Indiana Ranks High as One of the Best States to Drive in

A recent study found that Indiana is one of the best states to drive in.

Indiana is known as the "Crossroads of America". According to IN.gov, the Hoosier State got this title because:

U.S. Highway 40, the old National Road which opened the west for settlement, and U.S. Highway 41, a major north-south route, were designated part of the original federal highway system in 1926. Their intersection in Terre Haute at Wabash Avenue and Seventh Street became the "Crossroads of America."

More recently, the motto was given more credibility thanks to the city of Indianapolis being the hub for several major Interstate highways that crisscross the state, connecting Hoosiers to the rest of the United States. So, by default, one might think that we might have some great roadways. Now, those here, especially in Southern Indiana, might disagree due to all of the constant construction going on causing delays and headaches. However, according to a recent study by WalletHub, Indiana is actually one of the best states in the entire country to drive in.

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Indiana Ranks as One of the Best States to Drive in

WalletHub just listed 2023's Best and Worst States to Drive in. How did they come to their conclusions? According to WalletHub:

Road conditions naturally aren’t consistent across the entire country. To identify the states with the most positive driving experiences, WalletHub compared all 50 states across 31 key indicators of a positive commute. Our data set ranges from average gas prices to rush-hour traffic congestion to road quality.

Coming in at number one on the list for 2023 is the state of Iowa. Not far behind them at number ten happens to be Indiana. That's not too bad considering that 40 other states rank lower than we do when it comes to driving. Indiana ranks 12th in cost of ownership and maintenance, 20th in traffic and infrastructure, 33rd in safety, and 17th in access to vehicles and maintenance.

Being a Hoosier, given these variables and driving along the roadways, do you agree with Indiana's ranking?

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The 25 Smallest Towns In Indiana With Shockingly Low Populations

The 25 smallest towns in Indiana have population numbers that will blow your mind. Wait until you see the smallest's population size!

KEEP READING: 40 Real Indiana Towns with Quirky, Weird, and Funny Names

Outside the major cities, the Hoosier state is full of tiny little towns you've probably passed through on your way to one of those cities. Most of them are likely 100 to 150 years old, or older, and have been around far longer than the large metropolitan areas such as Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Evansville. Typically, they were started by early settlers who found their way to the state and decided to make it home. Eventually, others would join them, and a community was formed. Over time, as the surrounding areas grew, most of them were folded into those areas and governed by the nearest city or county's governing body officially making them "unincorporated," meaning they did not have their own formally organized municipal government.

A scroll through Wikipedia's long list of unincorporated communities in Indiana shows several of them have names that by today's standards would be considered weird, quirky, or just downright right funny. These are my 40 favorities.

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