Indiana Facts
Indiana was admitted to the Union on December 11, 1816 and was named for
Indiana territory, established in 1800. The first use of the name Indiana
was for a tract of land in Pennsylvania ceded by Indians in 1768.
Governor: Mitch Daniels
State Capitol: Indianapolis
Number of Counties: 92
U.S.Congress: 2 Senators, 9 Represenatatives
Geographic Area: 36,420 square miles
Average Altitude: 700 feet
Highest point: Franklin Township in Wayne County, 1,257 feet
Lowest point: Ohio River, Posey County, 320 feet
2000 Population: 6,080,485
White: 5,320,022
African American: 510,034
American Indian, Eskimo, Aleutian: 15,815
Asian or Pacific Islanders: 59,126
Hispanics: 214,536
What is a Hoosier?
- Hoosier is one of the most firmly established nicknames in the Union,
but its origin is unclear. Following are a few of our favorite explanations:
- There was a contractor named "Hoosier" on the Louisville and
Portland Canal who always preferred to hire men from Indiana because they
were good workers. They were called Hoosier's men and later simply Hoosiers.
- James Whitcomb Riley, the Hoosier poet, facetiously maintained that the
word came from the pugnacious habits of Indiana's settlers. When fighting,
they bit off the ears of their opponents. A settler coming into a tavern
the morning after a fight, seeing an ear on the floor, would say, "Who's
ear?" and this led to "Hoosier".
- The word "hosier" is of English origin; it was used in the south
at an early day to designate an uncouth, boorish person. The word came to
Indiana from the south as did many of the pioneer settlers. Those who remained
in the south, soon applied the term "hosier" to those who went
to Indiana. The spelling was changed to Hoosier.
- The final explanation is a theory put forth by a professor from Tennessee,
William Pierson, in the June 1995 issue of the "Indiana Magazine of
History". Harry Hoosier was an African-American Methodist circuit rider
in the 18th century. Indiana was on his circuit. According to Mr. Pierson,
Harry served white ministers, with whom he traveled, and preached evangelism
whenever he was allowed. He was considered to be one of the best preachers
of his time. Unfortunately, not everyone cared for an anti-slavery african-american
man preaching to multiracial audiences and Hoosier was especially disliked
by Virginia Baptists, according to Pierson. That might be why the term "hoosier"
surfaced as a slur on the Appalachian frontier and spread westward. "Hoosier
settled on the inhabitants of the free and more Methodist territory of Indiana
after passing lightly over similarly uncouth frontiersmen in North Carolina,
Tennessee and Kentucky".
