With the 110th running of the Indy 500 shrinking in the rearview mirror, there’s little doubt that Indianapolis is known for speed.
But an effort to brand the city with a new nickname has some residents saying pump the brakes.
Earlier this year, the Indy Chamber launched its “Speed City” ad campaign. The name is meant to capitalize on the city’s motorsports fame and attract new residents to the Indy area as a place to “accelerate your life, career and community under the banner of the region.”
“Not very many cities have something like we do that we can lean into that people already know us for globally,” said Blaine Zimmerman, chief talent and marketing officer for the chamber. “If you think about just about any other city that has a moniker or a nickname, it’s very tied into what they’re already known for.”
But several residents said the nickname too easily conjured the dangerous habits of Indy drivers and the word’s association with amphetamine.
“The jokes will write themselves,” said Sue Kennedy, whose Irvington yard features a “Please slow down” sign.
The 75-year-old retired librarian did some research before speaking to Mirror Indy. Among her sources: News reports of drivers traveling more than 100 mph on 38th Street. A 2024 U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency report that said Indiana’s “extensive highway” system was part of what made the state an ideal transportation hub to move drugs. And conversations with some race fan friends who, like Kennedy, don’t like the name.
“It’s partly the drug connection, and then the other thing is speeding, which is rampant in our city,” she said.
Other residents had similar complaints.
“I think it’s misguided,” said Brian Brase, a 67-year-old companion caregiver who lives on the north side. Like others who spoke to Mirror Indy, he prefers Naptown or Circle City — established nicknames that resonate with the people already living here.
“It seems like such a waste to rebrand what we’ve been for so long,” he said.
Sampson Levingston, who leads “Walk and Talk” discussions about Indy history, would like to see leaders truly embrace Naptown.
While exact origins of the nickname are murky, Naptown was frequently used in Black newspapers when referring to the city’s cultural happenings.
“I’m not opposed to being Speed City in May, that’s fun. At the same time, once it ends, who are we? We are Naptown,” said Levingston, 31.
Some have come to view the name as derogatory, a reference to a sleepy town that rolls up its sidewalks at 5 p.m. But like many other cities that have had their sleepy downturn, Levingston said Indy has had a turnaround and should now embrace the name.
He added that younger people are “paying attention to what’s authentic and what’s being shoved down their throats.”
“Speed City feels manufactured out of a data center,” he said.
For the chamber’s part, Zimmerman said they took a lot of these issues into consideration. Naptown and Circle City were among the several options they tested, but the nicknames didn’t perform as well.
“What we found was once you get outside of both the city with Naptown and the state with Circle City, nobody knows what those two things are,” Zimmerman said. “So, if our focal point is to try to attract folks that have no perception of Indianapolis at all, we needed to lean into something that they already knew about the city.”
He said the team talked about the use of speed as a slang for drugs, too, but found a study that showed it was an outdated moniker generally used by people 40 and older. And, he said, they’re sensitive to the pedestrian safety crisis. Last year there were 35 fatal crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists.
Above all, the chamber hopes the campaign will attract talent to Indy and to tell stories that celebrate the city. So far, the Speed City campaign has included a feature in a print issue of Pattern Magazine, a vinyl pressing of a “Speed City” album by Rob Dixon and merchandise.
But for some of those who already call Indy home, it just might be harder to sell.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Emily Hopkins is a senior reporter at Mirror Indy. You can reach them by phone or Signal at 317-790-5268 or email at emily.hopkins@mirrorindy.org. Follow them on most social media @indyemapolis or on Bluesky @emilyhopkins.bsky.social.
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