Columbia City is a city in Columbia Township, Whitley County, Indiana, United States. The population was 9,892 at the 2020 Census, up from 8,750 at the 2010 Census, estimated to be 10,064 in 2023. The city is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Whitley County, and is the largest community therein. It is part of the Fort Wayne MSA.

History

The first non-Native American settlers arrived in 1837 as a result of the end of the Black Hawk War and the Erie Canal. They were from New England - "Yankee" Settlers, descendants of the English

Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

who settled

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

in the colonial era. They were primarily members of the

Congregational Church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

though due to the

Second Great Awakening The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the late 18th to early 19th century in the United States. It spread religion through revivals and emotional preaching and sparked a number of reform movements. Revivals were a k ...

many of them had converted to

Methodism 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 ...

and some had become

Baptists Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

before coming to what is now Columbia City. Columbia City was founded in 1839, originally just being called "Columbia". The name was later changed in 1854 since there was already a city named Columbia in the state. Many public debates were held to discuss different names for the city, but it was later only reduced to two: "Beaver" and "Columbia City." Eventually, the name Columbia City was selected. The completion of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, & Chicago Railway in 1856 brought rapid growth to the small town, and from 1865 to 1875 the population would have tripled. Columbia City was incorporated in the state of Indiana in 1888. The Whitley County Courthouse was designed (1888–1891) by Brentwood S. Tolan, of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1979. The Thomas R. Marshall House was added to the register in 1983 and the Columbia City Historic District was added in 1987.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Columbia City has a total area of , of which (or 99.63%) is land and (or 0.37%) is water.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Columbia City has a

hot-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Columbia City was on June 26, 1988, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 19–21, 1994.

Economy

About 12 percent of Columbia City's population is employed in the manufacturing sector. This makes it one of the most important sectors in the city. Currently there are 6 businesses employing 50 - 350 people in the city. Those six companies are 80/20, Coupled Products, LLC, Alcoils, inc., Reelcraft Industries, Inc. ChromaSource, Inc. and Kilgore Manufacturing Company, Inc. The city also has agricultural roots with it contributing heavily to its economy. Columbia City is 25 miles away from Fort Wayne, 20 miles away from Warsaw, and 69 miles away from South Bend, making it a strategic location for business.

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 8,750 people, 3,658 households, and 2,235 families residing in the city. 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 3,944 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.7%

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 ...

, 0.5%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.4% 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 2.2% of the population. There were 3,658 households, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% 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, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.9% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 36.1 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.7% were from 25 to 44; 23.9% were from 45 to 64; and 15.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 7,077 people, 3,018 households, and 1,874 residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,191 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.11%

, 0.32%

, 0.44% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.03%

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 ...

, 0.34% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population. There were 3,018 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were

living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,112, and the median income for a family was $47,357. Males had a median income of $34,803 versus $21,740 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 city was $19,296. About 4.5% of families and 6.4% 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 5.8% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The city government consists of a mayor and a five-member city council. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote, along with the city councilperson-at-large. The remaining four council members are elected from individual city districts: northeast, southeast, southwest and northwest. There is also a city clerk-treasurer who is elected in a citywide vote. The Columbia City post office has been in operation since 1854.

Healthcare

* Columbia City is home to a Parkview Health branch.

Education

Columbia City High School Columbia City High School is a public high school located in Columbia City, Indiana. Notable Alumni * Jim Banks - U.S. representative for Indiana's 3rd congressional district * Hannah Schaefer - Christian Musician * Megan Mullins - Cou ...

*Eagle Tech Academy * Indian Springs Middle School *Mary Raber Elementary School *Little Turtle Elementary School *Northern Heights Elementary School *Coesse Elementary School *Faith Christian Academy The town has a lending library, the Peabody Public Library.

Notable people

* Jim Banks,

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

; former U.S. Congressman

References

External links

City of Columbia City, Indiana website

Columbia City Chamber of Commerce

Whitley County Official Website
* {{authority control Cities in Indiana Cities in Whitley County, Indiana County seats in Indiana Fort Wayne, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area