Middlebury, Indiana
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Middlebury is a town in Middlebury Township, Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. It is located approximately 35 miles east 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 ...
, 130 miles 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 ...
, Illinois, and 165 miles 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 ...
. Middlebury is nestled in Northern Indiana's
Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...
country. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 3,420.


Geography

Middlebury sits on the banks of the Little Elkhart River in the middle of a mix of rolling hills and rural farm land. According to the 2010 census, Middlebury has a total area of , of which (or 99.47%) is land and (or 0.53%) is water.


History

Before the Europeans came to the region, the
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
and later the
Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...
ruled the area. That changed in 1832, when the first settlers came from
Middlebury, Vermont Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History and the adjacent ...
. They chose this specific area because the rolling hills reminded them of Vermont.Welcome To Town of Middlebury
/ref> Later, in 1841, the first
Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...
families came from Somerset County, Pennsylvania and settled in the countryside surrounding the town. Middlebury Township was organized in 1834 and the town of Middlebury was finally incorporated in 1868. In 1888, the railroad came to Middlebury and began to diversify the town's economy to include manufacturing as well as farming.


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 3,420 people, 1,263 households, and 822 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,341 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.6%
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 ...
, 0.6%
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, 1.2% Asian, 0.0%
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 ...
, 1.1% from other races, and 1.5% 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 3.2% of the population. There were 1,263 households, of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% 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, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.11. The population was spread out, with 29.0% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $54,714, and the median income for a family was $68,273. Males had a median income of $48,894 versus $34,688 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 $25,825. 2.5% of families and 4.0% of the population were living 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 6.3% under eighteens and 7.1% of those over 65.


Education

The Middlebury Community School system attracts many families to the area. The grade alignment is K-3, 4-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Northridge opened in 1969 and replaced the aging Middlebury and Jefferson Township High Schools. The high school moved into a new building for the 2008-09 school year; the old high school became Northridge Middle School and Heritage Middle School became an intermediate school. Jefferson Elementary was torn down and replaced in 1998 shortly after Orchard View had opened in 1995. The town has a free lending library, the Middlebury Community Public Library.


Economy

Middlebury's economy is based on farming, manufacturing, and tourism. A $95,000 earmark was included in the federal FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill to fund "Middlebury Economic Development, IN for development of a comprehensive plan for economic development that takes into account infrastructure needs, land use planning, and downtown redevelopment while balancing the needs of the large Amish population with that of the broader community."


Industry

Four major manufacturers of recreational vehicles, Grand Design, Winnebago, Jayco and Coachmen RV, have production facilities in Middlebury. Culver Duck Farms, the 2nd largest white pekin duck producer in the United States is located in Middlebury, shipping 70,000+ ducks a week worldwide. Syndicate Systems' largest facility, for the manufacture of retail shelving is also located in town. Middlebury is home to bus manufacturer ARBOC Specialty Vehicles. The Meijer Central Kitchen produces deli salads, deli sandwiches, cookies, and sub buns for the entire Meijer department store chain and is also a distribution center.


Tourism

Much of Middlebury's tourism revolves around Das Dutchman Essenhaus. The
Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...
-themed restaurant, inn, conference center, and shops serve over 750,000 people every year. The facility also has a wholesale food operation on site which ships various home-made products. The town is also home to Krider World's Fair Garden and the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail.


Notable people

* Joanna King, member of the
Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House mem ...
* Eric Stults, pitcher for the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
*
Justin Yoder Justin Ross Yoder (November 9, 1986 – September 15, 2024) was an American soapbox racer. He was the first child with a disability to drive a soapbox in the All American Soapbox Derby. In 1996, he challenged the regulations to allow children ...
, soapbox driver


References


External links


Town of Middlebury, Indiana website
{{authority control Towns in Elkhart County, Indiana Towns in Indiana 1868 establishments in Indiana Populated places established in 1868