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Indianapolis, Iowa facts for kids

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Indianapolis, Iowa
Indianapolis, Iowa is located in Iowa
Indianapolis, Iowa
Indianapolis, Iowa
Location in Iowa
Indianapolis, Iowa is located in the United States
Indianapolis, Iowa
Indianapolis, Iowa
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Iowa
County Mahaska
Area
 • Land 3.02 sq mi (7.8 km2)
Elevation
794 ft (242 m)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s) 641
GNIS feature ID 464588

Indianapolis is a small, historic place in Mahaska County, Iowa, in the United States. It's known as an unincorporated community. This means it's a group of homes and businesses that isn't officially a town or city with its own local government. Instead, it's part of the larger county. Indianapolis is located in the northwestern part of Monroe Township.

The Story of Indianapolis, Iowa

Indianapolis was started a long time ago, in 1845. It grew quite a bit and was at its busiest in the 1880s. People hoped a railroad would connect Indianapolis to bigger towns like Clinton and Oskaloosa.

Why the Town Shrank

Unfortunately, the plans for the railroad didn't work out. When the railroad didn't come through, fewer people wanted to live or start businesses there. Because of this, the number of people living in Indianapolis started to go down.

Interesting Facts About Indianapolis

Indianapolis had its own post office. It opened in 1850 and served the community for many years. However, it closed down in 1902.

How Indianapolis Got Its Name

The community was named by the people who settled there. These settlers came from a much larger city called Indianapolis, which is in Indiana. They named their new home after the place they came from in the late 1840s.

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