Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne skyline
Downtown Fort Wayne
Historic Fort Wayne
Historic Fort Wayne
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge
Official seal of Fort Wayne
Nickname(s): 
"Summit City";[1] "City of Churches";[2] "City That Saved Itself";[3][4] "Magnet Wire Capital of the World"[5][6]
Motto: 
Map
Interactive map outlining Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne is located in Indiana
Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne is located in the United States
Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne
Coordinates: 41°05′20″N 85°09′41″W / 41.08889°N 85.16139°W / 41.08889; -85.16139
Country United States
State Indiana
CountyAllen
TownshipsAboite, Adams, Perry, Pleasant, St. Joseph, Washington, Wayne
FoundingOctober 22, 1794
Incorporated (town)January 3, 1829
Incorporated (city)February 22, 1840
Founded byJean François Hamtramck
Named forAnthony Wayne
Government
 • TypeMayor–council
 • MayorTom Henry (D)
 • BodyFort Wayne City Council
 • State House
Representatives
 • State Senate
Senators
Area
 • City110.79 sq mi (286.95 km2)
 • Land110.57 sq mi (286.38 km2)
 • Water0.22 sq mi (0.56 km2)
 • Urban
135.25 sq mi (350.3 km2)
 • Metro
1,368 sq mi (3,540 km2)
Elevation758 ft (231 m)
Population
 • City265,974
 • RankUS: 84th
 • Density2,400/sq mi (930/km2)
 • Urban
335,934 (US: 121st)
 • Urban density2,053.4/sq mi (792.8/km2)
 • Metro
423,038 (US: 130th)
 • CSA
649,105 (US: 79th)
DemonymFort Wayner
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
ZIP codes
  • 46774, 46802–46809, 46814–46816, 46818, 46819, 46825, 46835, 46845, 46850
Area code260
FIPS code18-25000
GNIS feature ID2394798[8]
Websitecityoffortwayne.org

Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States.[10] Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is 18 miles (29 km) west of the Ohio border[11] and 50 miles (80 km) south of the Michigan border.[12] The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 census, making it the second-most populous city in Indiana after Indianapolis, and the 83rd-most populous city in the United States.[13] It is the principal city of the Fort Wayne metropolitan area, consisting of Allen and Whitley counties which had an estimated population of 423,038 as of 2021.[14] Fort Wayne is the cultural and economic center of northeastern Indiana. In addition to the two core counties, the combined statistical area (CSA) includes Adams, DeKalb, Huntington, Noble, Steuben, and Wells counties, with an estimated population of 649,105 in 2021.[15]

Fort Wayne was built in 1794 by the United States Army under the direction of American Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne, the last in a series of forts built near the Miami village of Kekionga.[16] Named in Wayne's honor, the European-American settlement developed at the confluence of the St. Joseph, St. Marys, and Maumee rivers, known originally as Fort Miami, a trading post constructed by Jean Baptiste Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes around 1706.[17][18] The modern city was platted in 1823 following its revitalization after the War of 1812 and its siege. It underwent tremendous growth after completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal and advent of the railroad.[18]

Once a booming manufacturing town located in what became known as the Rust Belt, Fort Wayne's economy in the 21st century is based upon distribution, transportation and logistics; healthcare, professional and business services; leisure and hospitality, and financial services.[19] The city is a center for the defense industry which employs 1-2% of the population.[20]

Fort Wayne was an All-America City Award recipient in 1983, 1998, 2009, and 2021.[21] The city also received an Outstanding Achievement City Livability Award by the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 1999.[22]

  1. ^ "Fort Wayne History". Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  2. ^ Salter Rodriguez, Rosa (June 22, 2007). "Census stats can't back up old moniker". The Journal Gazette.
  3. ^ Lohrmann, Shannon. "Flood brought out our best". The News-Sentinel.
  4. ^ Olson, Eric (February 29, 2012). "30th anniversary of the Great Flood of 1982: Where were you?". WPTA-TV. Archived from the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  5. ^ Crothers, Julie (August 16, 2013). "Righting a toppled icon". fortwayne.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  6. ^ "Phelps Dodge Magnet Wire to consolidate operations to Fort Wayne". Inside Indiana Business. February 16, 2004. Archived from the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  7. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  8. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fort Wayne, Indiana
  9. ^ "U.S. Census website". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  10. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  11. ^ "Fort Wayne, IN to S State Line Rd & State Road 14, Woodburn, 46797 – Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  12. ^ "Fort Wayne, IN to Windy Shore Dr, Coldwater, MI 49036 – Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  13. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Fort Wayne city, Indiana". www.census.gov. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  14. ^ "Census profile: Fort Wayne, IN Metro Area". Census Reporter. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  15. ^ "Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas". U.S. Census Bureau. July 1, 2011. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  16. ^ Brice, Wallace A. (1868) History of Fort Wayne, from the Earliest Known Accounts of this Point to the Present Period. D.W. Jones & Son.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ a b "Fort Wayne History". City of Fort Wayne. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference Workforce & Employment was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ "Communications & Defense". Fort Wayne–Allen County Economic Development Alliance. 2012. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  21. ^ Filchak, Devan (June 10, 2021). "City again chosen 'All-America'". The Journal Gazette. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  22. ^ "The U.S. Conference of Mayors/Waste Management 1999 City Livability Awards Program". U.S. Conference of Mayors. 1999. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2014.