Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana 

The county seat and largest city in Allen County, Indiana, is Fort Wayne. The city, which is situated in northeastern Indiana, is 50 miles (80 km) south of the Michigan border and 18 miles (29 km) west of the Ohio border. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 263,886 people, making it the 76th most populous city in the country and the second-most populous city in Indiana behind Indianapolis. It serves as the hub of the Fort Wayne metropolitan area, which includes Whitley and Allen counties and had a projected population of 423,038 in 2021. Northeastern Indiana's cultural and economic hub is Fort Wayne. The combined statistical area (CSA), which has the two core counties plus Adams, DeKalb, Huntington, Noble, Steuben, and Wells counties, is expected to have a population of 649,105 in 2021. 

The American Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne oversaw the construction of Fort Wayne in 1794. It was the final fort built close to the Miami settlement of Kekionga.

The European-American community that grew at the confluence of the St. Joseph, St. Marys, and Maumee rivers, once known as Fort Miami, a trade post built by Jean Baptiste Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes approximately 1706, was named in honor of Wayne. During its reconstruction following the War of 1812 and its siege, the current city was platted in 1823. After the Wabash and Erie Canal was completed and the railroad was established, it experienced phenomenal growth. In the 21st century, Fort Wayne's economy is based on distribution, transportation, and logistics; healthcare, professional, and business services; leisure and hospitality; and financial services. Fort Wayne was once a thriving manufacturing town situated in the region that came to be known as the Rust Belt. 1-2% of the population is employed by the defense industry, which has its headquarters in the city. 

The All-America City Award was given to Fort Wayne in 1983, 1998, 2009, and 2021. 

The U.S. Conference of Mayors presented the city with an Outstanding Achievement City Livability Award in 1999. 

Geography 

Northeastern Indiana's Fort Wayne is located in the East North Central region of the Midwest, 18 miles (29 km) west of Ohio and 50 miles (80 km) south of Michigan. Fort Wayne has a total area of 110.834 square miles (287.06 km2), of which 110.62 square miles (286.50 km2) (or 99.81%) is land and 0.214 square miles (0.55 km2) (or 0.19%) is water, as measured by the 2010 Census. 

Topography 

The city is located on flat territory with limited topographical relief for a regional summit because of the Wisconsin glacier period. 

During the last glacial epoch, receding glaciers scoured the terrain and left a uniform layer of silt behind. The most distinctive geographical feature is Cedar Creek Canyon, which is located close to Huntertown about north of the city centre. The St. Marys and St. Joseph rivers, two of the city's three rivers, are followed by the Fort Wayne Moraine. The Maumee, which eventually empties into Lake Erie, is formed by the confluence of the two rivers. The historic Great Black Swamp, a lacustrine plain created by Glacial Lake Maumee, is located in the area east of the moraine. A remnant of the Maumee Torrent, the Little River is a tributary of the Wabash River that flows southwest of Fort Wayne. 

The Saint Lawrence River Divide, which divides the Great Lakes Basin from the Gulf of Mexico basin, is where Fort Wayne is located. 

The closest overland distance between the Three Rivers system, which eventually runs to the Atlantic, and the Wabash system, which finally flows to the Gulf of Mexico, is the most significant geographical feature of the region. From one system to the next, this became the "portage," or carrying point, for travelers to move their cargoes. For thousands of years, the Native Americans were drawn to this natural intersection. Later, it drew the attention of European explorers and traders as well as American pioneer settlers, who helped the region grow as a hub for transportation and communications. At the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, Chief Little Turtle of the Miami Nation succinctly described its significance as "that wonderful gate...through which all the words of our chiefs had to pass through from north to south and from east to west." 

The urban tree canopy in Fort Wayne is 29 percent, which is higher than the national average of 27.1 percent and double the state average of 14.5 percent. 

The emerald ash borer infestation and development are the main causes of the canopy's decline. Since 1990, Fort Wayne has been recognized as a Tree City USA. 

Climate 

Fort Wayne has four distinct seasons and is located in the Köppen: Dfa humid continental climatic zone. 

Zones 5b and 6a of the USDA's hardiness map encompass the city. Summers are typically hot, muggy, and rainy. Typically, winters are chilly with little to no snowfall. At Fort Wayne International Airport, 38.34 in (974 mm) of precipitation is averaged annually. Snowfall accumulation during the winter months averages 33.5 inches (85 cm) annually. The area frequently experiences lake-effect snow, which typically manifests as brief snow flurries. 

The city has experienced temperatures as high as 106 °F (41 °C), most recently on June 28, 2012, and as low as 24 °F (31 °C), reported on January 12, 1918, according to the National Weather Service. 

With 11.98 in (304 mm) of precipitation, June 2015 was the wettest month ever recorded. On August 1, 1926, 4.93 in (125 mm) of rain fell in a single day. With 30.3 in (77 cm) of snowfall, January 2014 was the snowiest month ever recorded. On February 28, 1900, there was a total of 18.0 in (46 cm) of snowfall. 

The city averages 39 days with thunderstorms and roughly 10 days with severe weather each year; this number is higher in the spring and summer. 

To May 26, 2001, an F2 tornado hit northern Fort Wayne, inflicting damage on a subdivision, the Coliseum Boulevard corridor, and three people. During the North American derecho in June 2012, Fort Wayne witnessed wind gusts of 91 mph (146 km/h), which caused 78,000 people to lose electricity, uprooted about 500 trees, and cost $2.5 million. 

Economy 

The gross domestic product (GDP) for the Fort Wayne metro region in 2017 was $25.7 billion. Manufacturing ($8.1B), health care ($2.54B), retail trade ($1.4B), and finance and insurance ($1.3B) were the top four industries. If it had been a private sector, the government would have tied for third place, earning $1.4 billion. 

Manufacturing has played a significant role in Fort Wayne's economic development since the city's early years as a significant trading hub along the Wabash and Erie Canal. Following the opening of the canal, railroads made it simpler to commute from Fort Wayne to other prosperous industrial hubs along the Great Lakes, including Chicago, Detroit, Toledo, and Cleveland. The city's economy was dominated by manufacturing throughout the early and middle decades of the 20th century. Fort Wayne's industrial output increased by 747 percent between 1900 and 1930, with total output valued at $95 million in 1929, up from $11 million in 1899. Additionally, the entire workforce grew from 18,000 in 1900 to about 50,000 in 1930.

Dana Holding Corporation, Falstaff Brewing Corporation, Fruehauf Corporation, General Electric, International Harvester, Magnavox, Old Crown Brewing Corporation, and Tokheim are just a few of the businesses that had a sizable presence in the city. These businesses produced goods like refrigerators, washing machines, automatic phonographs, meat packing products, televisions, garbage disposals, automotive parts and motors, trailers, gasoline pumps, trucks, beer, tents, and aw. The manufacture of magnet wire became a crucial part of the local economy. Nearly 90% of the magnet wire produced in North America was made in Fort Wayne, which also had operations for General Electric, Phelps Dodge, Rea Magnet Wire, Superior Essex, and New Haven Wire and Cable Company.

Fort Wayne had an economic crisis in the 1970s and 1980s, when a large portion of the city's manufacturing base crumbled and the blue-collar workforce decreased. Along with other cities in the Rust Belt, Fort Wayne's economy is in shambles. General Electric likewise reduced a large portion of its more than 10,000-person workforce at the same time. The city lost 30,000 jobs and experienced an unemployment rate of 12.1% as a result of industrial closings and downsizing in the surrounding area, the early 1980s recession, and other factors. With 3,000 workers at its Fort Wayne Assembly, General Motors' entry into the region in 1987 filled the hole left by shuttered manufacturing and aided in the region's recovery. With 4,100 people working there to assemble Chevrolet Silverado regular and double cab light- and heavy-duty pickup trucks in 2017, General Motors was the city's major employer.

As a result of the city's economic diversification in the 1990s and 2000s, manufacturing now accounts for 16.9% of Allen County's employment. Other industries include health care (17.9%), professional and commercial services (12.1%), leisure and hospitality (11.1%), distribution, transportation, and logistics (23.1%), and financial services (6.3 percent). Particular growth has been seen in the leisure and hospitality industry, where $545 million was spent by 5.8 million tourists in 2013, an increase of 4.3 percent from the previous year. With thousands of workers at firms like BAE Systems (1,150), Harris Corporation (888), Raytheon Technologies (950), and the Fort Wayne Air National Guard Station, the city is a center for the military industry (423).

Despite having a diverse economy, the Great Recession had a big influence on the city. A Pew Research Center study found that between 2000 and 2014, the city lost 11% of its economic standing and nearly 25% of its manufacturing jobs. In terms of connecting economic prospects to its distressed zip codes, Economic Innovation Group's 2016 Distressed Communities Index Report put Fort Wayne among the most unequal big cities in the U.S. There were 180,637 people employed in Allen County as of 2017, and the unemployment rate was 2.5 percent.

Brotherhood Mutual, Do it Best, Franklin Electric, Frontier Communications - Central Region, Genteq, Indiana Michigan Power, K&K Insurance, MedPro Group, North American Van Lines, Rea Magnet Wire, Steel Dynamics, Sweetwater Sound, and Vera Bradley are among the businesses with headquarters in Fort Wayne. The lone Fortune 500 firm with a headquarters in the city, Steel Dynamics, is ranked 354th overall. Lincoln Financial Group was founded in 1905 and was headquartered in Fort Wayne until 1999, when it relocated to a suburb of Philadelphia. The corporation has a substantial presence in the city and employs close to 2,000 people. 

Sports 

Three minor league sports teams are located in Fort Wayne: the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL, the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the High-A Central, and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA G League, all of which are owned and run by their parent organization, the Indiana Pacers. Additionally, Fort Wayne is home to the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Division 2's Fort Wayne Derby Girls. At the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, these teams face off. The TinCaps play at Parkview Field.

The Fort Wayne Pistons of the National Basketball Association, who relocated to Detroit in 1957, the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and the Fort Wayne Kekiongas of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players have all called the city home (precursor to Major League Baseball). 

The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons, who play for PFW in the NCAA's Division I Horizon League, as well as NAIA institutions Indiana Tech (Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference) and University of Saint Francis all participate in intercollegiate sports in the city (Crossroads League and Mid-States Football Association). From 2016 to 2018, the Mastodons were known as the Fort Wayne Mastodons, but shortly before the 2018 split into two separate institutions (see below), the athletic brand was changed to "Purdue Fort Wayne." The Mastodons had previously represented Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW).

Fort Wayne has seen some significant moments in sports history. One of the first reported lighted evening baseball games took place on June 2, 1883, between Fort Wayne and the Quincy Professionals. The BAA and the NBL were merged in 1948 at Carl Bennett's home on Alexander Street, earning Fort Wayne the distinction of being the NBA's birthplace. While competing at the War Memorial Coliseum on March 10, 1961, Wilt Chamberlain became the first NBA player to accumulate 3,000 points in a single season. 

Population 

The city of Fort Wayne is found in Allen County, Indiana. It serves as Allen County's County seat as well. It will have a population of 266,946 in 2023, making it the 85th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana. The population of Fort Wayne has grown by 1.16% from the most recent census, which showed a population of 263,886 in 2020. It is now rising at a pace of 0.38% each year. With a total length of over 111 miles, Fort Wayne has a 2,413 inhabitants per square mile density.

Fort Wayne has a poverty rate of 19.13% and a $65,377 average household income. The median monthly cost of rent in recent years has been, and the median value of a home is. In Fort Wayne, the median age is 35.3 years, 33.8 years for men and 36.8 years for women.

It's noteworthy to note that Fort Wayne has the biggest concentration of Burmese Americans in the nation. These people live in Fort Wayne in numbers of about 6,000. Because there are around 360 churches there, Fort Wayne is a significant religious hub and is referred to as the "City of Churches." The bulk of city dwellers who identify as religious—more than 50%—practice Catholicism.

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