History of Fort Wayne, Indiana

History Of Fort Wayne, Indiana

Coordinates: 41°04′49.62″N 85°08′20.94″W / 41.0804500°N 85.1391500°W / 41.0804500; -85.1391500

Fort Wayne, Indiana
City
City of Fort Wayne


Nickname(s): The Summit City (official)
Motto: Ke Ki On Ga
Coordinates: 41°04′50″N 85°08′21″W / 41.08056°N 85.13917°W / 41.08056; -85.13917
Country United States
State Indiana
County Allen
Townships Aboite, Adams, Perry, Pleasant, St. Joseph, Washington, Wayne
Founding 1794
Incorporated (town) 1829
Incorporated (city) 1840
Founder Jean François Hamtramck
Named for Anthony Wayne
Government
• Type Mayor-council government
• Mayor Tom Henry (D)
• City Clerk Sandra Kennedy (D)
• City Council Common Council
  • Marty Bender
  • Liz Brown
  • John Shoaff
  • Tom Smith
  • Karen Goldner
  • Tom Didier
  • Mitch Harper
  • Tim Pape
  • Glynn A. Hines
• IN Senate List of Senators
  • Ellen Corbett
  • Thomas J. Wyss
  • David C. Long
• State House delegation List of Representatives
  • Phil GiaQuinta
  • Winfield C. Moses Jr.
  • Jeff Espich
  • Kathy Heuer
  • Robert Morris
  • Phyllis J. Pond
Area
• City 110.83 sq mi (287.05 km2)
• Land 110.62 sq mi (286.50 km2)
• Water 0.21 sq mi (0.54 km2)
• Urban 135.25 sq mi (350.3 km2)
• Metro 1,368 sq mi (3,540 km2)
Elevation 810 ft (247 m)
Population (2010)
• City 253,691
• Estimate (2011) 255,824
• Rank 1st in Allen County
2nd in Indiana
74th in the United States
• Density 2,293.4/sq mi (885.5/km2)
• Metro 419,453
• Demonym Fort Waynean
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 46801-46809, 46814-46816, 46818, 46819, 46825, 46835, 46845, 46850-46869, 46885, 46895-46899
Area code(s) 260
Twin cities
• Gera Germany
• Płock Poland
• Taizhou, Zhejiang China
• Takaoka, Toyama Japan
FIPS code 18-25000
GNIS feature ID 0434689
Website www.cityoffortwayne.org

Fort Wayne is a city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 255,824 as of the July 1, 2011 Census estimate making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana after Indianapolis. The municipality is located in northeastern Indiana, approximately 18 miles (29 km) west of the Ohio border and 50 miles (80 km) south of the Michigan border. Fort Wayne is the principal city of the Fort Wayne metropolitan area, consisting of Allen, Wells, and Whitley counties, for an estimated population of 419,453. In addition to those three core counties, the combined statistical area includes Adams, DeKalb, Huntington, Noble, and Steuben counties, for a population of about 615,077.

Under the direction of American Revolutionary War statesman General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, the United States Army built Fort Wayne last in a series of forts near the Miami Indian village of Kekionga in 1794. Named in Wayne's honor, Fort Wayne established itself at the confluence of the St. Joseph River, St. Marys River, and Maumee River as a trading post for European settlers. The village was platted in 1823 and experienced tremendous growth after completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal and advent of the railroad. Once a booming industrial town located in the Rust Belt, Fort Wayne's economy has diversified in recent times, now relying on distribution, transportation, and logistics, health care, manufacturing, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and financial services. The city is also a center for the defense contractor industry which employs thousands in the city.

As Northeast Indiana's cultural hub, Fort Wayne is home to 15 museums and art galleries, two daily newspapers, philharmonic orchestra, children's zoo, three minor league sports franchises and an NCAA Division I team, and 86 parks and playgrounds. The city is home to the fifth largest public university in Indiana, Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), and the private universities of Concordia Theological Seminary, Indiana Institute of Technology, and University of Saint Francis. The city is also widely recognized as the final resting place of American folklore legend Johnny Appleseed.

The city has been an All-America City Award recipient in 1982, 1998, and 2009.

Read more about History Of Fort Wayne, Indiana:  History, Geography, Law and Government, Demographics, Economy

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