Upland (pronounced as "up-land") is a town in Jefferson Township,

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States * Grant County, Arkansas * Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky Grant County is a county located in the northern pa ...

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 3,821 at the 2020 census. It is the home of

Taylor University Taylor University is a Private university, private, Interdenominationalism, interdenominational, evangelical Christian university in Upland, Indiana. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest evangelical Christian universities in the United Stat ...

, a Christian college.

History

Most of the land that is now part of Upland was purchased by John Oswalt in the 1830s. He was a speculator, and believed that a canal connecting

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 ...

and

Fort Wayne 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 United S ...

might pass through the area. The town was formed in the late 1860s by Jacob Bugher, who planned for it to be a depot point on the Indiana Central Railroad. The town's name comes from the fact it was believed to be the highest point on the rail line between

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

and

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 ...

. By 1880, the town had a population of around 150 and included a school, two churches, several stores, a blacksmith shop, and a sawmill.Taylor University: The First 150 Years by William C. Ringenberg. Upland: Taylor University Press, 1996. Upland benefited from the gas boom in central Indiana which started in 1886 and carried on until around 1900 when the gas supply began to decline. Gas was discovered in Upland in 1888, and this new resource allowed the town to flourish and grow. By the 1890s, the town had a population of over 1000, street lights, water and gas lines, and a glass manufacturing plant. Taylor University moved to Upland in the summer of 1893. The school had been struggling financially in Fort Wayne, and the gas boom allowed the town to provide the university with $10,000 in cash and of land.

Geography

Upland is between

(one hour north by car) and

( hours south). It is about 30 minutes from Muncie where

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State or BSU) is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The university has three off-campus centers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Fishers, Indiana. The university is composed of seven aca ...

is located. It is about 15 minutes from

Marion Marion or MARION may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Marion (band), a British alternative rock group * ''Marion'' (miniseries), a 1974 miniseries * ''Marion'' (1920 film), an Italian silent film * ''Marion'' (2024 film), a UK short People a ...

and

Indiana Wesleyan University Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) is a private evangelical Christian university headquartered in Marion, Indiana, and affiliated with the Wesleyan Church. It is the largest private university in Indiana. The university system includes IWU—M ...

. According to the 2010 census, Upland has an area of , of which (or 99.62%) is land and (or 0.38%) is water.

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 3,845 people, 872 households, and 589 families living 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 949 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 94.6%

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 ...

, 1.6%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.9% 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 2.3% of the population. There were 872 households, of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% 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, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.5% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age in the town was 21.8 years. 14.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 48.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 12.7% were from 25 to 44; 14.9% were from 45 to 64; and 9.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,803 people, 789 households, and 569 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 824 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 94.40%

, 1.53%

, 0.68% Native American, 1.50% Asian, 0.13%

, 0.68% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.31% of the population. There were 789 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were

living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.01. In the town, the population was spread out, with 13.3% under the age of 18, 51.9% from 18 to 24, 13.9% from 25 to 44, 12.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $36,827, and the median income for a family was $44,712. Males had a median income of $32,019 versus $21,845 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 $11,761. About 7.4% of families and 14.5% 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 11.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The town has a lending library, the Barton Rees Pogue Memorial Public Library, and an elementary school, Eastbrook South. Upland is also the home of Taylor University.

References

External links

Town of Upland, Indiana website
{{authority control Towns in Grant County, Indiana Towns in Indiana