Researching the Local Community: Retail

A Visitors & Convention Bureau provides information to those new to the community for business or pleasure. It includes information on events, museums, art, parks,  science, lodging, restaurants, shopping, and history.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce provides economic accounts data  of the U.S. economy.

I suggested a way to pull up data but don't hesitate to explore on your own. There is a lot of data here.

MyWabashValley.com is a community news source affiliated with WTWO and WAWV. It includes local information on news, business, sports, events, weather, and recreation.

Click Sections.

Indiana INdicators is maintained by the Indiana State Department of Health and the Indiana Hospital Association and includes health measures to monitor and evaluate health. 

It is worth taking the time to explore the different parts of this website. There is information on health, education, politics, public safety, transportation, the environment, the economy, and more. A few areas of the website are described below.

Community Dashboards

1. Go to Indiana INdicators at http://www.indianaindicators.org/
2. Under Community Dashboards, enter a county or city name.
3. Press Enter.
4. Suggestions will appear. Choose the one you want.
5. The search will automatically start.
6. Results will appear as a list of health metrics displayed on a colorful bar as compared to the state of Indiana as a whole.

Key Indicators

1. Go to Indiana INdicators at http://www.indianaindicators.org/
2. Under Key Indicators, enter a county or metropolitan region.
3. Press Go.
4. Tables will appear that summarize demographics and characteristics of the selected geographic area.

Maps

1. Select Maps (If necessary, click Get Flash to see the map.)
2. Select Build a Neighborhood Profile
3. Drag the map to the desired location.
4. Click to switch to between NAVIGATE Mode to move the map and SELECT Mode to highlight the desired location. (Click map to select or deselect a tract)
5. When you are ready, click Get Report.

Reference USA is a database that can be used to find "companies" located within a specific location. "Companies" include businesses, organizations, churches, ATMs, fire departments, police departments, schools, etc.

1. From the ISU Library homepage, click Articles & Databases
2. Click Databases A-Z
3. Scroll down and select Reference USA
4. Under US Businesses, click Search
5. Select Additional Filters
6. On the left, scroll down to Geography. Select one of the following as appropriate.
   1. City/State
   2. Metro Area
   3. ZIP Codes
   4. County
7. In the middle, use the dropdown to select the appropriate region OR type in the Filter Choices box to display only those which match your typing.
8. On the right, click the View Results button.
9. The Results appear. Click the Company Name to view more information.