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🇺🇸Small Town, USA Is in Indiana
Plus - The World's Largest Ball of Paint, Madison County 4-H Fair, and more call this IN town home.
Austin Sellers & Nate Spangle
March 22, 2026
Alexandria
Small Town Breakdown
Alexandria, Indiana is home to the Madison County 4-H Fair and a baseball program with multiple state championships. Plus, there’s a world record that keeps on growing in size – one layer of paint at a time.
Small Town Showdown First Round Results
The results are in from the first round of the second annual Small Town Showdown, and some lower-seeded towns pulled off the upset. Will we see another Cinderella run to the title in 2026? Only time will tell.
Round of 32 voting picks up on March 23 and 24, with winning towns advancing to the Sweet 16. Follow @natespangle on Instagram and vote in his story. Remember, Get Indiana will run up a $1,000 bar tab in the winning town this summer!
Fast Facts
đź“ŤLOCATION: North-central Indiana
Alexandria sits in the northeast portion of Madison County.
Indiana State Road 9 runs north-south on the east side of the city, connecting to Anderson to the south and Marion to the north.
Indiana State Road 28 runs east-west, leading west to Elwood and east to Albany.
1 hour northeast of downtown Indianapolis
30 minutes west of Muncie
1 hour and 15 minutes south of Fort Wayne
đź‘Ą POPULATION & RANKING
5,211 residents (as of 2024)
Ranks as Indiana’s 133rd-largest town/city
Fourth-largest incorporated town/city in Madison County behind Anderson (55,851), Elwood (8,495), and Pendleton (5,758).
đź“Ź LAND AREA
3.023 square miles
đź“… FOUNDED
Madison County was organized in 1823.
It was named for James Madison, the fourth president of the United States.
Anderson was selected as the county seat.
Alexandria was platted in 1836.
It was established on the promise of the proposed Indiana Central Canal. However, railroad development interfered with the canal project, and it was never completed.
The railroads and natural gas boom in the 1880s accelerated the area’s growth.
Alexandria became incorporated in 1893.
🏥 MAIN INDUSTRIES: Manufacturing, Healthcare
Alexandria Industries is a full-service supplier that provides customers with custom components manufactured in the USA using industry-leading technology and a skilled workforce through extruded aluminum, precision machining, fabrication, plastic injection and foam molding, welding, and assembly services.
Jane Pauley Community Health Center serves as primary medical clinic in the area.
Small Town, U.S.A.
In 1943 during World War II, the U.S. government made Alexandria its small town poster child for a document titled “Small Town, U.S.A.” that showcased the ideal American town built on Midwestern values and picturesque streets. Alexandria was a “bedroom community” where automobile industry workers and farmers raised their families, and where church suppers were the norm.
Whole Lotta Paint
Want to set a world record for a day? Alexandria is home to the World’s Largest Ball of Paint, as recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. What started as a baseball in 1997 now has over 30,000 coats of paint and weighs almost six tons! It was featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live, with Kimmel himself as one of many celebrities to have added a layer of paint to the giant blob.
You know how much Get Indiana cares about local businesses. And helping neighbors always feels good.
Nate joined Neighbor Serve, Indy's home service club.
Nate's garage door wouldn't open, so Neighbor Serve connected him with Specialty Garage Doors, a local business you'd never find on Google. They vetted 2,000 contractors and referred only the top 5% - those "hidden gems!"
The owner showed up and did the work. Then he said, "Since you're with Neighbor Serve, you save $50."
The service was perfect, the price was fair, and Neighbor Serve made it simple.
You can save 25% on an annual Neighbor Serve membership by entering the coupon code NATE. According to Nate, "It pays for itself the first time you use it."
Join the Club: https://app.neighborserve.com/partners/get-indiana/sign-up
*This is a paid ad
Tiger Bites
Every morning starts at Sunshine & Cinnamon Cafe for breakfast and pastries. Locals swear by their biscuits and gravy, cinnamon rolls, and pies.
For fine dining, head to the Harrison Restaurant & Event Center located inside The Golf Club of Alexandria.
Of course, no small town is complete without a solid pizza option, and in Alexandria, that joint is an Indiana staple – Pizza King.
If you’re looking for something nostalgic and simple, give BK Rootbeer Stand a go. They’ve got coney dogs, chili cheese dogs, root beer, and root beer floats. Mark your calendar, too – they re-open March 30.
There are a few bar-and-grills in town you have to hit up. First up is The Curve, a well-known establishment that has been serving the community since 1960. Expect good burgers, tenderloins, cold drinks, and the game on. Another hot spot is Tillie’s Icon, where they serve an elite breaded tenderloin sandwich and host karaoke nights. Lastly, there’s the newer Pipe Creek Roadhouse, known for its steaks, burgers, pool leagues and tournaments.
Let’s Go Tigers!
Alexandria-Monroe High School is home of the Tigers. They have won three IHSAA state titles in school history.
With schools separated into four classes based on enrollment for the first time during the 1997-98 school year, Alexandria defeated Southwestern (Hanover) in the 2A boys basketball championship. Three months later, the Tigers’ baseball team knocked off Evansville Mater Dei in the 2A state title game.
Baseball secured the school’s most recent state championship as well, doing so in 2019 with a 4-3 win over Southridge in the 2A championship.
Summer Traditions
For almost 100 years, Alexandria has hosted the Madison County 4-H Fair, bringing over 12,000 visitors to Beulah Park every summer for livestock shows, carnival rides, fair food, a parade, and more. The 2026 fair is set for July 27 – Aug. 1.
When the fair packs up, the 6th Annual Summer Dayz Car Show & Vendor Festival takes center stage on Aug. 8, 2026. This event features hundreds of bikes, trucks, and cars competing for over 100 trophies, plus food trucks, a silent auction, and a kids’ zone.
If you enjoy the outdoors, Beulah Park is the perfect spot to hang with walking trails, tennis and basketball courts, a playground, pool, and picnic areas.
