Columbia City, Indiana

City of Columbia City, Indiana
—  City  —
Downtown Columbia City.
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates: 41°9′31″N 85°29′16″W / 41.15861°N 85.48778°W / 41.15861; -85.48778Coordinates: 41°9′31″N 85°29′16″W / 41.15861°N 85.48778°W / 41.15861; -85.48778
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Whitley
Township	Columbia
Government
– Mayor	James "Jim" Fleck (D)
Area
– Total	5.2 sq mi (13.5 km2)
– Land	5.2 sq mi (13.5 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	860 ft (262 m)
Population (2010)
– Total	8,750
– Density	1,358.4/sq mi (524.5/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	46725
Area code(s)	260
FIPS code	18-14716[1]
GNIS feature ID	0432816[2]
Website	http://www.columbiacity.net

Columbia City is a city in Columbia Township, Whitley County, Indiana, United States. The population was 8,750 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Whitley County^[3].

Geography

Columbia City is located at 41°9′31″N 85°29′16″W / 41.15861°N 85.48778°W / 41.15861; -85.48778 (41.158569, -85.487784)^[4]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.2 square miles (13 km²), all of it land.

City Hall building.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 7,077 people, 3,018 households, and 1,874 residing in the city. The population density was 1,359.5 people per square mile (524.5/km²). There were 3,191 housing units at an average density of 613.0 per square mile (236.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.11% White, 0.32% African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 married couples 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 for the city was $19,296. About 4.5% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, 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.

Courthouse

County Courthouse.

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 in 1979. The surrounding townsquare was added to the register in 1987.

Education

• Columbia City High School
• Indian Springs Middle School
• Mary Raber Elementary School
• Little Turtle Elementary School
• Northern Heights Elementary School
• Coesse Elementary School
• Mary Raber Preschool

Notable natives & former residents

• Thomas R. Marshall (1854–1925), Governor of Indiana (1909–1913) and Vice President of the United States (1913–1921), practiced law in Columbia City before becoming governor. A plaque in front of the courthouse honors him, and at one time a middle school bore his name.
• Lloyd C. Douglas (1877–1951), author of The Robe and The Magnificent Obsession, was born in Columbia City on August 27, 1877.
• Ralph F. Gates (1891–1957), Governor of Indiana (1945–1949), was born in Columbia City and lived there throughout his life.
• Major General Keller E. Rocky, Commanding General of the 5th Marine Division in the Battle of Iwo Jima, awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for inspired combat leadership in this epic battle. Rockey served in France in World War I. He was awarded the Navy Cross as a junior officer in the 5th Marines at Chateau-Thierry. A second Navy Cross came later for heroic service in Nicaragua.
• Len Barnum (1912–1998), former NFL player with the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. First quarterback ever taken in an NFL draft when the Pittsburgh Pirates chose him in 1936.^[5]
• Bryan Deutsch, three time Division 1 NCAA qualifier, and one time Mid-American Conference Champion as a wrestler for Northern Illinois University.
• Roy Kilby, member of Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
5. ^ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BarnLe21.htm.

Roy Kilby - elected to Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame

External links

• City of Columbia City, Indiana website
• Columbia City Chamber of Commerce
• Whitley County Official Website