One Indiana city landed itself on a list of the best big cities to live in America, and it might not be the one you are thinking of.

Indiana towns are really a hot topic lately. When it comes to Indiana, we have no shortage of small towns with a few big cities scattered in there too. Everyone has small-town pride nowadays.  Recently we have covered many of these towns in articles such as the worst small towns in Indiana, an Indiana small town that makes you feel like you are in a Hallmark movie, the best must-visit small town in Indiana, the best small town in IndianaHGTV naming this Indiana town as the most charming in the state, and the most expensive place to live in Indiana.

Now, let's take a break from the small-town Indiana talk, to discuss big Indiana cities. In this case, one city in particular.

WKDQ-FM logo
Get our free mobile app

Stacker recently listed the best big cities to live in America in 2023. Before we get into which Indiana city made the list, here's how Stacker came to its results:

To find the best big U.S. cities to live in, <a href="https://stacker.com/">Stacker</a> consulted <a href="https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/search/best-cities/?page=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Niche's 2022 list of best places to live</a><a href="https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/search/best-cities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">.</a> While there is no strict definition of a "big city," for the purposes of this analysis, any city with more than 200,000 in population was considered a big city.

Which Indiana City is Among the Best Big Cities to Live in America?

Out of 50 cities on this list, only one of those cities can be found in Indiana. If you think it is Indianapolis, you would be incorrect. Coming in at number 44 is Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Canva
Canva
loading...

 

Here's what Stacker says:

Fort Wayne has many <a href="https://www.visitfortwayne.com/things-to-do/attractions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attractions for kids</a>, such as a zoo aimed at children, a science center, and an animal sanctuary. Residents can spend hours learning about the city's rich African American history and peruse public <a href="https://www.visitfortwayne.com/blog/post/black-artists-in-fort-wayne/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">collections by Black artists</a> at local museums. For adults looking for a tasty brew, the <a href="https://www.visitfortwayne.com/beertrail/?utm_source=fortwayne&amp;utm_campaign=pagesponsor&amp;utm_medium=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Northern Indiana Beer Trail</a> offers several options.

Do you agree that this is the best big city in Indiana to live in? Furthermore, is it one of the best big cities in America? You can take a look at the complete list (number one might surprise you) by clicking here.

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.

10 Indiana Laws You Don't Know You're Breaking

30 Bizarre (and Real) Indiana High School Mascots

According to High School.com, there are 682 high schools in Indiana. 555 of those are public schools, while the remaining 127 are private. A majority of those schools have chosen typical mascots to represent them, like eagles, tigers, lions, jets, patriots, and so on and so forth. But, these 30 schools decided to go, well, a different direction.

More From WKDQ-FM