Indianapolis

Indianapolis was created on purpose. In 1820 Indiana chose a site at almost the exact geographic center of the state for a brand-new capital and laid it out from scratch on flat prairie along the White River, with a circular plaza at its heart. Unusually for a major city, it had no navigable river or lake to build on — the White River proved too shallow for real shipping — so Indianapolis became a city built by roads and railroads instead.

That role as a crossroads stuck: highways radiate from the city in every direction, and it calls itself the "Crossroads of America." The surrounding country is flat, fertile glacial till plain, classic Corn Belt farmland. Today Indianapolis anchors a metro of more than two million and is famous worldwide for the Indianapolis 500 auto race.

• Indiana
  The Hoosier State, crossroads of America located in