Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is 18 miles (29 km) west of the Ohio border and 50 miles (80 km) south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Census, making it the second-most populous city in Indiana after Indianapolis. Fort Wayne was built in 1794 by the United States Army under the direction of American Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne, the last in a series of forts built near the Miami village of Kekionga. The modern city was platted in 1823 following its revitalization after the War of 1812 and its siege. It underwent tremendous growth after completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal and advent of the railroad. Once a booming manufacturing town located in what became known as the Rust Belt, Fort Wayne's economy in the 21st century is based upon distribution, transportation and logistics; healthcare, professional and business services; leisure and hospitality, and financial services. It is the principal city of the Fort Wayne metropolitan area, consisting of Allen and Whitley counties which had an estimated population of 423,038 as of 2021. The first census in 1744 recorded a population of approximately 40 Frenchmen and 1,000 Miamians. In 1760, France ceded the area to Britain after its forces in North America surrendered during the Seven Years' War, known on the North American front as the French and Indian War.

History

Kekionga was the capital of the Miami nation and related Algonquian tribes. It was the home of a heterogeneous population of English and French traders and their families, French 'engages', and Miami, Delaware and Shawnee tribes. In 1760, France ceded the area to Britain after its forces in North America surrendered during the Seven Years' War, known on the North American front as the French and Indian War. American land speculators and pioneers began flooding down the Ohio River into the area, leading to conflict with an alliance of native tribes known as the Western Confederacy. The Western Confederacy attacked the second invading force, led in 1791 by General St. Clair's Fort Recovery, before General Anthony Wayne defeated the confederacy at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The following year, General Wayne negotiated a peace accord with tribal leaders, in which they agreed to stop fighting and ceded most of what is now Ohio along with certain tracts of land west of the Maumee River. Fort Wayne was built there to permanently occupy the area around KekionGA, where it remained in ruins until its headwaters, where they reached its current location, were filled in by the Ohio and St. Marys rivers. The first census in 1744 recorded a population of approximately 40 Frenchmen and 1,000 Miamians. The current Fort Miami was built around 1706; Initially, a small trading outpost. The fort throughout this period was described as a, "Defiant mixture of Indian warriors and lawless renegades of the frontier".

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Fort Wayne has a total area of 110.834 square miles (287.06 km²), of which 99.81% is land. The city lies along the St. Lawrence Continental Divide which separates the Great Lakes Basin from the Gulf of Mexico watershed. Fort Wayne's urban tree canopy is 29 percent, double the state average of 14.5 percent and above the national average of 27.1 percent. The former Tree City USA has been designated a Tree City in USA since 1990. In 2010, the Fort Wayne Park and Boulevard System was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, consisting of 11 public parks, four parkways, and ten boulevards, covering 1,883 acres (762 ha) The city is located in the East North Central region of the Midwestern United States, in northeastern Indiana, 18 miles (29 km) west of Ohio and 50 miles (80 km) south of Michigan. The Fort Wayne Moraine follows two of the city's three rivers: the. St. Marys and St. Joseph, which converge to form the Maumee, which eventually empties into Lake Erie. Gothic and Gothic Revival architecture can be found in some of the most prominent city churches, including Trinity English Lutheran Church (1846), Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (1865), and Saint Paul's Evangelical Church (1889). Examples of early 19th century Greek Revival architecture remain in the city, with one being the Richardville House (1827), a National Historic Landmark.

Demographics

Fort Wayne has one of the largest Burmese American population in the U.S., estimated at 8,000. Non-Hispanic Whites were 70.3% of the population in 2010, down from 87.7% in 1970. 54 percent of Fort Wayne residents identify as religious, where 16 percent are Catholic, 9 percent are Lutheran, 6.5 percent are Baptist, 5 percent are Methodist, and 0.14 percent are Jewish. Increasing religious minorities are found among the city's immigrant communities, including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. Fort Wayne's Reform Judaism population is served by Congregation Achduth Vesholom, the oldest Jewish congregation in Indiana, founded in 1848. In 2013, construction began on the first BurMese Muslim mosque to be built worldwide since the mid-1970s. As of December 2012, four national Christian denominations were headquartered in the city: the American Association of Lutheran Churches, the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship Association, the Missionary Church and the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches.Fort Wayne is sometimes referred to as the "City of Churches", an unofficial moniker dating to the late-19th century when the city was the regional hub of Catholic, Lutheran, and Episcopal faiths. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese ofFort WayneSouth Bend, covering 14 counties in Northern Indiana, and the Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod Indiana District, encompassing all of Indiana and north central Kentucky. In 2010, there were 253,691 people and 113,541 households.

Economy

Manufacturing is deeply rooted in Fort Wayne's economic history, dating to the earliest days of the city's growth as an important trade stop along the Wabash and Erie Canal. In 1960, Fort Wayne was at the center of the U.S. magnet wire industry, home to New Haven Wire and Cable Company, Phelps Dodge, Rea Magnet Wire, Superior Essex, and General Electric. In 2017, General Motors was the largest manufacturer in the city, employing 4,100 assembling Chevrolet Silverado regular and double cab light- and heavy-duty pickup trucks. The city is a center for the defense industry, employing thousands at such companies as BAE Systems (1,150), Harris Corporation (888), Raytheon Technologies (950), and the Fort Wayne Air National Guard Station (423) The leisure and hospitality sector has especially grown, with 5.8 million visitors spending $545 million in 2013, a 4.3 percent increase over the previous year. As of 2017, Allen County's labor force was 180,637 with an unemployment rate of 2.5 percent. According to a report from Pew Research Center, the city lost nearly a quarter of its manufacturing jobs and 11% of its economic status between 2000 and 2014. The Economic Innovation Group's 2016 Distressed Communities Index Report ranked Fort Wayne among the most unequal large cities in the United States in terms of linking economic opportunities to its distressed zip codes. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch, or see www.samaritans.org.

Culture

Foellinger-Freimann is a 2,500,000-square-foot (2,280,000 square feet) city. The city hosts a variety of cultural festivals and events every year. Since 2010, the city has been home to several of the city's cultural institutions, including the Fort Wayne Museum of Art and the Hall Community Arts Center. Since the city is located on its Downtown Campus, it has often been hosted at the University of Saint Francis. Since it is located at the City, the City has often be hosted at its University. Since its University is a University, the University has been host to the City's cultural institution, and since it is a City, it is also host to its City, and so on. Since this is a Town, the Town has been hosted by the Town, and the Town is hosted by its Town. Since there is a town, there is also a town and a city, and a town is host to a town. Since they are all located in the same city, they are host to each other and each other. Since we are in the town of the town, we are all in the Town of the same town, and we all have to be in the City of the Town. We are all one and the same place, so we can all be one and same place. Since our town is in the city, we can also be host to both the town and the city. Since ours is the city and the town are the same Town, we have the same thing, and that is the town.

Sports

Fort Wayne is home to three minor league sports franchises. The Fort Wayne Komets, the High-A Central's Fort Wayne TinCaps, and the NBA G League'sFort Wayne Mad Ants are owned and operated by their parent club, the Indiana Pacers. The city has been home to other professional sports franchises, including the Fort Wayne Pistons and Fort Wayne Daisies. Intercollegiate sports in the city include the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons, representing Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW) in the NCAA's Division I Horizon League, and NAIA schools Indiana Tech and University of Saint Francis. On March 10, 1961, Wilt Chamberlain became the first player in the NBA to reach 3,000 points in a single season while competing at the War Memorial Coliseum. On June 2, 1883, Fort Wayne hosted the Quincy Professionals for one of the first lighted evening baseball games ever recorded. Fort Wayne is also credited as the birthplace of the NBA, as Pistons' coach Carl Bennett brokered the merger of the BAA and the NBL in 1948 from his Alexander Street home. The Mastodon athletic brand was changed to "Purdue Fort Wayne" shortly before the split took effect in 2018, and from 2016 to 2018 were branded as the FortWayne Mastdons. The team represented Indiana University Purdue Universityfort Wayne (IPFW) prior to its 2018 split into two separate institutions (see below) and from 2018 to 2016 were branded "FortWayne".

Parks and recreation

Franke Park is the most extensive city park, covering 339.24 acres (137.3 ha) Hurshtown Reservoir, near Grabill, is the largest body of water in Allen County. Some 300 lakes are located within 50 miles (80 km) of the city. Fort Wayne Outfitters offers canoe, kayak, stand-up paddle board, and pontoon boat rentals for recreation along the three rivers. In 2009, the city's first bicycle lanes were established with the installation of 250 bike parking places. In 2016, Fort Wayne was designated a Bronze Level bicycle friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists. According to the Trust for Public Land's 2017 ParkScore Index, some 56% of Fort Wayne residents are underserved. The Rivergreenway has expanded with additional trails to encompass nearly 180 miles (290 km) throughout the city and county. With the expansion of trails in recent years, cycling has become an emerging mode of transportation for residents. The city is home to the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory, Headwaters Park, Lawton Skatepark, and Historic Fort Wayne are located downtown. It is also home to Shoaff Lake, and the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. The Fort Wayne Public Library is located in the historic district of downtown Fort Wayne. It has a collection of more than 2,000 books, many of which have been donated to the city by local residents. It also has a public library with a circulation of about 1,500 books.

Government

Fort Wayne has a mayorcouncil government. The mayor, city clerk, and city council members serve four-year terms. In 2006, Fort Wayne's crime rate was 5104.1 per 100,000 people, slightly above the national average of 4479.3. Fort Wayne is part of Indiana's 3rd congressional district, represented by Republican Jim Banks. The city is served by the Allen County Jail in downtown Fort Wayne. In January 2020, a class action lawsuit was filed by an inmate at the jail against the Sheriff of Allen County. The lawsuit alleges understaffing of the jail, as well as overpopulation, among other complaints resulting in dangerous housing conditions. In March 2022, Judge Damon Leichty of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana ruled that conditions in the jail were in violation of the 8th Amendment and 14th Amendment. At its current location, the jail also sits on what is very valuable land given the city's recent riverfront development, right in between some hallmark developments for the revitalization of the downtown area. As of 2010, the Fort Wayne Fire Department included 375 uniformed firefighters and 18 fire stations. In 2014, former police chief Rusty York was appointed to the position of director of public safety. Steve Reed was appointed as police chief in 2016. Eric Lahey was appointed fire chief in 2014. The Fort Wayne Police Department, an organization of 460 officers, has an annual budget of more than $1.5 million.

Education

The Allen County Public Library is among the 20 largest public libraries in the U.S., and ranks 89th factoring in academic libraries, with 3.4 million volumes. Private universities with regional branches in Fort Wayne include Crossroads Bible College, Grace College and Theological Seminary, Huntington University, Indiana Wesleyan University, Manchester University College of Pharmacy, and Trine University. Amish Parochial Schools of Indiana has schools through eighth grade in rural eastern Allen County. Indiana University Fort Wayne is home to the Fort Wayne Center for Medical Education, a branch of the Indiana University School of Medicine. Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana also contains two campuses in the city. IU Fort Wayne was established in July 2018 after the dissolution of Indiana University Purdue Universityfort Wayne (IPFW), which had enrolled over 13,000 students prior to its closure and was the state's fifth-largest public university. The library houses the second largest genealogy research collection in the United States, and the largest in a public library. The entire library system underwent an $84.1 million overhaul from 2002 to 2007. In 2009, over 7.4m materials were borrowed by patrons, with over 3 million visits made throughout the library system. The city has a population of 3.2 million people, making it one of the largest cities in Indiana. It is the second-largest city in Indiana, after Indianapolis, with an population of 4.3 million people. It has an economy of $1.2 billion, the third-largest in the state.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana = 36.4. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 23. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 61. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Fort Wayne = 3.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 6,241 individuals with a median age of 35.2 age the population dropped by -0.66% in Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,400 residents per square mile of area (930/km²). There are average 2.37 people per household in the 83,969 households with an average household income of $39,153 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.50% of the available work force and has dropped -5.55% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 18.40%. The number of physicians in Fort Wayne per 100,000 population = 237.4.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Fort Wayne = 36.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 32.3 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 131. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 182. 84 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 16.9 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 47, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana which are owned by the occupant = 55.45%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 44 years with median home cost = $77,020 and home appreciation of 2.39%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $9.71 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,438 per student. There are 17.2 students for each teacher in the school, 1484 students for each Librarian and 685 students for each Counselor. 7.58% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 13.05% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 6.65% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).