title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian is regarded as one of the best vocalists in heavy metal, with praise given to his unusual delivery and his wide vocal range. In 2006, he was ranked No. 26 on the "Hit Parader" list of "Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists". A study conducted by VVN Music found that Tankian possesses a high and diverse vocal range of 4.2 octaves. In 2002, he co-founded the non-profit political activism organization Axis of Justice, alongside guitarist and fellow activist Tom Morello. In 2011, he was awarded the Armenian Prime Minister's Medal for his contributions to the recognition of the Armenian genocide and the advancement of music.


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on August 21, 1967. He traces his ancestry to the cities of Dörtyol, Kayseri, Tokat, and Urfa, all of which are in modern-day Turkey. His four grandparents were survivors of the Armenian genocide. At age seven, he moved to the U.S. with his parents, and the family settled in Los Angeles. In his youth, he attended the bilingual Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School, which was also attended by his future System of a Down bandmates Daron Malakian and Shavo Odadjian. Tankian was accepted into California State University, Northridge, graduating with a marketing degree in 1989. During his sophomore year, he first began to play instruments, particularly the keyboard, and write songs. He also started his activism during his college years, attempting to draw attention to the recognition of the Armenian genocide during his time as president of the university's Armenian Students Association. He has said that his activism started with the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) and the Shant Student Association of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF).


title: Serj Tankian

text: The beginnings of System of a Down lie in a band named Soil (not to be confused with the Chicago-based band SOiL) with Tankian on vocals & keyboards, Daron Malakian on vocals & lead guitar, Dave Hakopyan on bass, and Domingo Laranio on drums. The band initially hired Shavo Odadjian as their manager before he was to transition into their rhythm guitarist.


title: Serj Tankian

text: Laranio and Hakopyan later left the band feeling that it was not going anywhere, leading to Soil splitting up.


title: Serj Tankian

text: After the split, Tankian, Odadjian and Malakian formed System of a Down, named after a poem Malakian wrote called Victims of a Down. The band recruited drummer Ontronik "Andy" Khachaturian, an old school friend of Malakian, and Odadjian who had played with Malakian in a band called Snowblind during their teens. In mid-1997, Khachaturian left the band because of a hand injury (he subsequently co-founded The Apex Theory, which included former Soil bassist Dave Hakopyan). Khachaturian was replaced by John Dolmayan. Dolmayan is also the drummer for the band Indicator and former drummer for Scars on Broadway.


title: Serj Tankian

text: The band achieved commercial success with the release of five studio albums, three of which debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200. System of a Down has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, and their song "B.Y.O.B." won the Best Hard Rock Performance of 2006.


title: Serj Tankian

text: On November 29, 2010, following several weeks of internet rumors, System of a Down officially announced that they would play shows in Europe during Festivals and in North America, mostly in the U.S., embarking on a tour for the following three years.


title: Serj Tankian

text: The band was in limbo of not releasing any new tracks until November 2020, when they released "Protect the Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz", which were songs that were made to help the cause of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. The song's profits went to the Armenia Fund.


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian's breakthrough as a solo artist came with the release of his debut record "Elect the Dead". The first singles from "Elect the Dead" are "The Unthinking Majority" and "Empty Walls". The music video "Feed Us" was released on the Swedish and UK MTV. Tankian appeared on MTV's "You Rock the Deuce" to promote "Elect the Dead". A music video was directed and filmed for every song on the record, each by unique directors. Tankian explained, "I asked each of the directors for their visual interpretation of my work. They were asked not to write treatments and that they could make whatever they liked. The results have been overwhelmingly amazing!" Some music videos were initially released exclusively to those who purchased the limited edition of "Elect the Dead", while all of the music videos, except "Money", have since been publicly released on Tankian's website and YouTube channel. Some videos have alternative versions which were originally released as well, but later altered.


title: Serj Tankian

text: Three different promo versions of the album have surfaced to the public. The instrumental promotional version, issued by Serjical Strike/Reprise Records and intended for the music and movie industry, contains instrumental versions of the twelve album tracks. Another promotional version, issued by Reprise Records and made only for individual reviewers, features the album in final master form. This promotional CD-R, which was labeled "Smart Talk" as a codename for "Serj Tankian" to prevent leaking by unauthorized persons, also indicates that the album was finalized prior to . Before this a similar but undated promo, also under the name 'Smart Talk', was issued featuring the final versions of the songs, albeit not yet mastered. Whilst the printed track list on this version is identical to the released album, tracks ten and eleven are in fact juxtaposed on the promo itself.


title: Serj Tankian

text: The official tour for "Elect the Dead" commenced on October 12, 2007, with a show at Chicago's Vic Theatre. Roughly one thousand people attended the first concert. Although Tankian had stated he would not be performing any material by System of a Down, he performed "Charades" and "Blue", songs co-written by Daron Malakian, the guitarist of the band. "Blue" had previously appeared on their Fourth Demo Tape in 1998, and Charades was attempted during the 2005 "Mezmerize"/"Hypnotize" sessions, but never released (although a short video clip of Tankian and Dolmayan playing the song in a recording studio was featured on "the Making of "Mezmerize"/"Hypnotize""). Although it is originally a song restricted to piano and vocals, Tankian used his backing band, the Flying Cunts of Chaos (F.C.C.), to provide guitars, drums, and bass. The songs "Beethoven's Cunt", "Empty Walls", and "Sky Is Over" are available as downloadable content for the video game "Rock Band". A portion of the song "Lie Lie Lie" is currently featured in the opening title sequence of NBC's "Fear Itself", a horror anthology show from the creators of "Masters of Horror", and can be viewed on the show's main website.


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian sang with Les Rita Mitsouko on the song "Terminal Beauty". Also, he sang with the band Fair to Midland during a live improvisational version of their song "Walls of Jericho", from the album "", which was a massive hit with fans.


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian is also politically involved. Together with Tom Morello, he founded the organization Axis of Justice and often speaks publicly against violence and injustice in the world. Tankian released a new song "Fears" in November 2008 exclusively in support of Amnesty International's Global Write-A-Thon.


title: Serj Tankian

text: On March 16, 2009, Tankian performed an orchestral version of the album "Elect the Dead" with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in New Zealand. The live performance was captured in a CD/DVD titled "Elect the Dead Symphony", which was released on March 9, 2010.


title: Serj Tankian

text: In 2009, Tankian collaborated with the band Viza (previously known as Visa) for their track "Viktor". Viza is signed to Tankian's Serjical Strike label.


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian's second solo album was originally due in 2009. It is said to be more of a jazz and orchestral based sound. Said Tankian said of the second album: The album had the working title "Music Without Borders", however, the final album title is "Imperfect Harmonies". On June 23, 2010, a promo single from his upcoming album "Imperfect Harmonies" was released called "Borders Are". The first radio single from" Imperfect Harmonies", "Left of Center", was released on July 13, 2010. A third single, "Disowned Inc." was released on August 9, 2010. "Imperfect Harmonies" was released on September 21, 2010. Preceding the album's release, two contests were announced (one consisting of brainteasers related to the album/song titles, the other an art contest) in which fans could win prizes such as Tankian's autograph and merchandise. On August 22, 2010, a music video for "Left o Center" was released on Tankian's MySpace account.


title: Serj Tankian

text: The premiere date for Tankian and Sater's "Prometheus Bound" at the American Repertory Theater was February 25, 2011. Tankian said that collaborating on the show has been a great learning experience for him. "I've been using a lot of my archives, a lot of different types of music that I had already put together for underscoring and what not," he said. "It's quite diverse, from noise to jazz to electronic stuff to hip-hop songs to rock songs to cool, piano dark underscores, and that's a whole different bag of tricks there because it's always evolving. Unlike a film score that's very linear and you get a scene to score for, this is something where you do another workshop and one song is gone, that underscore changes to 20 seconds and they need something else on the spot. Everything's always changing until the show comes, so it's quite interesting."


title: Serj Tankian

text: In January 2011, Tankian released a music video for his song "Reconstructive Demonstrations" from his album "Imperfect Harmonies". Tankian also announced on his Facebook page, during the video's release, that a new EP entitled "Imperfect Remixes" would be released sometime within 2011. On March 1, Tankian released "Imperfect Remixes" and the music video for "Goodbye", a remix of "Gate 21" from "Imperfect Harmonies".


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian co-wrote a musical with the American playwright Steven Sater. It is based on the Ancient Greek tragedy Prometheus Bound. It opened at the American Repertory Theater on March 14, 2011.


title: Serj Tankian

text: In early July 2011, Tankian posted a video on YouTube showing two samples of new songs. During the video he said "next year". In multiple interviews he has stated that he has been working on a rock record that will be released in 2011, and some side projects including jazz, electronic, and symphonic records. It was later confirmed that his third album would be called "Harakiri" and will be released on July 10, 2012. In 2012, he planned for this to be the first of four new albums. The first single from "Harakiri", "Figure It Out", was released on May 1. A music video for the song appeared on Tankian's official YouTube page. A second single from the album, "Cornucopia", was released on June 10. A third single, title track "Harakiri", was made available as a preorder bonus from Tankian's website on June 20.


title: Serj Tankian

text: On August 12, 2011, Tankian traveled to Armenia, where he was received at Government House by then-Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, who awarded him with a Commemorative Medal () for his "contribution to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the advancement of music". Tankian promised to return and put on a concert to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which he did on April 24, 2015, playing for free for over two hours in Yerevan's Republic Square.


title: Serj Tankian

text: He released his fourth studio album "Orca Symphony No. 1" on June 25, 2013. The album takes the form of a classical symphony. A professionally sampled studio version was released on November 30, 2012, while the live recorded version was released on June 25, 2013, through Serjical Strike Records.


title: Serj Tankian

text: His fifth studio album "Jazz-Iz-Christ" was released on July 23, 2013, by Serjical Strike Records. The release features Tankian's vocals on only four of the 15 tracks; all others are instrumental, except for "End of Time", which features a female vocalist. In 2014, he collaborated with Italian DJ Benny Benassi for the single "Shooting Helicopters".


title: Serj Tankian

text: On April 9, 2013, Tankian collaborated with Device, a project led by Disturbed frontman David Draiman. He had a guest appearance on the song "Out of Line" on Device's self-titled album.


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian also appeared on the Tech N9ne album "Something Else" in 2013 on the song "Straight Out the Gate".


title: Serj Tankian

text: He was a surprise guest performer for the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience in Los Angeles on March 25, 2017, singing "The Rains of Castamere." His rendition of the song also made it onto the soundtrack for the eighth season of "Game of Thrones" in 2019.


title: Serj Tankian

text: In June and July 2017, he was a guest on multiple shows of the Prophets of Rage during System of a Down's European tour, singing "Like a Stone" in memory of his friend, Audioslave's Chris Cornell.


title: Serj Tankian

text: In November 2017, Swedish independent label Woah Dad! acquired the albums that Tankian recorded for Reprise Records.


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian composed music for "I Am Not Alone", a 2019 documentary film about the 2018 Armenian revolution. He was also an executive producer of the film.


title: Serj Tankian

text: "Fuktronic", an electronic music collaboration with Mindless Self Indulgence's Jimmy Urine was released in May 2020, after the duo released a sample on SoundCloud. "Fuktronic" is described as "the team of Serj Tankian and Jimmy Urine from Mindless Self Indulgence, making a soundtrack for the ultimate British Gangster Film. It's an electronic album with 12 tracks (4 instrumental and 8 tracks that have original scripted dialogue that portrays the trials and tribulations of a fresh out of prison British gangster who hasn't learned his lesson)."


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian released his first ever EP titled "Elasticity" on March 19, 2021. He announced the release of his EP, and released the title track "Elasticity", along with a music video for it, on February 5, 2021. In his announcement, Tankian stated "When I conceived possibly doing another record with the guys from System of a Down a few years back, I started working on a set of songs that I arranged in rock format for that purpose, As we weren't able to see eye to eye on the vision going forward with a SOAD album, I decided to release these songs under my moniker." The EP features songs like "Electric Yerevan", which is described as a "rallying cry" for Armenia, "Rumi", a poetic song about Tankian's son, and "Your Mom", which has been described as a "political mash-up".


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian grew up listening to traditional Armenian music in his exiled community in Lebanon and sang it with his father Khatchadour Tankian. He discovered pop music only once his family moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s via the Bee Gees' soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever", that led him to delve into it. In his 20s, he bought every record by the Beatles, whom he has called the most "universal" artists he is aware of. Tankian said that the first hard rock album that left an impact on him was 1992's "Angel Dust" by Faith No More. When System of a Down toured with Faith No More singer Mike Patton, who at the time fronted his other band Mr. Bungle on the 2000 SnoCore Tour, Tankian said that both vocalists "had some of the most interesting conversations" of his life. Besides the experimental vocals of Patton, Tankian is greatly influenced by Frank Zappa, especially by his albums "Sheik Yerbouti" and "Joe's Garage".


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian holds in high regard the soundtrack of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Ennio Morricone, and the albums "Decoy" by Miles Davis and "…And Justice for All" by Metallica. He also much admires the reinvention that the British band Radiohead went through in their 2000 record "Kid A", saying that it serves as an example to other artists.


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian is passionate about human rights, recognition of genocides, and social justice. These traits have helped to shape his lyrical style. He has organized and participated in many protests, from Armenian genocide recognition to Axis of Justice (AOJ) protests held by him and AOJ co-founder Tom Morello. He also covers current issues in his music. In his music, issues like the War on Terror, overpopulation, genocide, environmentalism, and the American prison system are addressed. He and his System of a Down bandmates were featured in the 2006 documentary film "Screamers", which covers the United States' position on genocide. In the film, Tankian interviews his grandfather, Stepan Haytayan, a survivor of the Armenian genocide, who recounts his experience of it.


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian said in an interview that he has "the same religion as that tree over there". He said, "It's a mix of Native American, Buddhist, and Transcendental ideas. I like to think of earth as mother. I like to think of sky as grandfather. God has been used for ulterior motives." In another interview, he said, "I believe very firmly that indigenous populations had a really good, intuitive understanding of why we're here. And we're trying to gain that same understanding through psychology and intellect in modern civilization."


title: Serj Tankian

text: Following the September 11 attacks, Tankian wrote an essay in which he stated, "If we carry out bombings on Afghanistan or elsewhere to appease public demand, and very likely kill innocent civilians along the way, we'd be creating many more martyrs going to their deaths in retaliation against the retaliation. As shown from yesterday's events, you cannot stop a person who's ready to die."


title: Serj Tankian

text: In the 2008 Democratic Party primaries, Tankian originally supported Dennis Kucinich, but subsequently stated that Barack Obama "presents the best possible scenario for a hopeful future, but I don't personally put my trust in any political office". In the 2016 Democratic Party primaries, he endorsed Bernie Sanders and wrote on Facebook, "When it comes to standing up to the oligarchs, leading the fight for civil rights, income equality, and so much more, no other politician has been so consistent and incorruptible as Bernie Sanders." He further praised Sanders, "He's said what he's done and he'd done what he says in the Senate. All his contributions are from private individuals; everyone else's are from major donors and corporations. It does not take a genius to see who's working for whom here."


title: Serj Tankian

text: Concerning the Syrian Civil War, Tankian advocates negotiating with Bashar al-Assad, letting Iran deal with Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), whom he accused Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey of supporting.


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian has stated he supported Bernie Sanders and that although it was "frustrating" for his brother in law John Dolmayan to support Donald Trump, he added that they are "on the same page with Armenian issues."


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian is also friendly with current Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who wrote a song called "Hayastane" () which Tankian performed in April 2020. Tankian was also an executive producer and composer for the documentary "I Am Not Alone", which chronicled the rise of Pashinyan.


title: Serj Tankian

text: In 2020, Tankian condemned the actions of Azerbaijan in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and expressed his support to Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh. Since September 27, 2020, when the war broke, Tankian has been very active on social media, posting daily messages and has spoken to a number of media outlets about the issue, including Forbes.


title: Serj Tankian

text: Tankian is an advocate of environmental and animal protection. He became a vegetarian, claiming in an interview with PETA that his change was due to "touring and its variety of edible crap", and he also felt it was "instinctive somewhat". Furthermore, he also feels the need for respect towards "mother earth". In July 2009, he signed a PETA petition against the slaughtering methods of chickens in KFC slaughterhouses.


title: Serj Tankian

text: On June 9, 2012, Tankian married his long-time girlfriend Angela Madatyan, an Armenian woman from Vanadzor, in a private ceremony in Simi Valley, California. On October 24, 2014, he announced that they had a son named Rumi. The family lives intermittently between Warkworth, New Zealand and Los Angeles as of 2015. Tankian is the brother-in-law of his System of a Down bandmate John Dolmayan, as their respective wives are sisters.


title: Serj Tankian

text: System of a Down has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, of which they won one in 2006 for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for their song "B.Y.O.B.".


title: Julius Erving

text: Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player in that league when it merged into the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the 1975–76 season.


title: Julius Erving

text: Erving won three championships, four Most Valuable Player awards, and three scoring titles with the ABA's Virginia Squires and New York Nets (now the NBA's Brooklyn Nets) and the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. During his 16 seasons as a player, none of his teams ever missed the postseason. He is the eighth-highest scorer in ABA/NBA history with 30,026 points (NBA and ABA combined). He was well known for slam dunking from the free-throw line in Slam Dunk Contests and was the only player voted Most Valuable Player in both the ABA and the NBA. The basketball slang of being posterized was first coined to describe his moves. In 1993, Erving was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1994, Erving was named by "Sports Illustrated" as one of the 40 most important athletes of all time. In 1996, Erving was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team. In 2004, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame. In October 2021, Erving was again honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.


title: Julius Erving

text: Many consider him one of the most talented players in the history of the NBA; he is widely acknowledged as one of the game's best dunkers. While Connie Hawkins, "Jumping" Johnny Green, Elgin Baylor, Jim Pollard, and Gus Johnson performed spectacular dunks before Erving's time, Erving brought the practice into the mainstream. His signature was the slam dunk, since incorporated into the vernacular and basic skill set of the game in the same manner as the crossover dribble and the no look pass. Before Erving, dunking was a practice most commonly used by the big men, usually standing close to the hoop, to show their brutal strength which was seen as style over substance, even unsportsmanlike, by many purists of the game; however, the way Erving utilized the dunk more as a high-percentage shot made at the end of maneuvers generally starting well away from the basket and not necessarily a show of force helped to make the shot an acceptable tactic, especially in trying to avoid a blocked shot. Although the slam dunk is still widely used as a show of power, a method of intimidation, and a way to fire up a team and spectators, Erving demonstrated that there can be great artistry and grace in slamming the ball into the hoop, particularly after a launch several feet from that target.


title: Julius Erving

text: Erving was born February 22, 1950, in East Meadow, on Long Island, and raised from the age of 13 in Roosevelt, New York. Prior to that, he lived in nearby Hempstead. He attended Roosevelt High School and played for its basketball team. He received the nickname "Doctor" or "Dr. J" from a high school friend named Leon Saunders. He explains: "I started calling [Saunders] 'the professor', and he started calling me 'the doctor'. So it was just between us...we were buddies, we had our nicknames and we would roll with the nicknames. ... And that's where it came from."


title: Julius Erving

text: Erving recalled that "later on, in the Rucker Park league in Harlem, when people started calling me 'Black Moses' and 'Houdini', I told them if they wanted to call me anything, call me 'Doctor'". Over time, the nickname evolved into "Dr. Julius" and finally "Dr. J." Erving was first called "Dr. J" by his friend and future teammate on the Nets and Squires, Willie Sojourner.


title: Julius Erving

text: Erving enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1968. In two varsity college basketball seasons, he averaged 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds per game, becoming one of only six players to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game in NCAA Men's Basketball. In 1968, the NCAA passed a rule that prohibited dunking. Thus, Erving's fabulous dunking was only seen and known to teammates at practice. He then sought “hardship” entry into professional basketball in 1971.


title: Julius Erving

text: Fifteen years later Erving fulfilled a promise he had made to his mother by earning a bachelor's degree in creative leadership and administration from the school through the University Without Walls program. Erving also holds an honorary doctorate from the school. In September 2021, Massachusetts honored Erving by unveiling a statue outside the Mullins Center on the university's campus.


title: Julius Erving

text: Although NBA rules at the time did not allow teams to draft players who were less than four years removed from high school, the ABA instituted a “hardship” rule that would allow players to leave college early. Erving took advantage of the rule change and left Massachusetts after his junior year to sign a four-year contract worth $500,000 spread over seven years with the Virginia Squires.


title: Julius Erving

text: Erving quickly established himself as a force and gained a reputation for hard and ruthless dunking. He scored 27.3 points per game as a rookie, was selected to the All-ABA Second Team, made the ABA All-Rookie Team, led the ABA in offensive rebounds, and finished second to Artis Gilmore for the ABA Rookie of the Year Award. He led the Squires into the Eastern Division Finals, where they lost to the Rick Barry-led New York Nets in seven games. The Nets would eventually go to the finals, losing to the star-studded Indiana Pacers team.


title: Julius Erving

text: Under NBA rules, he became eligible for the 1972 NBA draft and the Milwaukee Bucks picked him in the first round (12th overall), a move that would have brought him together with Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Prior to the draft, he signed a contract with the Atlanta Hawks worth more than $1 million with a $250,000 bonus. The signing with the Hawks came after a dispute with the Squires where he demanded a renegotiation of the terms. He discovered that his agent at the time, Steve Arnold, was employed by the Squires and convinced him to sign a below-market contract.


title: Julius Erving

text: This created a dispute between three teams in two leagues. The Bucks asserted their rights to Erving via the draft, while the Squires went to court to force him to honor his contract. He joined Pete Maravich at the Hawks' training camp, as they prepared for the upcoming season. He played two exhibition games with the Hawks until NBA Commissioner J. Walter Kennedy ruled that the Bucks owned Erving's rights via the draft. Kennedy fined the Hawks $25,000 per game in violation of his ruling. Atlanta appealed Kennedy's decision to the league owners, who also supported the Bucks’ position. While waiting for the owners’ decision, Erving played in one more preseason game, earning the Hawks another fine. Erving enjoyed his brief time with Atlanta, and he would later duplicate with George Gervin his after-practice playing with Maravich.


title: Julius Erving

text: On October 2, Judge Edward Neaher issued an injunction that prohibited him from playing for any team other than the Squires. The judge then sent the case to arbitration because of an arbitration clause in Erving's contract with Virginia. He agreed to report to the Squires while his appeal of the injunction made its way through the court.


title: Julius Erving

text: Back in the ABA, his game flourished, and he achieved a career-best 31.9 points per game in the 1972–1973 season. The following year, the cash-strapped Squires sold his contract to the New York Nets.


title: Julius Erving

text: The Squires, like most ABA teams, were on rather shaky financial ground. The cash-strapped team sent Erving to the Nets in a complex deal that kept him in the ABA. Erving signed an eight-year deal worth a reported $350,000 per year. The Squires received $750,000, George Carter, and the rights to Kermit Washington for Erving and Willie Sojourner. The Nets also sent $425,000 to the Hawks to reimburse the team for its legal fees, fines and the bonus paid to Erving. Finally, Atlanta would receive draft compensation should a merger of the league result in a common draft.


title: Julius Erving

text: Erving went on to lead the Nets to their first ABA title in 1973–74, defeating the Utah Stars. Erving established himself as the most important player in the ABA. His spectacular play established the Nets as one of the better teams in the ABA, and brought fans and credibility to the league.


title: Julius Erving

text: The end of the 1975–76 ABA season finally brought the ABA–NBA merger. The Nets and Nuggets had applied for admission to the NBA before the season, in anticipation of the eventual merger that had first been proposed by the two leagues in 1970 but which was delayed for various reasons, including the Oscar Robertson free agency suit (which was not resolved until 1976). The Erving-led Nets defeated the Denver Nuggets in the ABA's final championship. In the postseason, Erving averaged 34.7 points and was named Most Valuable Player of the playoffs. That season, he finished in the top 10 in the ABA in points per game, rebounds per game, assists per game, steals per game, blocks per game, free throw percentage, free throws made, free throws attempted, three-point field goal percentage and three-point field goals made.


title: Julius Erving

text: The Nets, Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs joined the NBA for the 1976–77 season. With Erving and Nate Archibald (acquired in a trade with Kansas City), the Nets were poised to pick up right where they left off. However, the New York Knicks upset the Nets' plans when they demanded that the Nets pay them $4.8 million for "invading" the Knicks' NBA territory. Coming on the heels of the fees the Nets had to pay for joining the NBA, owner Roy Boe reneged on a promise to raise Erving's salary. Erving refused to play under these conditions and held out in training camp.


title: Julius Erving

text: After several teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers lobbied to obtain him, the Nets offered Erving's contract to the New York Knicks in return for waiving the indemnity, but the Knicks turned it down. This was considered one of the worst decisions in franchise history. The Sixers then decided to offer to buy Erving's contract for $3 million—in addition to paying roughly the Nets same amount as their expansion fee—and Boe had little choice but to accept the $6 million deal. For all intents and purposes, the Nets traded their franchise player for a berth in the NBA. The Erving deal left the Nets in ruin; they promptly crashed to a 22–60 record, the worst in the league. Years later, Boe regretted having to trade Erving to join the NBA, saying, "The merger agreement killed the Nets as an NBA franchise."


title: Julius Erving

text: Erving quickly became the leader of his new club and led them to an exciting 50-win season. However, playing with other stars-such as former ABA standout George McGinnis, future NBA All-Star Lloyd Free, and aggressive Doug Collins allowed him to focus on playing more team-oriented ball. Despite a smaller role, Erving stayed unselfish. The Sixers won the Atlantic Division and were the top drawing team in the NBA. They defeated the defending champions, the Boston Celtics, to win the Eastern Conference. Erving took them into the NBA Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers of Bill Walton. After the Sixers took a 2–0 lead, however, the Blazers ran off four straight victories after the famous brawl between Maurice Lucas and Darryl Dawkins which ignited the Blazers' team.


title: Julius Erving

text: Erving enjoyed success off the court, becoming one of the first basketball players to endorse many products and to have a shoe marketed under his name. He also starred in the 1979 basketball comedy film, "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh". In the following years, Erving coped with a team that was not yet playing at his level. It took a few years for the Sixers franchise to build around Erving. Eventually, coach Billy Cunningham and top-level players like Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones were added to the mix and the franchise was very successful.


title: Julius Erving

text: The Sixers were still eliminated twice in the Eastern Conference Finals. In 1979, Larry Bird entered the league, reviving the Boston Celtics and the storied Celtics–76ers rivalry; these two teams faced each other in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1985. The Bird vs. Erving matchup became arguably the top personal rivalry in the sport (along with Bird vs. Magic Johnson), inspiring the early Electronic Arts video game "". In 1980, the 76ers prevailed over the Celtics to advance to the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. There, Erving executed the legendary "Baseline Move", a behind-the-board reverse layup. However, the Lakers won the series 4–2 with superb play from, among others, Magic Johnson.


title: Julius Erving

text: Erving was again among the league's best players in the 1980–1981 and 1981–1982 seasons, although more disappointment came as the Sixers stumbled twice in the playoffs: in 1981, the Celtics eliminated them in seven games in the 1981 Eastern Finals after Philadelphia had a 3–1 series lead, but lost both Game 5 and Game 6 by 2 points and the deciding Game 7 by 1; and in 1982, the Sixers managed to beat the defending champion Celtics in seven games in the 1982 Eastern Finals but lost the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Despite these defeats, Erving was named the NBA MVP in 1981 and was again voted to the 1982 All-NBA First Team.


title: Julius Erving

text: For the 1982–83 season, the Sixers obtained the missing element to combat their weakness at their center position, Moses Malone. Armed with one of the most formidable and unstoppable center-forward combinations of all time, the Sixers dominated the whole season, prompting Malone to make the famous playoff prediction of "fo-fo-fo (four-four-four)" in anticipation of the 76ers sweeping the three rounds of the playoffs en route to an NBA title. In fact, the Sixers went four-five-four, losing one game to the Milwaukee Bucks in the conference finals, then sweeping the Lakers to win the NBA title.


title: Julius Erving

text: Erving maintained his all-star caliber of play into his twilight years, averaging 22.4, 20.0, 18.1, and 16.8 points per game in his final seasons. In 1986, he announced that he would retire after the season, causing every game he played to be sold out with adoring fans. That final season saw opposing teams pay tribute to Erving in the last game Erving would play in their arenas, including in cities such as Boston and Los Angeles, his perennial rivals in the playoffs.


title: Julius Erving

text: Erving retired in 1987 at the age of 37. Johnny Kerr told ABA historian Terry Pluto: "A young Julius Erving was like Thomas Edison, he was always inventing something new every night." He is also one of the few players in modern basketball to have his number retired by two franchises: the Brooklyn Nets (formerly the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets) have retired his No. 32 jersey, and the Philadelphia 76ers his No. 6 jersey. He was an excellent all around player who was also an underrated defender. In his ABA days, he would guard the best forward, whether small forward or power forward, for over 40 minutes a game, and simultaneously be the best passer, ball handler, and clutch scorer every night. Many of Erving's acrobatic highlight feats and clutch moments were unknown because of the ABA's scant television coverage. He is considered by many as the greatest dunker of all time.


title: Julius Erving

text: In his ABA and NBA careers combined, he scored more than 30,000 points. In 1993, Erving was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. When he retired, Erving ranked in the top five in scoring (third), field goals made (third), field goals attempted (fifth) and steals (first). On the combined NBA/ABA scoring list, Erving ranked third with 30,026 points. , Erving ranks eighth on the list, behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Wilt Chamberlain.


title: Julius Erving

text: In this memorable contest, Erving faced George "The Iceman" Gervin, All-Star and former teammate Larry "Special K" Kenon, MVP Artis "The A-Train" Gilmore, and David "The Skywalker" Thompson. Erving started by dunking two balls in the hoop. Then, he performed a move that brought the slam dunk contest to the national consciousness. He ran to the opposite end of the court and back, and dunked the basketball from the free throw line. Although dunking from the foul line had been done by other players (Jim Pollard and Wilt Chamberlain in the 1950s, for example), Erving introduced the dunk from the foul line to a wider audience, when he demonstrated the feat in the 1976 ABA All-Star Game Slam Dunk Contest.


title: Julius Erving

text: This event transpired during game 6 of the 1977 NBA Finals. After Portland scored a basket, Erving immediately ran the length of the court with the entire Blazers team defending him. He performed a crossover to blow by multiple defenders, seemingly gliding to the hoop with ease. With UCLA defensive legend Bill Walton waiting in the post, Erving threw down a vicious slam dunk over Walton's outstretched arms. This dunk is considered by many to be one of the strongest dunks ever attempted, considering he ran full court with all five defenders running with him. This move was one of the highlights of his arrival to a more television-exposed NBA.


title: Julius Erving

text: One of his most memorable plays occurred during the 1980 NBA Finals, when he executed a seemingly impossible finger-roll behind the backboard. He drove past Lakers forward Mark Landsberger on the right baseline and went in for a layup. Then 7′2″ center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar crossed his way, blocking the route to the basket and forcing him outwards. In mid-air, it was apparent that Erving would land behind the backboard. But somehow he managed to reach over and score on a right-handed layup despite the fact that his whole body, including his left shoulder, was already behind the hoop. This move, along with his free-throw line dunk, has become one of the signature events of his career. It was called by "Sports Illustrated", "The, No Way, even for Dr J, Flying Reverse Lay-up". Dr J called it "just another move".


title: Julius Erving

text: Another of Erving's most memorable plays came in the final moments of a regular-season game against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1983. After Sixers point guard Maurice Cheeks deflected a pass by Lakers forward James Worthy, Erving picked up the ball and charged down the court's left side, with one defender to beat—the Lakers' top defender Michael Cooper. As he came inside of the 3-point line, he cupped the ball into his wrist and forearm, rocking the ball back and forth before taking off for what Lakers radio broadcaster Chick Hearn best described as a "Rock the Baby" slam dunk: he slung the ball around behind his head and dunked over a ducking Cooper. This dunk is generally regarded as one of the greatest dunks of all time.


title: Julius Erving

text: Erving earned his bachelor's degree in 1986 through the University Without Walls at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. After his basketball career ended, he became a businessman, obtaining ownership of a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Philadelphia and doing work as a television analyst. In 1997, he joined the front office of the Orlando Magic as Vice President of RDV Sports and Executive Vice President.


title: Julius Erving

text: Erving and former NFL running back Joe Washington fielded a NASCAR Busch Series team from 1998 to 2000, becoming the first ever NASCAR racing team at any level owned completely by minorities. The team had secure sponsorship from Dr Pepper for most of its existence. Erving, a racing fan himself, stated that his foray into NASCAR was an attempt to raise interest in NASCAR among African-Americans. He has also served on the Board of Directors of Converse (prior to their 2001 bankruptcy), Darden Restaurants, Saks Incorporated and The Sports Authority. As of 2009, Erving was the owner of "The Celebrity Golf Club International" outside of Atlanta, but the club was forced to file for bankruptcy soon after. He was ranked by ESPN as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century.


title: Julius Erving

text: In 1991 he performed the narration in a performance of Copland's Lincoln Portrait with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Riccardo Muti in a concert to honor the 62nd birthday of the late Dr Martin Luther King. The concert was broadcast and is available on YouTube.


title: Julius Erving

text: Erving made a cameo appearance in the 1993 movie "Philadelphia" starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, and in the sitcom "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" in 1995. He also made a cameo appearance as himself in "Lice", the tenth episode of the ninth season of the comedy series "The Office" (2013). Erving appeared as himself in the 2022 movie "Hustle" starring Adam Sandler and Juancho Hernangómez.


title: Julius Erving

text: Erving is a Christian. He has spoken about his faith, saying: "After searching for the meaning of life for over ten years, I found the meaning in Jesus Christ." Erving is a second cousin of economist Walter E. Williams. Erving was married to Turquoise Erving from 1972 until 2003. Together they had four children. In 2000, their 19-year-old son Cory went missing for weeks, until he was found drowned after driving his vehicle into a pond.


title: Julius Erving

text: In 1979, Erving began an affair with sportswriter Samantha Stevenson, resulting in the 1980 birth of Alexandra Stevenson, who would become a professional tennis player. Although Erving's fatherhood of Alexandra Stevenson was known privately to the families involved, it did not become public knowledge until Stevenson reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1999, the first year she qualified to play in the tournament. Erving had provided financial support for Stevenson over the years, but had not otherwise been part of her life. The public disclosure of their relationship did not initially lead to contact between father and daughter; however, Stevenson contacted Erving in 2008 and they finally initiated a further relationship. Erving met Stevenson for the first time on October 31, 2008. In 2009, Erving attended the Family Circle Cup tennis tournament to see Stevenson play, marking the first time he had attended one of her matches.


title: Julius Erving

text: In 1988, Erving received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. In 2003, Erving fathered a second child outside of his marriage, Justin Kangas, with a woman named Dorýs Madden. Julius and Turquoise Erving were subsequently divorced and Erving continued his relationship with Madden, with whom he had three more children, Jules Erving and two others. They married in 2008.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion County in 2020 was 977,203. The "balance" population, which excludes semi-autonomous municipalities in Marion County, was 887,642. It is the 15th most populous city in the U.S., the third-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago and Columbus, Ohio, and the fourth-most populous state capital after Phoenix, Arizona; Austin, Texas; and Columbus. The Indianapolis metropolitan area is the 33rd most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S., with 2,111,040 residents. Its combined statistical area ranks 28th, with a population of 2,431,361. Indianapolis covers , making it the 18th largest city by land area in the U.S.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indigenous peoples inhabited the area dating to as early as 10,000 BC. In 1818, the Lenape relinquished their tribal lands in the Treaty of St. Mary's. In 1821, Indianapolis was founded as a planned city for the new seat of Indiana's state government. The city was platted by Alexander Ralston and Elias Pym Fordham on a grid next to the White River. Completion of the National and Michigan roads and arrival of rail later solidified the city's position as a manufacturing and transportation hub. Two of the city's nicknames reflect its historical ties to transportation—the "Crossroads of America" and "Railroad City". Since the 1970 city-county consolidation, known as Unigov, local government administration operates under the direction of an elected 25-member city-county council headed by the mayor.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis anchors the 29th largest economic region in the U.S., based primarily on the industries of trade, transportation, and utilities; professional and business services; education and health services; government; leisure and hospitality; and manufacturing. The city has notable niche markets in amateur sports and auto racing. The city is home to three "Fortune" 500 companies, two major league sports clubs (Colts and Pacers), five university campuses, and several museums, including the world's largest children's museum. However, the city is perhaps best known for annually hosting the world's largest single-day sporting event, the Indianapolis 500. Among the city's historic sites and districts, Indianapolis is home to the largest collection of monuments dedicated to veterans and war casualties in the U.S. outside of Washington, D.C.


title: Indianapolis

text: The name Indianapolis is derived from the state's name, Indiana (meaning "Land of the Indians", or simply "Indian Land"), and "", the Greek word for "city." Jeremiah Sullivan, justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, is credited with coining the name. Other names considered were Concord, Suwarrow, and Tecumseh.


title: Indianapolis

text: In 1816, the year Indiana gained statehood, the U.S. Congress donated four sections of federal land to establish a permanent seat of state government. Two years later, under the Treaty of St. Mary's (1818), the Delaware relinquished title to their tribal lands in central Indiana, agreeing to leave the area by 1821. This tract of land, which was called the New Purchase, included the site selected for the new state capital in 1820. The indigenous people of the land prior to systematic removal are the Miami Nation of Indiana (Miami Nation of Oklahoma) and Indianapolis makes up part of Cession 99; the primary treaty between the indigenous population and the United States was the Treaty of St. Mary's (1818).


title: Indianapolis

text: The availability of new federal lands for purchase in central Indiana attracted settlers, many of them descendants of families from northwestern Europe. Although many of these first European and American settlers were Protestants, a large proportion of the early Irish and German immigrants were Catholics. Few African Americans lived in central Indiana before 1840. The first European Americans to permanently settle in the area that became Indianapolis were either the McCormick or Pogue families. The McCormicks are generally considered to be the first permanent settlers; however, some historians believe George Pogue and family may have arrived first, on March 2, 1819, and settled in a log cabin along the creek that was later called Pogue's Run. Other historians have argued as early as 1822 that John Wesley McCormick, his family, and employees became the area's first European American settlers, settling near the White River in February 1820.


title: Indianapolis

text: On January 11, 1820, the Indiana General Assembly authorized a committee to select a site in central Indiana for the new state capital. The state legislature approved the site, adopting the name Indianapolis on January 6, 1821. In April, Alexander Ralston and Elias Pym Fordham were appointed to survey and design a town plan for the new settlement. Indianapolis became a seat of county government on December 31, 1821, when Marion County, was established. A combined county and town government continued until 1832 when Indianapolis was incorporated as a town. Indianapolis became an incorporated city effective March 30, 1847. Samuel Henderson, the city's first mayor, led the new city government, which included a seven-member city council. In 1853, voters approved a new city charter that provided for an elected mayor and a fourteen-member city council. The city charter continued to be revised as Indianapolis expanded. Effective January 1, 1825, the seat of state government moved to Indianapolis from Corydon, Indiana. In addition to state government offices, a U.S. district court was established at Indianapolis in 1825.


title: Indianapolis

text: Growth occurred with the opening of the National Road through the town in 1827, the first major federally funded highway in the United States. A small segment of the ultimately failed Indiana Central Canal was opened in 1839. The first railroad to serve Indianapolis, the Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad, began operation in 1847, and subsequent railroad connections fostered growth. Indianapolis Union Station was the first of its kind in the world when it opened in 1853.


title: Indianapolis

text: During the American Civil War, Indianapolis was mostly loyal to the Union cause. Governor Oliver P. Morton, a major supporter of President Abraham Lincoln, quickly made Indianapolis a rallying place for Union army troops. On February 11, 1861, President-elect Lincoln arrived in the city, en route to Washington, D.C. for his presidential inauguration, marking the first visit from a president-elect in the city's history. On April 16, 1861, the first orders were issued to form Indiana's first regiments and establish Indianapolis as a headquarters for the state's volunteer soldiers. Within a week, more than 12,000 recruits signed up to fight for the Union.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis became a major logistics hub during the war, establishing the city as a crucial military base. Between 1860 and 1870, the city's population more than doubled. An estimated 4,000 men from Indianapolis served in 39 regiments, and an estimated 700 died during the war. On May 20, 1863, Union soldiers attempted to disrupt a statewide Democratic convention at Indianapolis, forcing the proceedings to be adjourned, sarcastically referred to as the Battle of Pogue's Run. Fear turned to panic in July 1863, during Morgan's Raid into southern Indiana, but Confederate forces turned east toward Ohio, never reaching Indianapolis. On April 30, 1865, Lincoln's funeral train made a stop at Indianapolis, where an estimated crowd of more than 100,000 people passed the assassinated president's bier at the Indiana Statehouse.


title: Indianapolis

text: Following the Civil War—and in the wake of the Second Industrial Revolution—Indianapolis experienced tremendous growth and prosperity. In 1880, Indianapolis was the world's third largest pork packing city, after Chicago and Cincinnati, and the second largest railroad center in the United States by 1888. By 1890, the city's population surpassed 100,000. Some of the city's most notable businesses were founded during this period of growth and innovation, including L. S. Ayres (1872), Eli Lilly and Company (1876), Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company (1910), and Allison Transmission (1915). Once home to 60 automakers, Indianapolis rivaled Detroit as a center of automobile manufacturing. The city was an early focus of labor organization. The Indianapolis Street Car Strike of 1913 and subsequent police mutiny and riots led to the creation of the state's earliest labor-protection laws, including a minimum wage, regular work weeks, and improved working conditions. The International Typographical Union and United Mine Workers of America were among several influential labor unions based in the city.


title: Indianapolis

text: Some of the city's most prominent architectural features and best known historical events date from the turn of the 20th century. The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, dedicated on May 15, 1902, would later become the city's unofficial symbol. Ray Harroun won the inaugural running of the Indianapolis 500, held May 30, 1911, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Indianapolis was one of the hardest hit cities in the Great Flood of 1913, resulting in five known deaths and the displacement of 7,000 families.


title: Indianapolis

text: As a stop on the Underground Railroad, Indianapolis had one of the largest black populations in the Northern States, until the Great Migration. Led by D. C. Stephenson, the Indiana Klan became the most powerful political and social organization in Indianapolis from 1921 through 1928, controlling City Council and the Board of School Commissioners, among others. At its height, more than 40% of native-born white males in Indianapolis claimed membership in the Klan. While campaigning in the city in 1968, Robert F. Kennedy delivered one of the most lauded speeches in 20th century American history, following the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. As in most U.S. cities during the Civil Rights Movement, the city experienced strained race relations. A 1971 federal court decision forcing Indianapolis Public Schools to implement desegregation busing proved controversial.


title: Indianapolis

text: Under the mayoral administration of Richard Lugar, the city and county governments consolidated. Known as Unigov (a portmanteau of "unified" and "government"), the city-county consolidation removed bureaucratic redundancies, captured increasingly suburbanizing tax revenue, and created a Republican political machine that dominated local politics until the 2000s. Unigov went into effect on January 1, 1970, increasing the city's land area by and population by 268,366 people. It was the first major city-county consolidation to occur in the U.S. without a referendum since the creation of the City of Greater New York in 1898.


title: Indianapolis

text: Amid the changes in government and growth, the city pursued an aggressive economic development strategy to brand Indianapolis as a sports tourism destination, known as the Indianapolis Project. Under the administration of the city's longest-serving mayor, William Hudnut (1976–1992), millions of dollars were invested into sport facilities and public relations campaigns. The strategy was successful in landing the U.S. Olympic Festival in 1982, securing the relocation of the Baltimore Colts in 1984, and hosting the 1987 Pan American Games.


title: Indianapolis

text: Economic development initiatives focused on revitalizing the city's downtown continued in the 1990s under the mayoral administration of Stephen Goldsmith. During this period, a number of cultural amenities were completed at White River State Park, the Canal Walk continued development, Circle Centre Mall was completed, and new sports venues (Victory Field and Gainbridge Fieldhouse) were opened. In 1999, several cultural districts were designated to capitalize on cultural assets within historically significant neighborhoods unique to the city's heritage as a means to promote continued economic development.


title: Indianapolis

text: During the 2000s, the city invested heavily in public infrastructure projects, including two of the largest building projects in the city's history: the $1.1 billion Indianapolis International Airport Colonel H. Weir Cook Terminal and $720 million Lucas Oil Stadium, both opened in 2008. A $275 million expansion of the Indiana Convention Center was completed in 2011. Construction began that year on DigIndy, a $1.9 billion project to correct the city's combined sewer overflows by 2025. Rapid transit was reintroduced to Indianapolis with the opening of IndyGo's $96 million Red Line bus rapid transit project in 2019.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis is located in the East North Central region of the Midwestern United States, about south-southeast of Indiana's geographic center. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Indianapolis (balance) encompasses a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is the 18th largest city by land area in the U.S.


title: Indianapolis

text: As a consolidated city-county, the city's municipal boundaries are coterminous with Marion County, except the autonomous and semi-autonomous municipalities outlined in Unigov. Nine civil townships form the broadest geographic divisions within the city and county. The consolidated city-county borders the adjacent counties of Boone to the northwest; Hamilton to the north; Hancock to the east; Shelby to the southeast; Johnson to the south; Morgan to the southwest; and Hendricks to the west.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis is located within a physiographic province known as the Tipton Till Plain, a flat, gently rolling terrain underlain by glacial deposits known as till. The lowest point in the city is about above mean sea level, with the highest natural elevation at about above sea level. Few hills or short ridges, known as kames, rise about to above the surrounding terrain. The city lies just north of the Indiana Uplands, a region characterized by rolling hills and high limestone content.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis is located in the West Fork White River drainage basin, part of the larger Mississippi River watershed via the Wabash and Ohio rivers. The White River is fed by some 35 tributaries, including Fall Creek and Pogue's Run, as it flows north to south through Indianapolis. The city's largest water bodies are artificial quarry lakes or reservoirs.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis is situated in the Southern Great Lakes forests ecoregion which in turn is located within the larger temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome, as defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Based on the United States Environmental Protection Agency's alternative classification system, the city is located in the Eastern Corn Belt Plains, an area of the U.S. known for its fertile agricultural land.


title: Indianapolis

text: Much of the decidious forests that once covered 98% of the region were cleared for agriculture and urban development, contributing to considerable habitat loss. Indianapolis's current urban tree canopy averages approximately 33%. A rare example of old-growth forest in the city can be found on of Crown Hill Cemetery's North Woods in the Butler–Tarkington neighborhood. The cemetery's represents the largest green space in Center Township, home to an abundance of wildlife and some 130 species of trees. Native trees most common to the area include varieties of ash, maple, and oak. Several invasive species are also common in Indianapolis, including tree of heaven, wintercreeper, Amur honeysuckle, and Callery or Bradford pear.


title: Indianapolis

text: A 2016 bioblitz along three of the city's riparian corridors found 590 taxa. Urban wildlife common to the Indianapolis area include mammals such as the white-tailed deer, eastern chipmunk, eastern cottontail, and the eastern grey and American red squirrels. In recent years, local raccoon and groundhog populations have increased alongside sightings of American badgers, beavers, mink, coyotes, and red fox. Birds native to the area include the northern cardinal, wood thrush, eastern screech owl, mourning dove, pileated and red-bellied woodpeckers, and wild turkey. Located in the Mississippi Flyway, the city sees more than 400 migratory bird species throughout the year. Some 57 species of fish can be found in the city's waterways, including bass and sunfish. Some federally-designated endangered and threatened species are native to the Indianapolis area, including several species of freshwater mussels, the rusty patched bumble bee, Indiana bat, northern long-eared bat, and the running buffalo clover.


title: Indianapolis

text: In recent years, the National Wildlife Federation has ranked Indianapolis among the ten most wildlife-friendly cities in the U.S.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification "Dfa"), but can be considered a borderline humid subtropical climate (Köppen: "Cfa") using the isotherm. It experiences four distinct seasons. The city lies at the transition between USDA plant hardiness zones 5b and 6a.


title: Indianapolis

text: Typically, summers are hot, humid, and wet. Winters are generally cold with moderate snowfall. The July daily average temperature is . High temperatures reach or exceed an average of 18 days each year, and occasionally exceed . Spring and autumn are usually pleasant, if at times unpredictable; midday temperature drops exceeding are common during March and April, and instances of very warm days () followed within 36 hours by snowfall are not unusual during these months. Winters are cold, with an average January temperature of . Temperatures dip to or below an average of 3.7 nights per year.


title: Indianapolis

text: The rainiest months occur in the spring and summer, with slightly higher averages during May, June, and July. May is typically the wettest, with an average of of precipitation. Most rain is derived from thunderstorm activity; there is no distinct dry season, although occasional droughts occur. Severe weather is not uncommon, particularly in the spring and summer months; the city experiences an average of 20 thunderstorm days annually.


title: Indianapolis

text: The city's average annual precipitation is , with snowfall averaging per season. Official temperature extremes range from , set on July 14, 1936, to , set on January 19, 1994.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis is a planned city. On January 11, 1820, the Indiana General Assembly authorized a committee to select a site in central Indiana for the new state capital, appointing Alexander Ralston and Elias Pym Fordham to survey and design a town plan for Indianapolis. Ralston had been a surveyor for the French architect Pierre L'Enfant, assisting him with the plan for Washington, D.C. Ralston's original plan for Indianapolis called for a town of , near the confluence of the White River and Fall Creek.


title: Indianapolis

text: The plan, known as the "Mile Square", is bounded by East, West, North, and South streets, centered on a traffic circle, called Monument Circle (originally Circle Street), from which Indianapolis's "Circle City" nickname originated. Four diagonal streets radiated a block from Monument Circle: Massachusetts, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana avenues. The city's address numbering system begins at the intersection of Washington and Meridian streets. Before its submersion into a sanitary tunnel, Pogue's Run was included into the plan, disrupting the rectilinear street grid to the southeast.


title: Indianapolis

text: Compared with similar-sized American cities, Indianapolis is unique in that it contains some 200 farms covering thousands of acres of agricultural land within its municipal boundaries. Equestrian farms and corn and soybean fields interspersed with suburban development are commonplace on the city's periphery, especially in Franklin Township.


title: Indianapolis

text: Noted as one of the finest examples of the City Beautiful movement design in the U.S., the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza Historic District began construction in 1921 in downtown Indianapolis. The district, a National Historic Landmark, encompasses several examples of neoclassical architecture, including the American Legion, Central Library, and Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse. The district is also home to several sculptures and memorials, "Depew Memorial Fountain", and open space, hosting many annual civic events.


title: Indianapolis

text: After completion of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, an ordinance was passed in 1905 restricting building heights on the traffic circle to to protect views of the monument. The ordinance was revised in 1922, permitting buildings to rise to , with an additional allowable with a series of setbacks. A citywide height restriction ordinance was instituted in 1912, barring structures over . Completed in 1962, the City-County Building was the first skyscraper in the city, surpassing the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in height by nearly . A building boom, lasting from 1982 to 1990, saw the construction of six of the city's ten tallest buildings. The tallest is Salesforce Tower, completed in 1990 at . Indiana limestone is the signature building material in Indianapolis, widely included in the city's many monuments, churches, academic, government, and civic buildings.


title: Indianapolis

text: For statistical purposes, the consolidated city-county is organized into 99 "neighborhood areas" with most containing numerous individual historic and cultural districts, subdivisions, and some semi-autonomous towns. In total, some 500 self-identified neighborhood associations are listed in the city's Registered Community Organization system. As a result of the city's expansive land area, Indianapolis has a unique urban-to-rural transect, ranging from dense urban neighborhoods to suburban tract housing subdivisions, to rural villages.


title: Indianapolis

text: Typical of American cities in the Midwest, Indianapolis urbanized in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, resulting in the development of relatively dense, well-defined neighborhoods clustered around streetcar corridors, especially in Center Township. Notable streetcar suburbs include Broad Ripple, Irvington, and University Heights. Starting in the mid-20th century, the post–World War II economic expansion and subsequent suburbanization greatly influenced the city's development patterns. From 1950 to 1970, nearly 100,000 housing units were built in Marion County, most outside Center Township in suburban neighborhoods such as Castleton, Eagledale, and Nora.


title: Indianapolis

text: Since the 2000s, downtown Indianapolis and surrounding neighborhoods have seen increased reinvestment mirroring nationwide market trends, driven by empty nesters and millennials. Renewed interest in urban living has been met with some dispute regarding gentrification and affordable housing. According to a Center for Community Progress report, neighborhoods like Cottage Home and Fall Creek Place have experienced measurable gentrification since 2000. The North Meridian Street Historic District is among the most affluent urban neighborhoods in the U.S., with a mean household income of $102,599 in 2017.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis maintains 212 public parks covering of green space, representing about 5.1% of the city's land area. Amenities include 129 playgrounds, 155 sports fields, of recreational trails, 23 recreation and nature centers, 21 spraygrounds, 19 aquatic centers, 13 golf courses, and four dog parks. The department also provides 2,400 programs and classes annually. Eagle Creek Park is the largest and most visited park in the city and ranks among the largest municipal parks in the U.S., covering .


title: Indianapolis

text: Military Park was established as the city's first state-owned park in 1852. Garfield Park was the city's first municipally-owned park, opening in 1876 as Southern Park. In the early-20th century, the city enlisted landscape architect George Kessler to conceive a framework for Indianapolis's modern parks system. Kessler's 1909 Indianapolis Park and Boulevard Plan linked notable parks, such as Brookside, Ellenberger, Garfield, and Riverside parks, with a system of parkways following the city's waterways. The system's were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.


title: Indianapolis

text: Marion County is home to two Indiana state parks: Fort Harrison State Park in Lawrence and White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis. Established in 1996, Fort Harrison State Park covers under the management of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. White River is owned and operated by the White River State Park Development Commission, a quasi-governmental agency. Encompassing , White River is the city's major urban park, home to the Indianapolis Zoo, White River Gardens, and museums. Two land trusts are active in the city managing several sites for nature conservation throughout the region.


title: Indianapolis

text: The U.S. Census Bureau considers Indianapolis as two entities: the consolidated city and the city's remainder, or balance. The consolidated city is coterminous with Marion County, except the independent municipalities of Beech Grove, Lawrence, Southport, and Speedway. The city's balance excludes the populations of ten semi-autonomous municipalities that are included in totals for the consolidated city. These are Clermont, Crows Nest, Homecroft, Meridian Hills, North Crows Nest, Rocky Ripple, Spring Hill, Warren Park, Williams Creek, and Wynnedale. An eleventh town, Cumberland, is partially included. In 2018 estimates, the city's consolidated population was 876,862 and its balance was 867,125. At the 2010 Census, the city's population density was . Indianapolis is the most populous city in Indiana, containing nearly 13% of the state's total population.


title: Indianapolis

text: The Indianapolis metropolitan area, officially the Indianapolis–Carmel–Anderson metropolitan statistical area (MSA), consists of Marion County and the surrounding counties of Boone, Brown, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Morgan, Putnam, and Shelby. In 2018, the metropolitan area's population was 2,048,703, the most populous in Indiana and home to 30% of the state's residents. With a population of 2,431,361, the larger Indianapolis–Carmel–Muncie combined statistical area (CSA) covers 18 counties, home to 36% of Indiana residents. Indianapolis is also situated within the Great Lakes Megalopolis, the largest of 11 megaregions in the U.S.


title: Indianapolis

text: According to the U.S. Census of 2010, 97.2% of the Indianapolis population was reported as one race: 61.8% White, 27.5% Black or African American, 2.1% Asian (0.4% Burmese, 0.4% Indian, 0.3% Chinese, 0.3% Filipino, 0.1% Korean, 0.1% Vietnamese, 0.1% Japanese, 0.1% Thai, 0.1% other Asian); 0.3% American Indian, and 5.5% as other. The remaining 2.8% of the population was reported as multiracial (two or more races). The city's Hispanic or Latino community constituted 9.4% of the city's population in the 2010 U.S. Census: 6.9% Mexican, 0.4% Puerto Rican, 0.1% Cuban, and 2% as other.


title: Indianapolis

text: In 2010, the median age for Indianapolis was 33.7 years. Age distribution for the city's inhabitants was 25% under the age of 18; 4.4% were between 18 and 21; 16.3% were age 21 to 65; and 13.1% were age 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 93 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90 males.


title: Indianapolis

text: The U.S. Census of 2010 reported 332,199 households in Indianapolis, with an average household size of 2.42 and an average family size of 3.08. Of the total households, 59.3% were family households, with 28.2% of these including the family's own children under the age of 18; 36.5% were husband-wife families; 17.2% had a female householder (with no husband present) and 5.6% had a male householder (with no wife present). The remaining 40.7% were non-family households. , 32% of the non-family households included individuals living alone, 8.3% of these households included individuals age 65 years of age or older.


title: Indianapolis

text: The U.S. Census Bureau's 2007–2011 American Community Survey indicated the median household income for Indianapolis city was $42,704, and the median family income was $53,161. Median income for males working full-time, year-round, was $42,101, compared to $34,788 for females. Per capita income for the city was $24,430, 14.7% of families and 18.9% of the city's total population living below the poverty line (28.3% were under the age of 18 and 9.2% were age 65 or older).


title: Indianapolis

text: Based on 2015 estimates, the Indianapolis metropolitan area had the 18th highest percentage of LGBT residents in the U.S., with 4.2% of residents identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.


title: Indianapolis

text: In 2015, Brookings characterized the Indianapolis metropolitan area as a minor-emerging immigrant gateway with a foreign-born population of 126,767, or 6.4% of the total population, a 131% increase from 2000. Much of this growth can be attributed to thousands of Burmese-Chin refugees who have settled in Indianapolis, particularly Perry Township, since the late-1990s. Indianapolis is home to one of the largest concentrations of Chin people outside of Myanmar (formerly Burma), with an estimated population ranging from 17,000 to 24,000.


title: Indianapolis

text: Of the 42.42% of the city's residents who identify as religious, Roman Catholics make up the largest group, at 11.31%. The second highest religious group in the city are Baptists at 10.31%, with Methodists following behind at 4.97%. Presbyterians make up 2.13% of the city's religiously affiliated population, followed by Pentecostals and Lutherans. Another 8.57% are affiliated with other Christian faiths. 0.32% of religiously affiliated persons identified themselves as following Eastern religions, while 0.68% of the religiously affiliated population identified as Jewish, and 0.29% as Muslim. According to the nonpartisan and nonprofit Public Religion Research Institute's American Values Atlas, 22% of residents identify as religiously "unaffiliated," consistent with the national average of 22.7%.


title: Indianapolis

text: SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary and Marian University are affiliated with the archdiocese. Christian Theological Seminary is another seminary located in the city, affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Christ Church Cathedral, the city's oldest house of worship, is pro-cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. The Indiana-Kentucky Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is also based in Indianapolis. Religious denominations headquartered in the city include the Free Methodist Church and Lutheran Ministerium and Synod – USA.


title: Indianapolis

text: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the largest industries by employment in the Indianapolis metropolitan area are trade, transportation, and utilities; professional and business services; education and health services; government; leisure and hospitality; and manufacturing, respectively. The region's unemployment rate was 1.2 percent in December 2021. The city's major exports include pharmaceuticals, motor vehicle parts, medical equipment and supplies, engine and power equipment, and aircraft products and parts.


title: Indianapolis

text: According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Indianapolis metropolitan area was $147 billion.


title: Indianapolis

text: Three "Fortune" 500 companies are based in the city: health insurance company Elevance Health; pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company; and agricultural chemical company Corteva. Other companies based in the city include Allison Transmission, Barnes & Thornburg, Calumet Specialty Products Partners, Emmis Communications, Finish Line, Inc., Herff Jones, Klipsch Audio Technologies, Lids, OneAmerica Financial Partners, Inc., Republic Airways Holdings, Simon Property Group, and Steak 'n Shake.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis' central location and extensive highway and rail infrastructure have positioned the city as an important logistics center. According to the Indy Chamber, the region was home to some 4,300 establishments employing nearly 110,000 in 2020.


title: Indianapolis

text: Amazon has a major presence in the Indianapolis metropolitan area, employing 9,000. Indianapolis is home to FedEx Express's National Hub which employs 7,000 workers in sorting, distribution, and shipping at Indianapolis International Airport. Other logistics companies in the region with large workforces include Ingram Micro (1,300) and Venture Logistics (1,150).


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis anchors one of the largest life sciences clusters in the U.S., notably in the subsectors of drugs and pharmaceuticals and agricultural feedstock and chemicals. Life sciences employ between 21,200 and 28,700 among nearly 350 companies located in the region. Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly is the city's largest private employer, with a workforce of 11,000 in research and development, manufacturing, and executive administration. Other major employers include Corteva (1,500), Labcorp Drug Development (1,500), and Roche's North American headquarters (4,500).


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis is also a hub for academic medicine and health sciences research, home to such institutions as the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and School of Dentistry; Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine; and the American College of Sports Medicine. The regional healthcare providers of Community Health Network, Eskenazi Health, Franciscan Health, Indiana University Health, and St. Vincent Health have a combined workforce of 43,700.


title: Indianapolis

text: According to a 2021 report commissioned by BioCrossroads, Central Indiana's life sciences and healthcare sector generates nearly $84 billion in total economic output and supports more than 331,000 jobs throughout the region.


title: Indianapolis

text: Historically, manufacturing has been a critical component of Indianapolis' economic landscape; however, deindustrialization since the mid-20th century has significantly impacted the city's workforce. Indianapolis is typically considered part of the Rust Belt, a region of the Northeastern and Midwestern U.S. beleaguered by industrial and population decline. Between 1990 and 2012, approximately 26,900 manufacturing jobs were lost in the city as it continued diversification efforts and transitioned to a service economy. RCA and Western Electric formerly employed thousands at their Indianapolis manufacturing plants.


title: Indianapolis

text: Once home to 60 automakers, Indianapolis rivaled Detroit as a center of automobile manufacturing and design in the early-20th century. Indianapolis was home to several luxury car companies, including Duesenberg, Marmon, and Stutz Motor Company; however, the automakers did not survive the Great Depression of the 1930s. Detroit's Big Three automakers maintained a presence in the city and continued to operate in various capacities until the 2000s: Ford Motor Company (1914–1942, 1956–2008), Chrysler (1925–2005), and General Motors (1930–2011).


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis is home to Allison Transmission's headquarters and manufacturing facilities, employing 2,500 in design and production of automatic transmissions and hybrid propulsion systems. Rolls-Royce North America dates its local presence to the establishment of the Allison Engine Company in 1915. Its Indianapolis Operations Center has a workforce of 4,000 in aircraft engine development and manufacturing. Other major manufacturing employers include Allegion (1,300) and Raytheon Technologies (1,000). In 2016, Carrier Corporation announced the closure of its Indianapolis plant, moving 1,400 manufacturing jobs to Mexico. Carrier later negotiated with the incoming Trump administration to save some jobs. The company's local workforce numbers 800 in gas furnace production.


title: Indianapolis

text: The hospitality industry is an increasingly vital sector of the Indianapolis economy. According to Visit Indy, 29.2 million visitors generate $5.6 billion annually, supporting 82,900 jobs. Indianapolis has long been a sports tourism destination, but has more recently relied on conventions. From 2010 to 2019, average annual attendance for conventions was 494,000, an increase of 26% from the previous decade.


title: Indianapolis

text: The Indiana Convention Center (ICC) and Lucas Oil Stadium are considered mega convention center facilities, with a combined of exhibition space. ICC is connected to 12 hotels and 4,700 hotel rooms, the most of any U.S. convention center. Resident conventions annually hosted in the city include FDIC International, National FFA Organization Convention, Gen Con, and Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis ranks among the fastest high-tech job growth areas in the U.S. The metropolitan area is home to 28,500 information technology-related jobs at such companies as Angi, Formstack, Genesys, Hubstaff, Infosys, Ingram Micro, and Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Salesforce has the largest workforce of local tech firms, employing about 2,100 in Indianapolis.


title: Indianapolis

text: The city's primary art museum is the Indianapolis Museum of Art, founded in 1883 by suffragist May Wright Sewall. It is among the oldest and largest art museums in the U.S. The museum's Newfields campus covers , home to the ; Oldfields, a restored house museum and National Historic Landmark; and restored gardens and grounds originally designed by Percival Gallagher of the Olmsted Brothers firm. The museum's holdings demonstrate the institution's emphasis on the connections among art, design, and the natural environment.


title: Indianapolis

text: Established under the Works Progress Administration in 1934, the Indianapolis Art Center is a not-for-profit arts organization located in the city's Broad Ripple Village neighborhood. Its Michael Graves-designed building houses the Marilyn K. Glick School of Art, galleries, a library, and an auditorium. Sited along the White River, the center's includes a public sculpture garden. The center hosts hundreds of classes, dozens of exhibitions, several outreach programs, and multiple art fairs and events throughout the year.


title: Indianapolis

text: Founded by local businessman and philanthropist Harrison Eiteljorg, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art opened at White River State Park in 1989. In addition to its diverse collection of visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas and American Western art, the museum hosts numerous lectures, artist residencies, special exhibitions, and events annually.


title: Indianapolis

text: Located on the IUPUI campus, the Herron School of Art and Design was established in 1902 as the John Herron Art Institute. The school's first core faculty included Impressionist painters of the Hoosier Group: T. C. Steele, J. Ottis Adams, William Forsyth, Richard Gruelle, and Otto Stark. The university's public art collection is extensive, with more than 30 works. Other public works can be found in the Eskenazi Health Art Collection and the Indiana Statehouse Public Art Collection.


title: Indianapolis

text: Downtown Indianapolis is home to several of the city's earliest performing arts venues and organizations. Opened in 1916, the Hilbert Circle Theatre is home to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, which performs nearly 200 concerts annually. The Indiana Theatre, which opened in 1927 on Washington Street, houses the Indiana Repertory Theatre, the state's largest non-profit professional repertory theatre. Founded in 1983, the nonprofit Phoenix Theatre focuses on contemporary theatrical productions. Other notable venues near the central business district include the Indianapolis Artsgarden and TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park, the city's largest outdoor venue.


title: Indianapolis

text: Downtown's Mass Ave Cultural Arts District is home to Old National Centre at the Murat Shrine, the oldest stagehouse in Indianapolis, having opened in 1910. The center features a 2,500-seat performing arts theatre, 2,000-seat concert hall, and 900-seat multi-functional room, hosting approximately 400 public and private events throughout the year. Mass Ave is also home to The District Theatre and the Basile and Indy Eleven theaters. The 100-seat Basile Theatre and 70-seat black box Indy Eleven Theatre annually hosts the Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, or "IndyFringe".


title: Indianapolis

text: In 1927, Madam Walker Legacy Center opened in the heart of the city's African-American neighborhood on Indiana Avenue. The theater is named for Sarah Breedlove, or Madam C. J. Walker, an African American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist who began her beauty empire in Indianapolis. The theater hosted vaudeville shows and anchored the Indiana Avenue jazz scene from the 1920s through the 1960s. "The Avenue" produced greats such as David Baker, Slide Hampton, Freddie Hubbard, J. J. Johnson, James Spaulding, and the Montgomery Brothers (Buddy, Monk, and Wes). Wes Montgomery is considered one of the most influential jazz guitarists of all time, and is credited with popularizing the "Naptown Sound."


title: Indianapolis

text: Other performing arts organizations in the city include The Cabaret, Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and Indianapolis Opera. The city's Broad Ripple and Fountain Square neighborhoods are known for local live music, home to dozens of venues. Other notable venues include Butler University's Clowes Memorial Hall, Melody Inn in Butler-Tarkington, and The Emerson Theater in Little Flower.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis is home to a variety of national professional musical organizations, including the American Pianists Association, Bands of America, Drum Corps International, and the Percussive Arts Society. Annual music festivals and competitions held in the city include the Drum Corps International World Class Championships, Indianapolis Early Music Festival, and Indy Jazz Fest. The quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis is considered among the most prestigious of its kind in the world.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis was at the center of the Golden Age of Indiana Literature from 1870 to 1920. Several notable poets and writers based in the city achieved national prominence and critical acclaim during this period, including James Whitcomb Riley, Booth Tarkington, and Meredith Nicholson. In "A History of Indiana Literature", Arthur W. Shumaker remarked on the era's influence: "It was the age of famous men and their famous books. In it Indiana, and particularly Indianapolis, became a literary center which in many ways rivaled the East." A 1947 study found that Indiana authors ranked second to New York in the number of bestsellers produced in the previous 40 years. Located in Lockerbie Square, the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home has been a National Historic Landmark since 1962.


title: Indianapolis

text: Perhaps the city's most acclaimed twentieth-century writer was Kurt Vonnegut, known for his darkly satirical and controversial bestselling novel "Slaughterhouse-Five". The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library opened in 2010 downtown. Vonnegut became known for including at least one character in his novels from Indianapolis. Upon returning to the city in 1986, Vonnegut acknowledged the influence the city had on his writings:


title: Indianapolis

text: A key figure of the Black Arts Movement, Indianapolis resident Mari Evans was among the most influential of the twentieth century's black poets. Indianapolis is home to bestselling young adult fiction writer John Green, known for his critically acclaimed 2012 novel "The Fault in Our Stars", set in the city.


title: Indianapolis

text: The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the largest of its kind in the world, offering of exhibit space. The museum holds a collection of over 120,000 artifacts, including the Broad Ripple Park Carousel, a National Historic Landmark. Because of its leadership and innovations, the museum is a world leader in its field. "Child" and "Parents" magazine have both ranked the museum as the best children's museum in the U.S. The museum is one of the city's most popular attractions, with nearly 1.3 million visitors in 2019.


title: Indianapolis

text: The Indianapolis Zoo houses more than 1,400 animals of 235 species while the adjoining White River Gardens contains more than 50,000 plants of nearly 3,000 species, respectively. The zoo is a leader in animal conservation and research, recognized for its biennial Indianapolis Prize award. It is the only American zoo accredited as a zoo, aquarium, and zoological garden by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It is among the largest privately funded zoos in the U.S. and one of the city's most visited attractions, with 1.1 million guests in 2019.


title: Indianapolis

text: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum exhibits an extensive collection of auto racing memorabilia showcasing various motorsports and automotive history. Daily grounds and track tours originate from the museum. Located at the National Collegiate Athletic Association headquarters, the NCAA Hall of Champions exhibits collegiate athletics in the U.S.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis is home to several centers commemorating Indiana history. These include the Indiana Historical Society, Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau, Indiana State Museum, and Indiana Medical History Museum. Indiana Landmarks, the largest nonprofit statewide historic preservation organization in the U.S., is also based in the city. The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, in the Old Northside Historic District, is open for daily tours and includes archives and memorabilia from the 23rd President of the United States. President Harrison is buried about north of the site at Crown Hill Cemetery, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Other notable graves include three U.S. Vice Presidents and notorious American gangster, John Dillinger.


title: Indianapolis

text: Two museums and several memorials in the city commemorate armed forces or conflict, including the Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum and Indiana World War Memorial Military Museum at the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza. Outside of Washington, D.C., Indianapolis contains the largest collection of monuments dedicated to veterans and war casualties in the nation. Other notable sites are the Crown Hill National Cemetery, Indiana 9/11 Memorial, Medal of Honor Memorial, Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, and the USS "Indianapolis" National Memorial.


title: Indianapolis

text: Beginning construction in 1836, the Indiana Central Canal is the oldest existing artificial facility in the city, recognized as an American Water Landmark since 1971. Between 1985 and 2001, nearly of the former canal in downtown Indianapolis were reconstructed to link several cultural institutions. This section, known as the Canal Walk, is flanked by walking and bicycling paths and offers gondola rides, pedal boats, kayaks, and surrey rentals.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis is home to dozens of annual festivals and events showcasing local culture. The "Month of May" (a series of celebrations leading to the Indianapolis 500) is perhaps the largest annual celebration in the city, with the 500 Festival Parade regularly drawing 300,000 spectators. Other notable events include Indiana Black Expo, Indiana State Fair, Indy Pride Festival, and Historic Irvington Halloween Festival.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis has an emerging food scene as well as established eateries. Founded in 1821 as the city's public market, the Indianapolis City Market has served the community from its current building since 1886. Prior to World War II, the City Market and neighboring Tomlinson Hall were home to meat and vegetable vendors. As consumer habits evolved and residents moved from the central city, City Market transitioned from a traditional marketplace to a food hall. In addition to City Market, The AMP and The Garage food halls opened in 2021.


title: Indianapolis

text: Situated in the Corn Belt, Indianapolis has maintained close ties to farming and food production. Urban agriculture in the city dates to the 1930s, when non-profit organization Flanner House began teaching Black arrivals how to farm on vacant lots during the Great Migration. Within a few years, more than 200 families were tending 600 garden plots on nearly of urban land on the city's near north side. Urban agriculture has made a comeback in recent years in an effort to alleviate food deserts. According to the city's Office of Sustainability, there were 129 community farms and gardens in 2020. , several farmers' markets have been established throughout Indianapolis.


title: Indianapolis

text: Distinctive local dishes include pork tenderloin sandwiches and sugar cream pie, the latter being the unofficial state pie of Indiana. The beef Manhattan, invented in Indianapolis, can also be found on restaurant menus throughout the city and region.


title: Indianapolis

text: Opened in 1902, St. Elmo Steak House is well known for its signature shrimp cocktail, named by the Travel Channel as the "world's spiciest food". In 2012, it was recognized by the James Beard Foundation as one of "America's Classics". The Slippery Noodle Inn, a blues bar and restaurant, is the oldest continuously operating tavern in Indiana, having opened in 1850. The Jazz Kitchen, opened in 1994, was recognized in 2011 by OpenTable as one of the "top 50 late night dining hotspots" in the U.S.


title: Indianapolis

text: In 2016, "Condé Nast Traveler" named Indianapolis the "most underrated food city in the U.S.," while ranking Milktooth as one of the best restaurants in the world. "Food & Wine" called Indianapolis the "rising star of the Midwest," recognizing Milktooth, Rook, Amelia's, and Bluebeard, all in Fletcher Place. Several Indianapolis chefs and restaurateurs have been semifinalists in the James Beard Foundation Awards in recent years. Microbreweries are quickly becoming a staple in the city, increasing fivefold since 2009. There are now about 50 craft brewers in Indianapolis, with Sun King Brewing being the largest.


title: Indianapolis

text: For some time, Indianapolis was known as the "100 Percent American City" for its racial and ethnic homogeneity. Historically, these factors, as well as low taxes and wages, provided chain restaurants a relatively stable market to test dining preferences before expanding nationwide. As a result, the Indianapolis metropolitan area had the highest concentration of chain restaurants per capita of any market in the U.S. in 2008, with one chain restaurant for every 1,459 people—44% higher than the national average. In recent years, immigrants have opened some 800 ethnic restaurants.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis natives have left a mark on the entertainment industry, most notably during the Classical Hollywood cinema era. James Baskett received an Academy Honorary Award in 1948 for his role in Walt Disney's "Song of the South", becoming the first Black male to receive an Oscar. Sid Grauman, one of the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, received an Academy Honorary Award in 1949, recognized for raising the standard for film exhibition. Perhaps the most famous actor from the Indianapolis area is Academy Award-nominee, Steve McQueen, who was born in Beech Grove. Other Academy Award nominees from the city include costume designer Gloria Gresham, actress Marjorie Main, and actor Clifton Webb.


title: Indianapolis

text: The city's storied sports venues have served as a backdrop for such films as "Hoosiers" (1986) and "Eight Men Out" (1988). The city's largest contribution to popular culture, the Indianapolis 500, has influenced entertainment for decades, referenced in film, television, video games, and other media. Three motion pictures filmed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway include "Speedway" (1929), "To Please a Lady" (1950), and "Winning" (1969). Other motion pictures at least partially filmed in the city include "Going All the Way" (1997), "Palindromes" (2004), "Saving Star Wars" (2004), "Amanda" (2009), "Walter" (2015), "The MisEducation of Bindu" (2019), "Athlete A" (2020), and "Our Father" (2022). "Hoosiers" and "Ringling Brothers Parade Film" (1902) were added to the National Film Registry in 2001 and 2021, respectively.


title: Indianapolis

text: Indianapolis natives Jane Pauley and David Letterman launched their Emmy Award-winning broadcasting careers in local media, Pauley with WISH-TV and Letterman with WTHR, respectively. Television programs that have shot on location in the city include "American Ninja Warrior", "Antiques Roadshow", "Cops", "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives", "," "Gaycation", "Ghost Hunters", "Good Bones", "Hard Knocks", "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon", "Man v. Food", "Parks and Recreation", "Say I Do", "SportsCenter", "Today", and "What Would You Do?"


title: Indianapolis

text: Annual film festivals held in Indianapolis include the Circle City Film Festival, Heartland International Film Festival, Indianapolis International Film Festival, Indianapolis Jewish Film Festival, and Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival. Founded in 2018, the Indy Shorts International Film Festival is one of 34 film festivals in the world used to qualify for the Academy Awards.


title: Indianapolis

text: Film Indy was established in 2016 to support local visual artists, filmmakers, and aspiring filmmakers; recruit film and television-related marketing opportunities to the region, and provide resources for producers interested in filming in the city. Since 2016, more than 350 film and media projects have been produced in the Indianapolis region with a collective economic impact of $24.1 million and the creation of 1,900 local jobs.