Going back to Indiana: Max Siegel sports the Circle City.

Indianapolis usually brings to mind Hoosier dreams and the Indy 500. But the nation's twelfth largest city--often described as having small-town charm cosmopolitan style--also has a rich African American heritage. Madame C. Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds attorney and record executive Max Siegel are counted among the city's notables.

Siegel, president of Verity Records and senior vice president of Jive, spends his workweek in New York but looks forward to relaxing in his lakeside home on weekends. "A lot of people think [Indianapolis is] country, but it's really not [And] the quality of life here is very affordable. I probably pay less for my home on a two-acre lot than most people do for a 1,500-square-foot apartment in Manhattan," he says. At the time of this article, the average price of a single-family home in Indianapolis was less than $140.000.

The unemployment rate in Indianapolis is less than 5% and the average salary s above mat of the rest of me country. Among me city's strongest industries are manufacturing distribution, retail and service sectors Research-based pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co. plans to mac 8.000 jobs over the next 10 years.

The Indiana Black Expo attracts more man 80,000 People each year to its Music Heritage Festival and a number of hot musical acts. Sports s also a big draw to Indianapolis. Approximately 68% of the spectators and 76% of the participants to the sporting events come from outside me city. "[And] about 80% of the national governing bodies for sports is headquartered here including me USA Gymnastics federation, NCAA and [the Black Coaches Association]. A lot of the pre-Olympic trials take place here as well." Siegel says. He also estimates that the Indy 500 and NASCAR Brickyard 400 attract at least a half million people to the city. Here are Siegel's star attractions.