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The Crossroads of America

Indiana — Where Glen Bradford Grew Up

Larry Bird. John Mellencamp. The Indianapolis 500. Basketball capital of the world. Pork tenderloin sandwiches the size of your head. Indiana doesn't brag — but someone should.

6.7M

Population

Since 1911

Indianapolis 500

Of the World

Basketball Capital

Crossroads

Motto

Indiana Icons — Famous Hoosiers Ranked

20 legendary Hoosiers scored on Achievement, Indiana Pride, and Impact. Maximum 30 points.

#	Name	Field	Ach	Pride	Imp	Total
1	Larry Bird French Lick	NBA Legend / 3x MVP / 3x Champion	10	10	10	30
2	John Mellencamp Seymour	Rock Legend / 'Small Town'	9	10	10	29
3	Kurt Vonnegut Indianapolis	Author / Slaughterhouse-Five	10	9	10	29
4	David Letterman Indianapolis	Late Night TV Icon	9	10	9	28
5	James Dean Marion / Fairmount	Actor / Cultural Icon	9	9	10	28
6	Michael Jackson Gary	King of Pop	10	8	10	28
7	Axl Rose Lafayette	Guns N' Roses Frontman	9	8	9	26
8	Cole Porter Peru	Songwriter / Broadway Legend	9	8	9	26
9	Bobby Knight Adopted Hoosier (Orrville, OH)	Basketball Coach / 3x NCAA Champion	9	9	8	26
10	Abraham Lincoln Spencer County (age 7-21)	16th President of the United States	10	7	9	26
11	Vivica A. Fox Indianapolis	Actress / Independence Day	7	9	8	24
12	Dan Quayle Indianapolis / Huntington	44th Vice President	8	8	8	24
13	Brendan Fraser Indianapolis	Actor / The Mummy / Oscar Winner	8	7	8	23
14	Jenna Fischer Fort Wayne	Actress / Pam Beesly (The Office)	7	9	7	23
15	Babyface (Kenneth Edmonds) Indianapolis	R&B Singer / Producer / 12 Grammys	8	7	8	23
16	Booth Tarkington Indianapolis	Author / 2x Pulitzer Prize	8	8	7	23
17	Oscar Robertson Indianapolis (Crispus Attucks)	NBA Legend / 'The Big O'	9	7	7	23
18	Eugene V. Debs Terre Haute	Labor Leader / 5x Presidential Candidate	8	7	8	23
19	Jane Pauley Indianapolis	TV Journalist / Today Show	7	8	7	22
20	Twyla Tharp Portland	Choreographer / Dance Pioneer	8	6	8	22

#1Larry Bird— French Lick

The greatest Hoosier athlete ever. 3x NBA MVP, 3x NBA champion with the Celtics. French Lick, Indiana produced the most clutch player in basketball history.

#2John Mellencamp— Seymour

The voice of the American heartland. 'Small Town,' 'Jack & Diane,' 'Hurts So Good.' Never left Indiana. Never sold out. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

#3Kurt Vonnegut— Indianapolis

One of the greatest American writers. Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions. Indianapolis shaped his worldview. So it goes.

#4David Letterman— Indianapolis

33 years of late night television. Ball State grad, but Indianapolis through and through. The Top Ten List. The gap-toothed grin. A national treasure.

#5James Dean— Marion / Fairmount

Three films. Eternal icon. Raised on a farm in Fairmount, Indiana. Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden, Giant. Died at 24 and became immortal.

#6Michael Jackson— Gary

Born in Gary, Indiana. The Jackson 5 started in a tiny house at 2300 Jackson Street. Became the biggest pop star in history. Thriller. Enough said.

#7Axl Rose— Lafayette

Born William Bruce Rose Jr. in Lafayette, Indiana. Appetite for Destruction is the best-selling debut album in US history. 'Welcome to the Jungle' starts with an Indiana scream.

#8Cole Porter— Peru

From Peru, Indiana to the Great American Songbook. 'Night and Day,' 'I've Got You Under My Skin,' 'Anything Goes.' One of the greatest songwriters in history.

#9Bobby Knight— Adopted Hoosier (Orrville, OH)

3 NCAA championships at Indiana University. The undefeated 1976 season. Love him or hate him, Bobby Knight IS Indiana basketball.

#10Abraham Lincoln— Spencer County (age 7-21)

Grew up in southern Indiana from age 7 to 21. The formative years. Lincoln learned to read, work, and think in Indiana. Kentucky and Illinois claim him, but Indiana raised him.

Best of Indiana — 15 Things We Do Better

Things Indiana does better than anywhere else on Earth

Basketball

Indiana is the basketball capital of the world. Hoosiers (the movie AND the culture). High school gyms that seat 9,000. Larry Bird. Bobby Knight. Oscar Robertson. The state breathes basketball.

The Indianapolis 500

The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. 400,000+ fans. Since 1911. The Brickyard. 'Back home again in Indiana' sung before every race. There is nothing like it on Earth.

Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches

A tenderloin the size of a dinner plate, breaded, fried, and served on a bun half its size. Every Hoosier has a favorite spot. It is Indiana's signature food and it is not debatable.

Corn & Agriculture

Indiana is the 5th largest corn-producing state. The flat fields go forever. The sunsets over the cornfields in August are the most beautiful thing you'll ever see from a car window.

The Crossroads Interstate System

More Interstate highways pass through Indiana than any other state. I-65, I-69, I-70, I-74, I-80/90, I-94. The motto 'Crossroads of America' is literally true.

Friday Night Football

High school football in Indiana is a religion. Small towns empty out on Friday nights. The lights come on and the whole community is in the stands. It builds character.

Affordable Cost of Living

You can own a house, raise a family, and live well on a normal salary. Try that in California. Indiana doesn't price out regular people. That matters.

Work Ethic

Hoosiers work. It's built into the culture. Manufacturing, agriculture, engineering — Indiana produces people who show up early and stay late. No shortcuts.

The Indiana Dunes

National Park on Lake Michigan. 15 miles of shoreline. Sand dunes rising 200 feet. Most people don't know Indiana has beaches. They do. And they're spectacular.

#10

Sugar Cream Pie

Indiana's official state pie. Hoosier sugar cream pie: cream, sugar, vanilla, baked until set. Simple. Perfect. You can't find it outside Indiana and that's a crime.

#11

Notre Dame Football Saturdays

South Bend transforms on game day. Touchdown Jesus. The Golden Dome. 80,795 in the stadium. Whether you're Irish or not, a Notre Dame game day in October is unforgettable.

#12

Racing Heritage

Beyond the Indy 500: USAC sprint cars, dirt tracks, the Brickyard 400. Indiana has more racing heritage per square mile than anywhere on Earth. Speed is in the soil.

#13

Covered Bridges

Parke County has 31 covered bridges — the most in any US county. The annual Covered Bridge Festival draws 2 million visitors. Pure Americana.

#14

Humility

Hoosiers don't brag. They let the work speak. You won't hear an Indiana native telling you how great Indiana is (that's what this page is for). Understated excellence.

#15

Seasons That Actually Change

Indiana gets all four seasons hard. Brutal winters, blazing summers, gorgeous autumns, hopeful springs. You learn to appreciate warmth when you've shoveled your driveway at 5 AM.

Indiana Cities — Ranked

The best places in the Hoosier State

Indianapolis

The Circle City

State capital. Home of the Indy 500, Colts, Pacers. 900,000+ people. Emerging tech scene. Monument Circle, Mass Ave, Broad Ripple. The engine of Indiana.

Bloomington

Indiana University & Culture

Home of Indiana University. College town energy. Breaking Away. The Little 500. One of the best college towns in America. Limestone capital of the world.

West Lafayette

Purdue Country

Home of Purdue University. 50,000+ students. Harry's Chocolate Shop. Triple XXX Family Restaurant. Boiler Up. Glen's second home.

South Bend / Mishawaka

Touchdown Jesus Country

Notre Dame. The St. Joseph River. Studebaker heritage. Glen's hometown area. Mishawaka sits right next to South Bend — the Princess City alongside the fighting Irish.

Fort Wayne

The Summit City

Second largest city in Indiana. Three rivers converge. TinCaps minor league baseball. Affordable, growing, and underrated. Fort Wayne is having a moment.

Carmel

Best Suburb in America

More roundabouts than any US city. Arts & Design District. Consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in America. The north-side Indianapolis dream.

Evansville

River City

Southern Indiana on the Ohio River. University of Evansville. Strong manufacturing base. The pace is slower, the people are friendlier, and the BBQ is underrated.

Columbus

Architecture Capital

Population 50,000 but home to more architectural masterpieces per capita than anywhere in the US. Works by Saarinen, Pei, and Meier. A small-town design museum.

Personal

Glen's Indiana

I grew up in Mishawaka, Indiana — the Princess City, right next to South Bend and the University of Notre Dame. Northern Indiana, where the winters are brutal and the people are tougher than the weather.

I went to Penn High School — one of the largest high schools in Indiana. Friday nights under the lights. Robotics competitions. A community that showed up for everything. That's where I learned to build things.

Then I went south to Purdue University in West Lafayette. Indiana gave me my foundation — the work ethic, the analytical mindset, the humility. You don't grow up in Indiana and think you're better than anyone. You grow up in Indiana and think you can outwork anyone.

I've lived in San Francisco, traveled the world, and built a career in finance and technology. But Indiana is home. It's where I learned that showing up matters more than showing off. That substance beats style. That the best things in life — family, community, hard work — don't need a coastline.

Once a Hoosier, always a Hoosier.

The Hoosier Ethos

“I'm from Indiana. We do what needs done.”

No fanfare. No excuses. Indiana people don't tell you what they're going to do — they just do it. The same quiet determination that built the railroads, won state championships in gyms that seat 9,000, and sent astronauts to the Moon from Purdue.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Indiana called the 'Crossroads of America'?

Indiana's official state motto is 'The Crossroads of America' because more Interstate highways pass through Indiana than any other state. Indianapolis sits at the intersection of I-65, I-69, I-70, and I-74, making it a natural logistics and transportation hub. Historically, Indiana was central to westward expansion and railroad networks.

What is a Hoosier?

A 'Hoosier' is a native or resident of Indiana. The exact origin of the term is debated — theories range from 'Who's here?' (frontier greeting) to a corruption of 'husher' (tough frontiersmen). What's not debated: Hoosiers are hardworking, basketball-obsessed, and fiercely loyal to their state.

Where did Glen Bradford grow up in Indiana?

Glen Bradford grew up in the Mishawaka/South Bend area of northern Indiana, about 90 miles east of Chicago. Mishawaka sits along the St. Joseph River, right next to South Bend and the University of Notre Dame. He attended Penn High School and later went to Purdue University in West Lafayette.

Why is Indiana the basketball capital of the world?

Indiana has the deepest basketball culture of any state. High school gyms seat 9,000+ people. The movie 'Hoosiers' is based on a real Indiana story. The state produced Larry Bird, Oscar Robertson, and countless NBA players. Bobby Knight built a dynasty at Indiana University. The Pacers are the NBA franchise. Basketball isn't a sport in Indiana — it's identity.

What is the Indianapolis 500?

The Indianapolis 500 is the largest single-day sporting event in the world, held annually on Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1911. Approximately 300,000-400,000 fans attend. The 2.5-mile oval known as 'The Brickyard' hosts 33 cars racing 200 laps at speeds exceeding 230 mph. It's known as 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.'

Who are the most famous people from Indiana?

Indiana's most famous natives include Larry Bird (basketball legend, French Lick), Michael Jackson (King of Pop, Gary), John Mellencamp (rock legend, Seymour), Kurt Vonnegut (author, Indianapolis), David Letterman (late night host, Indianapolis), James Dean (actor, Fairmount), Abraham Lincoln (raised in Spencer County), Cole Porter (songwriter, Peru), and Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses, Lafayette).

What food is Indiana known for?

Indiana is best known for the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich — a massive, flattened, breaded and fried tenderloin served on a bun. Other Indiana staples include sugar cream pie (the official state pie), corn on the cob, persimmon pudding, and Hoosier pot roast. Indiana is also the 5th largest corn-producing state in America.

What are the best cities in Indiana?

The top cities in Indiana include Indianapolis (state capital, Indy 500, sports), Bloomington (Indiana University, culture), West Lafayette (Purdue University), South Bend (Notre Dame), Fort Wayne (second-largest city), Carmel (best suburb in America), Evansville (southern Indiana river city), and Columbus (world-class architecture). Each has its own character and strengths.

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