Southern Indiana

Southern Indiana is a region consisting of the southern third of the state of Indiana.

Southern Indiana
Map of Southern Indiana
Postal prefixes 470–478
Area Codes 812, 930
2010 Population 1,373,631[1]
Largest city Evansville
Largest Metro Areas Greater Cincinnati
Evansville Metro
Kentuckiana
Time Zones Central: 6 Counties in Southwestern Indiana
Eastern: Rest of Southern Indiana
Cities with 10,000+ 
Counties 

The region's history and geography has led to a blend of Northern and Southern culture distinct from the remainder of Indiana. It is often considered to be part of the Upland South and lower Midwest. Southern Indiana was the first area of the state to be settled, and Indiana's first state capital was located in Corydon in Harrison County near the Ohio River. The city of Vincennes, located in the region, is the oldest continually inhabited settlement in Indiana and was the first capital of the Indiana Territory.

The Catholic Church has a significant presence in the region. Noteworthy Catholic institutions in Southern Indiana include St. Meinrad Archabbey, one of two Catholic archabbeys/seminaries in the United States and Mount St. Francis, a large retreat center in Floyd County.

Southern Indiana also differs from the rest of the state linguistically. The South Midland dialect of American English is prevalent, as opposed to the Inland North dialect in far Northern Indiana and the North Midland dialect in Central and North-Central Indiana. Southern Indiana is the northernmost extent of the South Midland region, forming what linguists refer to as the "Hoosier Apex" of the South Midland dialect.

Southern Indiana's topography is considerably more varied and complex than Central and Northern Indiana, and includes large tracts of forest (such as the Hoosier National Forest), rolling fields, and sharp hills. Its elevation ranges from around 360 feet (110 m) at the large wide largely flat valleys near the mouth of the Wabash River along the southwest to the chain of hills 800–1,000 ft (240–300 m) high called the Knobstone Escarpment, or simply "The Knobs" in the south central and southeast. The region also includes the oldest exposed Devonian fossil beds in the world at the Falls of the Ohio state park in Clarksville.

St. Meinrad Archabbey is located in Spencer County in Southern Indiana.

The region's largest city is Evansville, in the southwest corner of the state. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 121,582, and a metropolitan population of 342,815. The south-central counties of Clark, Floyd, and Harrison are part of the greater Louisville, Kentucky metropolitan area and have a combined population of over 200,000.[2]

Major highways

Interstates
Main article: Interstate Highway System

US Highways
Main article: United States Numbered Highways

1–99

100–199

200–299

300–399

400–499

500–799

Colleges and universities

Several notable colleges and universities are located in Southern Indiana.

Sports

Professional sports

There are two professional sports teams in the region, both located in Evansville – the Evansville IceMen (founded in 2008) participate in the "Double-A" Central Hockey League (CHL), and the Evansville Otters (founded in 1995) play in baseball's independent Frontier League.

College sports
National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I
National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II
National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III
National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division II
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)

See also

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-10-13. Retrieved 2013-10-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Stats Indiana". Indiana University. Retrieved 2008-09-02.

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