The top ten trashiest towns in Indiana? This will surely cause some controversy...

In the past, we have covered a lot when it comes to Indiana towns. Some good...some not so much. These include two Indiana cities among the best places to live in the Midwest, Indiana cities among the most unhealthy in the country, silly-sounding Indiana town namesthe worst small towns to live in Indiana, and the ten most redneck towns in Indiana.

Today, we're going to talk about a list that no town wants to be a part of. Unfortunately, these ten towns and cities have been selected as some of the trashiest in Indiana.

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Top Ten Trashiest Towns in Indiana

Now before anyone gets mad, don't shoot the messenger. I'm not calling these places trashy or sleazy. The internet is. Sadly, when it comes to this list, someone had to make the cut in Indiana. I imagine if you live or have lived in one of these places, you're probably not too happy that you're on the list. Road Snacks have crunched the numbers to determine the trashiest towns in Indiana. Road Snacks came to its findings by using metrics from available government data and Google Maps such as:

  • Cities where residents are poorer than average
  • Cities where a high number of residents are high school dropouts
  • High drug use
  • Higher than average Payday Loan Outlets
  • Violent cities (measured in aggravated assaults)
  • Cities with a high number of residents on welfare

That being said, here are the top ten trashiest towns in Indiana, according to Road Snacks (not according to me...I'm sure some of these places aren't nearly as bad as it appears). Honestly, while looking at photos of these towns, they remind me a lot of my hometown of Boonville, Indiana. Which, I don't know if that is a good or bad thing, but if I love Boonville, I am quite sure that I'd love these towns too.

10. Beech Grove

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Beech Grove is located within the Indianapolis Metropolitan area. The city has a population of 14,541.

9. Columbus

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The city of Columbus is located south of Indianapolis. 50,569 people call this place home.

8. Marion

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Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population is around 28,177. Just by perusing this town on Google Maps, it reminds me a little of my hometown of Boonville...it honestly doesn't look too trashy to me.

7. Richmond

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Richmond sits right on the Indiana-Ohio border. The city is home to 35,817 residents.

6. Alexandria

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Alexandria is about 48 miles northeast of Indianapolis. It's a smaller city of about 5,134 residents.

5. Shelbyville

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The city of Shelbyville is located just southeast of Indianapolis. It seems like most of these cities are in the central part of the state, doesn't it? 20,048 people call Shelbyville "home."

4. Terre Haute

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Terre Haute...the home of Indiana State University. It recently landed on 2023's Most Dangerous Cities in America.

3. Elkhart

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The city is located 15 miles east of South Bend. Elkhart also found itself on the list of  2023's Most Dangerous Cities in America.

2. Austin

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Austin, Indiana is located just north of Lousiville, Kentucky. It's home to 4,057 residents. The city also found it's way on another Road Snacks list for the Worst Small Towns in Indiana.

1, Rushville

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Finally, the city that took the number one position is Rushville. It's located southeast of Indianapolis and has  6,187 residents. 

There you have it, the so-called "trashiest towns in Indiana." Let me reiterate that this is not my personal belief, but what the internet is saying here. I'm sure that each of these towns has some great things to offer residents.

16 Indiana Towns with Dirty-Sounding Names

A majority of these towns were given their names in the mid-to-late 1800s as settlers making their way across the country found unclaimed plots of land and decided to make them their own. While I imagine they thought the names they came up with were innocent, and perhaps a tribute to something in their lives, pop culture has warped our minds to the point since then that we can't help but think of something about the town that was never intended by its founders. Take a look at this list. I guarantee there's at least one name that will make you chuckle.

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See 11 Unique Attractions You'll Only Find in Indiana

The website, RoadsideAmerica.com, which keeps tabs on the more unique attractions each state has to offer, lists 75 attractions for Indiana. The following 11 are the ones I found to be the most interesting and hope to see in person with my own eyes one of these days.

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