthplace of the 31^st President of the United States and the house in which he grew up can be visited. Amana and the six other Amana colonies in the Northwest of Iowa City are former settlements of German immigrants and still convey a lot of the atmosphere of those times. Fort Atkinson State Monument commemorates the glorious pioneer days. The Dvorák Memorial in Spillville (North of Waterloo) is a memorial for Czech composer Antonín Dvorák, who worked there for a short time in 1893. The Effigy Mounds National Monument is in the Northeast of the state, on the shore of the Mississippi River and is a memorial and an archeological preserve for “Mounds,” artificial hills made by an early Native American culture.

The state has a special meaning in US presidential elections: traditionally, Iowa is the state where the first primaries are held. This gets Iowa significant political attention in election years.

Real GDP per capita was $35,662 in 2006, (national average of all 50 states: $37,714), number 24 in the national ranking.

For more information, please visit

http://www.iowa.gov/state/main/index.html

http://www.traveliowa.com/