As far as cities go, Indianapolis never seems to rate up high with big cities like NYC, LA, Boston, or Chicago. While these large cities are awesome in their own right, it’s fair to say that Indy is pretty underrated. In fact, Indy may just be the most underrated city in the entire country.

1. Indy is just the right size.
Kelly's Photography/Flickr
Large cities can be noisy, overcrowded, and hard to navigate. Indy may have a small walkable downtown area compared to other cities, but it's the perfect balance of big city and small town community.
2. Indy's home to one of the country's largest parks.
Raghu1990/Flickr
You might not have known this, but Eagle Creek park is in the top 10 of the country's largest parks. This massive park has just under 4,000 acres of woods and 1,400 acres of water to explore.
3. Indy's home to an incredible canal.
IIP Photo Archive/Flickr
The city is full of great walking trails, from the Monon Trail to the Cultural Trail, but the Canal Walk is one of the coolest of all. Enjoy scenic, natural beauty close to downtown, complete with old world gondola rides and paddle boats.
4. We have the nicest people.
Bob Hall/Flickr
Unlike many big cities, Indy is a friendly city to visit or live in. We say hi to one another, hold doors open for you, and smile as we're walking by. It's part of the small town charm that you get in this unique city.
5. The food scene is incredible.
CRMays/TripAdvisor
Indy is home to restaurants run by world renowned chefs, like the highly reviewed Milktooth. There's no one main style of food in Indy. From American and Italian to Thai, Vegan, and just plain experimental, you'll find amazing tastes in this little city.
6. We have great access to fresh foods.
eef ink/Flickr
Since we have a ton of farms in the Hoosier state and our fair city sits in the middle of the state, we have the best access to fresh produce. With city farmers markets downtown, in Broad Ripple, and across various other districts, fresh produce and foods are always easy to find.
7. We have a huge selection of breweries.
M0reTravelPlease/TripAdvisor
Love beer? You came to the right city. In fact, it's pretty hard not to find some sort of craft brewery, winery, or meadery while walking or driving around this city. From Sun King to Fountain Square brews, you'll fall in love with this city's beer collection.
8. Indy's home to the largest one-day sporting event in the world.
momentcaptured1/Flickr
The Indy 500 attracts millions of visitors every year, and is the largest single day sporting event anywhere.
9. We have the best means of traveling.
Karen Starkey/Flickr
Visit your favorite stores and restaurants without ever stepping outdoors using our downtown skywalks. These nifty enclosed walkways connect many popular downtown hotels, convention centers, eateries, and shops, and are really fun to navigate (especially in the brutally hot summer and frigid winter).
10. You'll feel at home here.
Jack Wickes/Flickr
It's hard not to instantly fall in love with this eclectic city. Whether it's the people, the unique shops and restaurants, the scenery, or the attractions, there's something special about Indy that just makes it feel like going home.

What’s your favorite part about this underrated city in Indiana? For more fun in Indianapolis, check out these 9 unique city restaurants.

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