Terre Haute is a city in the western part of Indiana in the Midwest region of the United States.http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/1875428.html It is also the county seat of Vigo County.http://www.indstate.edu/vchs/thhist.htm It was founded in 1816 by settlers from nearby Fort Harrison who were attracted by the potential for fertile agricultural lands and river access.http://www.indstate.edu/vchs/thhist.htm

Terre Haute is the home to Indiana State University, which was founded in 1865 as the Indiana State Normal School.http://www.indstate.edu/whyisu/fastfacts.htm More than 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students take classes in programs including education, criminology and nursing.http://www.indstate.edu/whyisu/fastfacts.htm The school’s national profile was raised in 1979 when Larry Bird led the Sycamores to the championship game of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.http://specials.tribstar.com/terrehautestop40/stories/bird.html

More than 900 businesses are members of the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce, the largest membership of any group in Indiana.http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=57635&SectionID=31&SubSectionID=285&S=1 Founded in 1834 as the State Bank of Indiana, First Financial Corp. is the oldest federally-chartered bank in the state and the only publicly-traded company in Terre Haute.http://specials.tribstar.com/terrehautestop40/stories/first.html Other companies with manufacturing or corporate presences in Terre Haute include ThyssenKrupp Presta, Clabber Girl and FedEx.http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=57635&SectionID=31&SubSectionID=285&S=1

Terre Haute was named the county seat of Vigo County in 1818 after the town founders provisioned for a courthouse and donated 80 lots and $4,000 to county officials. http://www.indstate.edu/vchs/thhist.htm The early economy of Terre Haute revolved around agricultural products such as pork and grain mills, but the development of the Wabash and Erie Canal in 1849 and railroad lines later in the 19th century transitioned Terre Haute’s economy into a more industrial model.http://www.indstate.edu/vchs/thhist.htm

During the 1920s, Terre Haute earned the nickname “Sin City” as thousands of workers who were employed in the city’s coal mines and railroad yards also enjoyed frequented gambling and brothels. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,838978-1,00.html The "Sin City" moniker is now more closely associated with Las Vegas.

Terre Haute is located at latitude 39° 47’N and longitude 87° 39’W, taking up an area of 31 square miles.http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Terre+Haute&state=IN&site=IND&textField1=39.4704&textField2=-87.3835&e=0http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/1875428.html It is located on the banks of the Wabash River, with an entry point at Fairbanks Park managed by the city’s parks and recreation department.http://www.wabashriver.us/access_points/fairbanks_park/index.htm It is near the border with Illinois, 707 miles southwest of Indianapolis and 180 miles south of Chicago.http://www.travelmath.com/driving-distance/from/Terre+Haute,+IN/to/Indianapolis,+INhttp://www.travelmath.com/driving-distance/from/Terre+Haute,+IN/to/Chicago,+IL

• Terre Haute Action Track: Sprint cars and other race cars have competed at the fairgrounds dirt track since 1952. Drivers who have competed at the race track include A.J. Foyt, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.http://specials.tribstar.com/terrehautestop40/stories/dirt.html
• Vigo County Historical Society Museum: The museum features artifacts from Terre Haute’s past, with 12 rooms dedicated to different eras in the city’s history. The site also includes the restored home of composer Paul Dresser.http://web.indstate.edu/vchs/index.php
• Swope Art Museum: The downtown Terre Haute museum focuses on 19th and 20th century American artists. Works in the museum’s permanent galleries include paintings, sculptures and screen prints by Andy Warhol, Edward Hopper and Thomas Hart Benton.http://www.swope.org/art.html
• Pioneer Village: The living history museum preserves life in 1840s Terre Haute. The site has 14 log cabins, a gristmill and a covered bridge.http://specials.tribstar.com/terrehautestop40/stories/Fowler.html
• Clabber Girl Museum: The Hulman & Co. building houses a museum dedicated to the Clabber Girl baking products company which started in Terre Haute. Exhibits showcase the company history along with the baking technology of the early 20th century.http://specials.tribstar.com/terrehautestop40/stories/clabbergirl.html

• Tony Hulman: Owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedwayhttp://www2.indystar.com/library/factfiles/people/h/hulman_family/hulman_anton.html
• Theodore Dreiser: Authorhttp://www.library.upenn.edu/collections/rbm/dreiser/tdbio.html
• Dave Madden: Actorhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0534573/bio
• Max Carey: Major League Baseball Hall of Fame playerhttp://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/careyma01.shtml
• Mick Mars: Musicianhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm1016427/bio