12 Ridiculously Weird But Totally True Facts About Indiana

Can we take a moment to put something to bed? Okay, cool: Indiana is not boring. In fact, it's one of the most beautiful states in the US and it simply does not get the love and admiration it ought to, especially from folks who have never bothered to visit. All too often, it's accused of being a "flyover" state with little to offer, and this couldn't be further from accurate. We've put together one dozen interesting and otherwise fun facts about Indiana to try and help folks look at it in a whole other way.

1. The state Insect Is the Firefly, and the State Fossil is the Mastodon, but Indiana Has No State Fish or Mammal

Priorities, you know? Interestingly enough, the land otter has been considered for the "State Mammal" moniker, but nothing's ever been made official. At least we have a state fossil!

2. We Have Over 900 Lakes

Lake Michigan is only the beginning. There are hundreds and hundreds of lakes all over Indiana. The largest man-made lake in the state is Lake Monroe, which is 10,750 acres in size. Lake Wawasee is the largest natural lake in Indiana, with more than 3,500 beautiful acres to its name. The deepest lake in Indiana is Lake Tippecanoe, whose waters reach up to 120 feet in depth.

3. And More Than 100 wineries

We've done many a feature on the various wineries in Indiana, including the beautiful one pictured above. When people think of Indiana, usually the first thing they think of is something like corn, but maybe it should be wine.

4. Indiana Is Where Santa Claus Actually Is

No, seriously. The town of Santa Claus, IN, is a delightfully fun little town where it's Christmas year-round. It is quite literally someone's job in Santa Claus to answer letters sent to the man himself from children all over the nation. Oh, and did we mention there's an holiday-themed amusement park in town? Yep, the North Pole is out, the Midwest is in.

5. Indiana Is Almost Three Times Larger Than the Nation of Taiwan

Can you believe it? Indiana is about 35,867 square miles in size. Taiwan about is 13,892 square miles in size. This means Indiana is 158% larger than all of Taiwan.

6. Garfield the Cat is From Indiana

Everyone's favorite lazy, lasagna-gobbling feline hails from nowhere else other than Fairmount, IN. According to the character's creator Jim Davis, he chose this general area as an "all-American" type of place that most folks would be able to relate to in some way. Given the incredible success of his comic strip, we suppose he was right!

7. Numerous Celebrities Were Born in Indiana

Michael Jackson, David Letterman, and Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses fame all hail from Hoosier State. Of course, there are many more notable Indiana natives, and the list only grows if you decide to include others who weren't born here but instead spent a decently-sized portion of their lives here, like President Abraham Lincoln.

8. Nobody Actually Knows Why on Earth We’re the Hoosier State

There are lots of theories. None of them are confirmed. We think that's kinda fun.

9. There Are Catacombs Beneath Indianapolis

Yes, there are indeed underground catacombs in Indiana, though thankfully these ones are not filled top-to-bottom with bodies. In this case, the catacombs, located underneath City Market in Indianapolis, used to be utilized to transport goods and inventory from place to place. These days they're pretty quiet - except for in October, when City Market offers underground tours.

10. The First Train Robbery in US History Happened in Indiana

On October 6th, 1866, brothers John and Simeon Reno planned and pulled off the first train robbery in United States history. The crime took place in Jackson County, IN. They made off with $13,000, which would be about $242,664.21 these days.

11. Indiana Has More Miles of Interstate Highway Than Any Other State

The Indiana Department of Transportation manages about 29,800 miles of highway in the Hoosier State. The I-65 used to be the longest interstate in Indiana (261.27 miles long) until it was outdone by the I-69 (294 miles long).

12. We Can Thank Indiana For Things Like Rear-View mirrors And Sliced Bacon

Yes, that's right. Who cares about the best thing since sliced bread when you can have the best thing since sliced bacon? There are lots of unexpectedly awesome (and/or helpful) inventions from Indiana, but we think the bacon one might be our fave.

Planning a trip the Hoosier State? Check out the Only in Your State Itinerary Planner to make sure you don't miss a thing!