Indiana Time Zone – Eastern Standard Time at the Heartland

Indiana Time Zone is predominantly in the Eastern Time Zone, with the exception of 12 counties in the southwest border regions, which are in the Central Time Zone. South Bend, Granger, Goshen, Angola, Auburn, Plymouth, Warsaw, Fort Wayne, Rochester, Bluffton, Peru, Logansport, Monticello, Kokomo, Lafayette, Frankfort, Muncie, Indianapolis, Richmond, Terre Haute, Bloomington, Columbus, Linton, Bedford, Seymour, North Vemon, New Albany, and Vincennes are located in the Eastern Standard Time Zone.

Gary, Princeton, Evansville, Boonville, and Tell City are located in the Central Standard Time Zone. Summertime time zones in Kentucky observe Daylight Saving Time. The majority of the country currently observes Eastern Daylight Time, while the upper west and lower west corners observe Central Daylight Time.

What is a Time Zone?

A time zone is a region where a uniform standard time applies for legal, economic and social reasons. The width of standard time zones is 15 degrees of longitude. A time zone is ideally one of 24 spherical lunes (a section on the globe in a north/south direction) with equal width (15 degrees), each assigned one of the 24 hours (makes up one day and one rotation of the Earth).

Typically, each section maintains a uniform standard time to monitor the day and night cycle. This indicates that all geographic regions within a given time zone observe the same time. All of these time zones are defined by a number of hours offset from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC; see below), centered on the prime meridian (0°; since 1884, the Greenwich meridian).

Today, time zones tend to follow the boundaries of countries and their subdivisions rather than the standard parallels, as it is more convenient to maintain the same time in close economic or political areas. The majority of Alaska, for instance, employs Alaska Time, which spans three standard time zones. The state utilized two time zones until 1983, when the capital Juneau was located in the same time zone as Anchorage and Fairbanks.

China spans four time zones, but it only observes one. Despite sharing nearly the same longitude, Bangkok, Thailand and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are separated by one hour in terms of time.

Time Zone in Indiana

Indiana consists of two time zones. The majority of Indiana, including Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, is in the Eastern Time zone and observes daylight saving time, so there are two distinct clocks depending on the season.

• Eastern Standard Time (EST): – 5:00 UTC/GMT (behind)
• Eastern Daylight Time (EDT): – 4:00 UTC/GMT (behind)

Covering 12 counties, the northwest and southwest extremities of the state are in the Central Time zone and also observe daylight saving time, so there are two distinct clocks depending on the season.

• Central Standard Time (CST): – 6:00 UTC/GMT (behind)
• Central Daylight Time (CDT): – 5:00 UTC/GMT (behind)

Michigan, Ohio, and the eastern portion of Kentucky are in the Eastern time zone, as are their eastern and northern neighbors. However, you will enter the Central Time Zone when you cross the Illinois and western Kentucky borders.

Details About Indiana Time Zone

Indiana’s History with DST

In the 1940s and 1950s, daylight saving time was the subject of intense debate. Rural residents and producers argued that “Fast Time” was distressing to cows. The federal government agreed in 1961 to set the majority of the state on Eastern time year-round. Included in this agreement was the option for individual counties to decide whether or not to observe daylight saving time, which inevitably increased confusion and controversy throughout the state.

In 2005, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels included Daylight Saving Time in his economic bill, contending that a more consistent time would be advantageous for business. He asserted that non-Indiana businesses would be unable to keep account of time, which would negatively impact the state’s economy. On April 28, 2005, the measure was passed with a narrow margin of support.

Daylight Savings Time (DST)

Indiana observes daylight saving time in accordance with the Uniform Time Act of 1966. During daylight savings, Standard time is replaced by Daylight time, so EST becomes EDT and CST becomes CDT, depending on the location within the state.

It begins the second Sunday of March and concludes the first Sunday of November. In March, the clock is advanced from 2:00 am to 3:00 am, resulting in a loss of one hour of slumber. In November, the time will be set back an hour, from 3:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., giving you an extra hour of sleep. Clocks “spring forward and fall back” is a convenient method to remember the movement sequence. The total duration of daylight savings is 34 weeks or approximately 65 percent of the year.

Time is Different Throughout Indiana

The Department of Transportation proposes a compromise in which the majority of Indiana would observe Eastern Standard Time year-round, while Gary and Evansville would retain Central Time and observe daylight saving time in the summer. The department requests that Congress amend the Uniform Time Act to allow a state to exempt certain counties from daylight saving time while others observe it.

The Indiana General Assembly enacts the proposed model in 1969, pending congressional approval, but Governor Edgar Whitcomb vetoes the bill. Whitcomb asserts that the measure would cause Indiana’s times to conflict with those of neighboring states, but he is accused of siding with the television broadcast lobby (which desires East Coast program schedules).

The General Assembly votes to override Whitcomb’s veto in 1971, and President Richard Nixon signs the federal amendment into law in 1972.

Schedule a Phone Call from Indiana to New York

Due to the fact that Indiana (IN) and New York (NY) have equivalent time zones, you can call someone during your regular business hours and it will be the same time in New York as it is in Indiana. When scheduling a contact, remember to account for any time changes due to Daylight Savings Time.

If you reside in Indiana and wish to contact a friend in New York, you may do so between 7:00 AM and 11:00 PM your time. This will occur between 7AM and 11PM their time, as New York (NY) and Indiana (IN) share the same time zone.

If you’re available at any time, but want to contact someone at work in New York, you might try between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM (your time). The ideal time to contact them is between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., during normal business hours.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does Indiana have 2 time zones?

Although Indiana is officially in the Central time zone, some communities choose to observe daylight saving time year-round, effectively aligning themselves with the Eastern time zone. The Indiana Senate passes a bill in 1949 that would maintain the state on Central time and prohibit daylight-saving time.

Is Indiana Eastern or Central Time Zone?

The majority of Indiana’s counties are in the Eastern time zone, while 12 counties in the northwest and southwest are in the Central time zone. Indiana observes Daylight Saving Time (DST) in its entirety. These facilities of Indiana University are in the Eastern time zone: IU Bloomington.

Is Indiana on standard time all year?

Since Sunday, April 2, 2006, all Indiana counties have observed daylight saving time.

How many time zones are there in the US?

With the Fall 2019 release of the National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD), a new map of the nation’s time zones is included, depicting the geographical boundaries of four time zones in the continental United States and five additional time zones used in Alaska, Hawaii, and other U.S. territories.

Did Indiana have 3 time zones?

Indiana is one of thirteen U.S. states that straddles multiple time zones. Northern and southern portions of the state are both on Central Time, while a significant portion of the state’s interior is on Eastern Time.

Where is the Indiana time zone change?

Indiana is infamously divided between two time zones. Several municipalities near Gary and Evansville remain in the Central time zone, but the majority of Indiana is in the Eastern time zone.

Does Indiana change the time today?

Indiana has adopted Daylight Saving Time. Daylight saving time begins at 2am on the second Sunday of March and ends at 2am on the first Sunday of November, when clocks are set back an hour. Contact the State Information Center at 800-457-8283-(45-STATE) or 317-233-0800 for general inquiries.

Is Indiana next to New York?

The shortest distance between Indiana and New York by air is 607.72 miles (978.03 kilometers). According to the route planner, the shortest distance between Indiana and New York is 692.05 miles (1,113.75 kilometers).

When did Indiana stop changing the time?

In 1966, Congress delegated jurisdiction over time zones to the Department of Transportation, which devised a compromise that placed the majority of Indiana on Eastern Standard Time year-round while Gary and Evansville remained on Central Time and observed daylight saving time in the summer.

When did Indiana start changing the time?

Since 2006, the entire state of Indiana has used daylight saving time. Together with the rest of the United States, clocks spring forward one hour on the second Sunday of March and fall back one hour on the first Sunday of November.

Is Indiana cheaper than New York?

Indiana is 32.7% less expensive than New York.