The 317 area code
is the place to be
The city is the biggest in Indiana, and is more than three times the size of Fort Wayne, the second largest in the state. Indianapolis is located in the center of Indiana in Marion County and sits 183 miles from Chicago, 112 miles from Cincinnati, and 243 miles from St. Louis.
The city of Indianapolis was founded in 1821. It quickly became an agricultural center in the Midwest because of its fertile farmland and the roads that connected it to other major cities in the area. The gas boom and railroads helped the population grow as they moved into the 1900’s, and Indianapolis soon had an automotive industry that rivaled Detroit.
Even when the gas and oil boom died down in the 1920’s, the city had a diverse economy with banking, insurance, manufacturing, and more to prop it up. Now, Indianapolis has grown to the 14th largest city in the United States.
The Indianapolis area code is home to three Fortune 500 companies and four Fortune 1000 companies. The Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the city are Anthem, a health insurance company, Eli Lilly, a global pharmaceutical company, and Simon Property Group, a real estate company with the largest real estate investment trust in the US. The four Fortune 1000 companies in area code 317 are Calumet Specialty Products Partners, hhgregg, Finish Line and Allison Transmission Holdings.
Some of the other big industries in the Indianapolis area code are the auto industry, life sciences, transportation, information and technology, and research and design. Major companies in Indianapolis include Celadon Group, Inc., Republic Airways Holdings, Inc., Duke Realty Corp., Interactive Intelligence Group, Inc., Baldwin & Lyons, Inc., and Emmis Communications Corp.
The 317 area code has a strong economy. Unemployment is at 4.6%, which is below the national average of 5.2%, and job growth is expected to be around 41% over the next ten years. The average household income in Indianapolis is $42,000, which is under the United States average of $53,000.
14.6% of the population makes over $100,000 a year, and the top three most common occupations for residents in the Indianapolis area code are health care and social assistance, retail trade, and manufacturing.
In 2017, Indianapolis was named “America’s Best City for Renters” by Forbes. The same publication also christened the city as one of “America’s Best Downtowns” in a 2011 list. Additionally, the city was recognized as having the best state government in the US in a 2017 list of “Best States” by US News and World Report.
Other notable events in area code 317 include the NASCAR Indianapolis 500 held every year in the city, the Indiana State Fair, and the CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.
