Wakarusa is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places Australia * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin Canada * Inukjuak, Quebec, or "Port H ...

and

Olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

townships in Elkhart County,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, United States. The population was 1,758 at the 2010 census. Wakarusa is a small farming and manufacturing community located on

Indiana 19 State Road 19 (SR 19) is a route on the Indiana State Highway System that runs between Noblesville and Elkhart in the US state of Indiana. The of Indiana SR 19 serve as a minor highway. One segment of the highway is listed on the ...

just north of

Indiana 119 State Road 119 exists as two separate roads in the U.S. state of Indiana. The road is a rural surface highway for the entire length of both sections. Route description Southern section The southern section is long. Its southern terminus is ...

. The town is south of Elkhart, southeast of

South Bend South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

, east of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, and north of

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Wakarusa has a total area of , of which (or 96.62%) is land and (or 3.38%) is water.

History

In 1836, rural Olive Township was formed in western Elkhart County, and in 1849, as the population grew, a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

named Mt. Olive opened. After more population growth, a new village named Salem was established to prevent people from having to travel to either Goshen or Elkhart to conduct business. Since there is already a town named Salem in Indiana, the name was changed to Wakarusa in 1859. The Mt. Olive Post Office was renamed for Wakarusa a year later.Wakarusa's History
/ref> Railroad - In 1891 work began on the Wabash Railroad line through town, with the official opening of the line in the spring of 1893. The line, which connected Chicago with Montpelier, Ohio, became part of the Norfolk & Western Railway in 1964 and lasted until the 1980s. Today, the original Wabash depot along with two Norfolk & Western rail cars are featured along with many other displays at the Wakarusa Historical Museum. The etymology of the name "Wakarusa" is not known. According to tradition, the name ''Wakarusa'' is from a Native American language, meaning "knee-deep in mud". A more recent source claims a settler named it after a location in Kansas.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,758 people, 665 households, and 448 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 717 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.0%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population. There were 665 households, of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.6% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age in the town was 42 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.1% were from 25 to 44; 23.7% were from 45 to 64, and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 45.8% male and 54.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,618 people, 595 households, and 427 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 618 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.34%

, 0.49%

, 0.19% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.62% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population. Wakarusa-indiana-town-hall

There were 595 households, out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were

living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.04. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,515, and the median income for a family was $50,833. Males had a median income of $36,014 versus $25,300 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $19,615. About 3.2% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Neighboring

Nappanee Nappanee is a city in Elkhart and Kosciusko counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 6,648 as of the 2010 U.S. Census and had grown to 6,913 by the 2020 U.S. Census. The name Nappanee is thought to mean "flour" in the Algonq ...

and Wakarusa combined their school systems in the 1970s to create the Wa-Nee Community Schools. The town has a free lending library, the Wakarusa-Olive & Harrison Township Public Library.

Religion

Wakarusa has Wakarusa Missionary Church, which is the

Missionary Church The Missionary Church is an evangelical Christian denomination of Anabaptist origins with Wesleyan and Pietist influences. Faith and practice The Missionary Church is a Trinitarian body which believes the Bible is the Biblical inspiration, inspir ...

denomination based out of

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

. Other churches include a Bible Baptist Church, a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

church, Holdemen Mennonite Church, and Olive Mennonite Church just outside Wakarusa.

Notable people

* J. Wayne Fredericks, American diplomat *

Gale Sayers Gale Eugene Sayers (May 30, 1943 – September 23, 2020) was an American professional football halfback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). Sayers played for the Chicago Bears from 1965 to 1971, though injuries effec ...

, Chicago Bears Hall of Fame running back

Economy

Originally solely a farming community, a lumber mill opened in 1866. By the 1880s, several factories and businesses existed, despite the fact that the railroad would not roll into town until 1893. At one point, three different lumber mills operated in the town, though none exist today. Today, Wakarusa continues to have a thriving farming economy and has two grain mills within the town's limits. Wakarusa's location in Elkhart County places it within a strong industrial area, and because of this, multiple manufacturers are located in the area.

Recreational vehicle A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and ca ...

manufacturing,

modular home A modular building is a prefabricated building that consists of repeated sections called modules. Modularity involves constructing sections away from the building site, then delivering them to the intended site. Installation of the prefabricat ...

manufacturing and custom truck production are the base of the industrial economy. Forest River employs nearly 600 in the RV industry. It was announced in February 2012 that Utilimaster, a manufacturer of walk-in vans and commercial truck bodies, was moving all of its manufacturing and headquarters to nearby

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, about 20 minutes to the northeast in Elkhart County. Since then, RV company Forest River has purchased nearly all of the buildings and currently employs around 600 in Wakarusa. On July 17, 2008, Monaco Coach Corporation announced the closing of its Wakarusa production plant and laid off its approximately 1400 workers. Since then, the massive complex has been bought by Thor Industries, and they are using it for multiple operations for some of their RV brands. Currently, they employ around 700. Today, the historic town center has several antique shops, hair salons, a furniture store, a hardware store, a general contractor, a florist, an I.T. business, a mechanic, insurance companies, restaurants, and a dime store candy shop that sells locally made maple syrup and jumbo jelly beans to a small but growing number of regional tourists.

Festivals

Once a year, the town hosts the Maple Syrup Festival and holds a parade as well as other activities associated with small-town celebrations. The festival was started in 1969 by the then Chamber of Progress. Originally held in March, the festival now occurs during the end of April.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Towns in Elkhart County, Indiana Towns in Indiana