The Mind Trust: Attracting Supporting and Empowering Educational Entreprenuers in Indianapolis, Indiana

why indianapolis is a great place to
live and work

Indianapolis is proud of its big city amenities and its convenient, friendly, and inviting atmosphere.  Indianapolis’ remarkable growth as a business hub, its cultural amenities and its status as a focal point for amateur sports have made it the envy of many American cities. The city’s vibrant entrepreneurial spirit generates a steady flow of new economic activity and major national and international sporting and cultural events.

Open for business. According to a June 2006 study by the Federal Reserve Bank, the Indianapolis metropolitan area was the only large city tracked by the Chicago Fed to experience job growth between 2000 and 2005. In May 2006, Forbes named Indianapolis the tenth best city for business and careers. According to Entrepreneur Magazine, Indianapolis is the number one city in the central region for entrepreneurial growth and one of the top five hot American cities for entrepreneurs. And according to Expansion Magazine, Indianapolis is the fourth best city in which to expand or relocate a business. While Indianapolis’ economy continues to show remarkable growth, the cost of living in the city remains particularly low. According to a 2006 study by KPMG, Indianapolis ranks as the third least costly large city in which to do business. The National Association of Home Builders ranks Indianapolis as the number one city for affordable housing. 

World-class attractions. Indianapolis continues to surprise visitors with its world-class amenities, including White River State Park (home of the NCAA Hall of Champions, Indiana State Museum and Eiteljorg Museum), downtown canal walk, Hilbert Circle Theatre and Monument Circle.  While the Indy 500 may have made Indianapolis famous, many other events and arts institutions are putting Indianapolis on the cultural map, like The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis (the world’s largest children’s museum), the Indianapolis Zoo, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Cultural Trail, the Heartland Film Festival, the Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration, and International Violin Competition of Indianapolis.  In fact, Indianapolis is one of only 10 cities in America that has an NFL team, an NBA team and a year-round Symphony Orchestra.  Indianapolis has also been named a top 25 art city in the U.S. by American Style Magazine for several years.  

Play ball, start your engines. Indianapolis is a sports town, through and through.  ESPN calls Indianapolis the number one pro sports city in the country. And all the action is accessible right downtown. Victory Field, where the Indianapolis Indians Triple A baseball team plays, has been recognized as the "Best Minor League Ballpark in America" by such prominent publications as Baseball America and Sports Illustrated.  Conseco Fieldhouse, where the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever play, is the number one sports venue in America according to The Ultimate Sports Roadtrip. The Indianapolis Colts, winners of Super Bowl XLI, are moving to the new, state-of-the-art, retractable-roof Lucas Oil Stadium for the 2008 season, also in the heart of downtown. On top of those great venues and teams, the two largest single-day sporting events in the world take place in Indianapolis: the Indianapolis 500 and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.