Terre Haute, IN

Terre Haute, IN is a city and the county seat in Virgo County on the border of Indiana and Illinois.  The population is 60,785 (with a Metropolitan population of 170,943). The median income is $28,100 with a median age of 35.  It is the self proclaimed capital of the Wabash Valley.  Terre Haute got its name from French explorers back in the early 18th century.  It means High Ground and it described its location in the Wabash Valley and by the Wabash river.  When the area was claimed by the French and English these high grounds were considered the border between Canada and Louisiana.  During the Tecumseh's War ( a Native American/European war over land rights) in 1811 Fort Harrison was constructed during an expedition led by William Henry Harrison and became the beginning of a permanent population of European Americans.  The Village of Terre Haute was established in 1816.  It was an agriculture and pork-packing center and a port on the then navigable Wabash river for steamboats and other river craft.  Between 1835-1839 Terre Haute served as the Headquarters for the US Army Corps of Engineers during the construction of the first National Road, the first highway in the US.  This brought  several West Point graduates and their families to the area and so that there would be a decent place for them to stay the Terre Haute House was built.  With the anticipation of the completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal (the longest man-made body of water in the western hemisphere) brought prosperity to the community.  The railroad also came through and made Terre Haute a major stop that it became known as a transportation hub.  Terre Haute became a city in 1853 and continued to grow especially after the American Civil War when it became an industrial and mining center with iron and steel mills, hominy plants and in the late 19th century distilleries, breweries, coal mines and coal operating companies.  Because of this business boom institutions of higher learning came to Terre Haute.  The port at Terre Haute was considered to be "wide open" a gambling and a "red light district" were established and stayed in existence until the 1960s.  In the 1950's it was called 'Sin City'.  There was a decline in business during prohibition but Coca Cola came in to save the day with the bottle making plant with their new design of the Coke bottle in 1905.  Terre Haute is home to Indiana State University and the University is one of the economies of Terre Haute currently.  Terre Haute is a spread out town with several business districts and is now trying to get its downtown area renovated and bring business back to the downtown area. There are some really nice buildings in the Downtown area so with renovations it came become a tourist area too.    Terre Haute it the closest big town to Clinton (about 15 miles) so we go to Terre Haute to shop major retail stores.