When considering a move to Indianapolis, there are a lot of factors to consider, from schools and employment opportunities to the weather and neighborhoods. But one of the most important things to keep in mind is the multiple time zones within the state of Indiana. Indiana is one of thirteen states in the U. S.
that is within multiple time zones, with most of the state in Eastern Time, and parts of the state in Central Time. This can be confusing for locals and visitors alike, so it's important to understand how this works. The state capital and seat of state government are in Eastern Time, while much of the state is not. The northern and southern parts of the state are in Central Time, with a large section cut in the middle that is in Eastern Time. This means that those on the Buckeye side of State Line Street are governed by Eastern Time, while their Hoosier counterparts on the other side of the two-lane concrete belt step up to Eastern Standard Time. When Indiana residents travel within the state or try to watch a broadcast from Indianapolis, it's a constant pain to remember the time zone difference.
The Indiana side of the area surrounding Chicago, known to Hoosiers as “The Region”, is also in Central Time. Most of this region is about three hours from Indianapolis, not far enough to merit a time change. Once Indiana became a daylight-saving state, drawing the boundaries of the two local time zones wasn't exactly easy. Apparently, drawing the line to state lines is the most intuitive option. But because Indiana is so long, there are many different cities and lifestyles within it, just like California. The tip of the boot, or the southwestern tip of the state, is closer to big cities like St.
Louis, Springfield and Nashville, so it makes sense for this part of the state to be in Central Time. Northwest Indiana cities are in Central Time because they are so close to Chicago. Being in the same time zone as this large metropolis nearby was the most logical option. Daylight saving time was originally used to help farmers take advantage of daytime growing hours in a day. By changing the business hours of the day to better fit the daylight hours, everyone could benefit from seemingly longer days.
Not only do we benefit from this system in our workday, but humans receive an advantage on a much deeper evolutionary level. People are diurnal, which means that our brains are designed to be awake and active during the day. Daylight stimulates our brain and helps us think and be productive, just as it once helped our ancestors hunt, gather and travel long distances. Our bodies use another evolutionary product, the Circadian Rhythm, to know when we should be awake and when we should sleep. While there are many benefits of daylight saving time, it can be frustrating when it gets dark before you can get home and start cooking dinner or when children only have a couple of hours to play outside before losing light. But despite all this confusion about time zones in Indiana, Indianapolis is still a wonderful place to call home.
