alexandria is a city in the state of indiana, in the united states. it was settled during the 1830s and 1840s by people who thought it would be linked by the planned 296-mile long indiana central canal. the canal was never completed, and alexandria did not really grow until the discovery of natural gas in 1887. the number of people living in the town grew from only 491 in 1887 to 7,221 in 1900.