Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city in Vigo County Indiana, population over 60,000, located near the state's western border with Illinois. Terre Haute's location is 77 miles southwest of Indianapolis and within 185 miles reach of Chicago, St. Louis, Louisville, and Cincinnati. Because of its central location, Terre Haute Indiana has been called "The Crossroads of America," especially since it is located at the intersection of two major US roadways: the National Road and U.S. 41 (locally referred to as "third street"). The median income for a household in the city is $28,018, and the median income for a family is estimated at $37,618.
For more than 150 years Terre Haute has been the self-proclaimed capital of the Wabash Valley. Physically, the city is dominated by the Wabash River, which establishes the western border of the city. The city itself lies on a high, flat plain that rarely floods. Small bluffs on the east side of city mark the edge of the historic flood plain. Lost Creek and Honey Creek drain the northern and southern sections of the city, respectively.
In 1998, Reader's Digest magazine named Terre Haute one of the 50 best places to raise a family based on a statistical and demographic review of 301 metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. The National Arbor Day Foundation has also designated Terre Haute a "Tree City." Terre Haute has many fine residential areas and an exceptional public school system. The city has one of the highest per-capita number of restaurants in the nation, including several exceptional restaurants that are unique to Terre Haute. The city's residents have a passion for sports, especially basketball--most notably expressed during the "Larry Bird era" when the basketball superstar attended Indiana State.
In the late 1800s (particularly during the Terre Haute Oil Craze of 1889), several oil and mineral wells were productive in and near the center of Terre Haute but those have not been tapped for many years. The original curved Coca-Cola bottle was designed and first produced by the Root Glass Company, which was based in Terre Haute. In the mid-1990s, Coca-Cola honored this part of its past by introducing a short-lived Coke bottle-shaped can that was sold only in Terre Haute and one other city. Terre Haute is home to the Columbia House mail-order club, Sony DADC, and the original home of Cissy, Jody, and Buffy Davis in the CBS sitcom Family Affair.
