Downtown Indianapolis

Downtown Indianapolis is a neighborhood area and the central business district of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Downtown is bordered by Interstate 65, Interstate 70, and the White River, and is situated near the geographic center of Marion County. Downtown has grown from the original 1821 town plat—often referred to as the Mile Square—to encompass a broader geographic area of central Indianapolis, containing several smaller historic neighborhoods. Downtown Indianapolis is the cultural, political, and economic center of the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Downtown Indianapolis anchors the city's burgeoning tourism and hospitality sector, home to nearly 8,000 hotel rooms and several of the city's major sporting and event facilities. Downtown contains numerous historic districts and properties, most of the city's memorials and monuments, performing arts venues, and museums. Since its founding in 1820, the seats of Indianapolis's local administration and Indiana's state government have been located Downtown. Downtown Indianapolis is also home to the highest density of commercial office space and employment in the state of Indiana. When Indianapolis was founded in 1820, the new capital city was planned to occupy an area of adjacent to the White River and near the geographic center of Marion County. The plat included eastern and western "anchors": the Indiana Statehouse (west) and the Indianapolis City Market and Marion County Courthouse (east), respectively. As the population increased and the city matured, the original plat continued to densify, developing into the region's central business district. The city's historical core and present-day central business district is sometimes referred to as the "Mile Square". However, the Downtown "neighborhood area" defines a broader geography, incorporating an area bounded by 16th Street and Interstate 65 (north), Interstate 65/70 (east), Interstate 70 (south), and the White River (west). Downtown is generally bisected into four quadrants, divided by Meridian Street (north to south) and Washington Street (east to west).