Wabash, Indiana
| City of Wabash | |
|---|---|
| City | |
|
Wabash from the air, looking west. | |
 Location in the state of Indiana | |
| Coordinates: 40°48′3″N 85°49′38″W / 40.80083°N 85.82722°WCoordinates: 40°48′3″N 85°49′38″W / 40.80083°N 85.82722°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Wabash |
| Township | Noble |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Scott Long , 2016-Present |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 9.13 sq mi (23.65 km2) |
| • Land | 8.89 sq mi (23.02 km2) |
| • Water | 0.24 sq mi (0.62 km2) 2.63% |
| Elevation | 712 ft (217 m) |
| Population (2010)[2] | |
| • Total | 10,666 |
| • Estimate (2012[3]) | 10,484 |
| • Density | 1,199.8/sq mi (463.2/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 46992 |
| Area code(s) | 260 |
| FIPS code | 18-79370[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0445327[5] |
| Website | www.cityofwabash.com |
Wabash is a city in Noble Township, Wabash County, Indiana, United States. The population was 10,666 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Wabash County.[6]
Wabash is notable as being the first electrically lighted city in the world, which was inaugurated on March 31, 1880.[7] It is also home to the historic Eagles Theater, Paradise Spring Treaty Grounds (1826), the Wabash and Erie Canal, Presbyterian Church (Wabash, Indiana) (1880), and Disciples of Christ Christian Church (Wabash, Indiana) (1865).
Geography
Wabash is located at 40°48′3″N 85°49′38″W / 40.80083°N 85.82722°W (40.800799, -85.827163).[8]
According to the 2010 census, Wabash has a total area of 9.128 square miles (23.64 km2), of which 8.89 square miles (23.02 km2) (or 97.39%) is land and 0.238 square miles (0.62 km2) (or 2.61%) is water.[1]
Street lighting
At 8:00 PM on March 31, 1880, Wabash became the first city in the world to use electric street lights.[9] Wabash used a new type of carbon arc light invented by Charles Brush in 1870.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 10,666 people, 4,465 households, and 2,805 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,199.8 inhabitants per square mile (463.2/km2). There were 5,068 housing units at an average density of 570.1 per square mile (220.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.3% White, 0.4% African American, 1.0% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population.
There were 4,465 households of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88.
The median age in the city was 41.3 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 18.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.
2000 census
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 966 | — | |
| 1860 | 1,520 | 57.3% | |
| 1870 | 2,881 | 89.5% | |
| 1880 | 3,800 | 31.9% | |
| 1890 | 5,105 | 34.3% | |
| 1900 | 8,618 | 68.8% | |
| 1910 | 8,687 | 0.8% | |
| 1920 | 9,872 | 13.6% | |
| 1930 | 8,840 | −10.5% | |
| 1940 | 9,653 | 9.2% | |
| 1950 | 10,621 | 10.0% | |
| 1960 | 12,621 | 18.8% | |
| 1970 | 13,379 | 6.0% | |
| 1980 | 12,985 | −2.9% | |
| 1990 | 12,127 | −6.6% | |
| 2000 | 11,743 | −3.2% | |
| 2010 | 10,666 | −9.2% | |
| Est. 2014 | 10,433 | [10] | −2.2% |
| Source: US Census Bureau | |||
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 11,743 people, 4,799 households, and 3,100 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,319.0 people per square mile (509.4/km²). There were 5,136 housing units at an average density of 576.9 per square mile (222.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.85% White, 0.37% African American, 1.06% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.46% of the population.
There were 4,799 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.9% 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 2.36 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $12,000, and the median income for a family was $14000. Males had a median income of $18000 versus $12,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,210. About 7.9% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
Gallery
-
Wabash County Courthouse
-
Old Warehouse, which backs up on the Wabash and Erie Canal
Notable people
- Loren M. Berry – pioneer of the Yellow Pages telephone directory
- Dr. Rick Brandenburg – entomologist
- John W. Corso – Art director & production designer
- Jimmy Daywalt – race car driver
- Charles Dingle - actor
- Gus Dorais – American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball
- Crystal Gayle – country singer
- Keith O'Conner Murphy - Rockabilly Hall of Fame singer and songwriter
- Charles Franklin Hildebrand – journalist
- Mark Honeywell – founder of Honeywell Corporation & Honeywell Center
- Bobby Jones – National Football League guard
- Walter Cecil Mills - Indiana Man of the Year, 1948
- George Mullin – Major League Baseball pitcher, nicknamed "Wabash George"
- John P. Costas – telecommunications engineer, noted for the Costas loop
- Margie Stewart – U.S. Army poster girl during the Second World War
- Joaquin Miller[11]- American Poet And Frontiersman
- Michael Palascak-comedian and Top 5 finalist of Last Comic Standing season 9
See also
- The Ford Meter Box Company, Prominent Manufacturer Headquartered in Wabash
References
- 1 2 "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
- 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
- ↑ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
- 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ↑ Silverberg, Robert (1967). Light for the World: Edison and the Power Industry. Princeton, N.J.: D. Van Nostrand.
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ↑ "Wabash lighted the way 125 years ago". Wabash Weekly Plain Dealer. March 30, 2005. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Lewiston evening teller. (Lewiston, Idaho), 10 Nov. 1906.".
External links
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