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Fort Wayne, Indiana
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Fort Wayne is a city in northeastern Indiana, United States and the county seat of Allen County. As of July 1, 2008, the city had an estimated population of 251,247, making it the 71st largest city in the United States. Fort Wayne is Indiana's second largest city after Indianapolis. In 2006, the combined population of the Fort Wayne Metropolitan Statistical Area was 570,779, making it the third largest metropolitan area in the state.
The city sits within a radius of 17 percent of the total United States population and also within a day's drive of half of the nation's population.
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Encyclopedia
Fort Wayne is a city in northeastern Indiana, United States and the county seat of Allen County. As of July 1, 2008, the city had an estimated population of 251,247, making it the 71st largest city in the United States. Fort Wayne is Indiana's second largest city after Indianapolis. In 2006, the combined population of the Fort Wayne Metropolitan Statistical Area was 570,779, making it the third largest metropolitan area in the state.
The city sits within a radius of 17 percent of the total United States population and also within a day's drive of half of the nation's population. Fort Wayne's local economy is primarily based on manufacturing, insurance, and healthcare, but the metro area is also a contributor to the nation's agricultural sector. The city has been presented with the All-America City Award in 1982-1983 and 1998.
United States Army general and American Revolutionary War statesman General "Mad" Anthony Wayne is the namesake of Fort Wayne. The United States Army built Fort Wayne last in a series of forts near the community of Kekionga, the largest of the Miami villages, which was located where the St. Joseph River and St. Marys River converge to form the Maumee River.
History
The Miami nation first established a settlement at the Maumee, St. Joseph, and St. Marys Rivers in the mid-17th century called Kekionga. The village was the traditional capital of the Miami nation and related Algonquian tribes. Historians believe that around 1676, French priests and missionaries visited the Miami on their way back from a mission at Lake Michigan. In 1680, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle sent a letter to the Governor-General of Canada stating he had also stopped there. In the 1680s, French traders established a post at the location because it was the crucial portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. The Maumee River is approximately ten miles (16 kilometers) away from the Little River branch of the Wabash River, which flows, in turn, into the Ohio River.
In 1696, Comte de Frontenac appointed Jean Baptiste Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes as commander of the French outpost in Miami country. The French built the first fort on the site, Fort Miamis, in 1697 as part of a group of forts built between Quebec, Canada, and St. Louis. In 1721, a few years after Bissot's death, Fort Miamis was replaced by Fort St. Philippe des Miamis. The first census, performed in 1744 on the order by the governor of Louisiana, revealed a population of approximately forty Frenchmen and one thousand Miami.
Increasing tension between France and the United Kingdom developed over the territory. In 1760, after defeat by British forces in the French and Indian War, the area was ceded to the British Empire. The fort was again renamed, this time to Fort Miami. In 1763, various Native American nations rebelled against British rule and retook the fort as part of Pontiac's Rebellion. The Miami regained control of Kekionga, a rule that lasted for more than thirty years.
In 1790, President George Washington ordered the United States Army to secure Indiana. Three battles were fought in Kekionga against Little Turtle and the Miami Confederacy. Miami warriors annihilated the United States Army in the first two battles. Anthony Wayne led a third expedition, destroying the village while its warriors were away. When the tribe returned to their destroyed village, Little Turtle decided to negotiate peace. After General Wayne refused it, the tribe was advanced to Fallen Timbers where they were defeated on August 20, 1794. On October 22, 1794, the United States army captured the Wabash-Erie portage from the Miami Confederacy and built a new fort at the three rivers, Fort Wayne, in honor of General Wayne.
Fort Wayne prospered under the construction of the Wabash and Erie Canal, earning Fort Wayne's nickname, The Summit City, due to the city's placing at the zenith of the locks on the canal. Fort Wayne lost national prominence in the demise of the Wabash and Erie Canal as the railroad system quickly took its place. On February 22, 1840, the Town of Fort Wayne incorporated as the City of Fort Wayne. Population growth occurred most in the 19th century with the arrival of German, Polish, and Irish immigrants, bringing large numbers of Roman Catholics and Lutherans.
In recent history, the focus of citizens has been the concern of bolstering business and beautification in the core of Fort Wayne. Within the last decade, the city has improved in this venture, with the renovations and expansions of the Main Library Branch and Grand Wayne Convention Center, along with the addition of Headwaters Park. It was announced in 2006 that a $130 million development, containing a new baseball stadium, parking garage, condominiums, shops, and Courtyard by Marriott, was to begin construction in downtown Fort Wayne by 2008. This revitalization project is known as Harrison Square.
Geography
Fort Wayne is located at (41.07253, -85.13937). For a regional summit, Fort Wayne lies on fairly flat land, with the exception of few hills and depressions throughout the region. Marshes and wetlands are prevalent in portions of southwest Fort Wayne and Allen County, as well as some quarries. West of the city lies the Tipton Till Plain while land east of the plain is the former Black Swamp. The St. Marys River cuts through the southeast section of Allen County, flowing northward, while the St. Joseph River cuts through the northeast section of the county, flowing southward. Both rivers converge roughly in the center of the county to form the Maumee River, which flows northeastward, eventually emptying into Lake Erie.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification, Fort Wayne lies in the humid continental climate zone, experiencing four distinct seasons. Typically, summers are hot and humid, and winters are generally cold with frequent snowfall. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The National Weather Service reports the highest recorded temperature in the city at on July 14, 1936 and June 29, 1988, and the lowest recorded temperature at on January 12, 1918. The wettest month on record was July 1986, with of precipitation recorded. The greatest 24-hour rainfall was on August 1, 1926. The average annual precipitation ranges from at the airport to at the Fort Wayne Water Pollution Control Plant. During the winter season, snowfall accumulation averages per year. Lake effect snow is not rare to the region, but usually appears in the form of light snow flurries. The snowiest month on record was in January 1982 (the 1981-1982 winter season was also the snowiest season on record, with reported). The greatest 24-hour snowfall was on March 10, 1964.
Severe weather is not uncommon, with tornadoes rarely occurring, particularly in the spring and summer months, though funnel clouds are observed more frequently. The most severe tornado, an F2 on the Fujita scale, struck portions of northern Fort Wayne on May 26, 2001, causing extensive damage to Northcrest Shopping Center and other businesses along the Coliseum Boulevard corridor, moving on to a subdivision, but resulting in only three minor injuries. The city was paralyzed in the days following the Great Blizzard of 1978, with snow accumulations in upwards of and drifts at in some places, driven by 55 mile-per-hour wind gusts.
Flooding
Fort Wayne experiences flooding due to its proximity to the tributaries of the Wabash River Watershed to the west and south, and the Maumee River Watershed to the north and east.
| Top Ten Worst Floods Based on River Crests | | Year(s) | Month(s) | Cost | River crest |
|---|
| 1913 | March | $4,802,000 | 26.1' | | 1982 | March | $56,100,000 | 25.9' | | 1985 | February | $6,957,000 | 24.5' | | 1990-1991 | December-January | $5,000,000 | 24.1' | | 1943 | May | $2,000,000 | 24' | | 1908 | March | (no records) | 22.5' | | 2005 | January | $2,000,000 | 22.3' | | 1930 | January | (no records) | 22.2' | | 1978 | April | $50,000,000 | 21.2' | | 2003 | July | $12,600,000 | 21.2' | | Source: City of Fort Wayne. |
The worst flood since 1913 struck Fort Wayne in March 1982, prompting the detoured stop of then-President Ronald Reagan to Fort Wayne to survey the damage, thrusting the city into the national spotlight. In the days following the flood, 9,000 residents were forced to evacuate their homes, over 2,000 residences and businesses were damaged by floodwaters, and thousands of volunteers worked to stabilize dikes at vulnerable spots along the three rivers. One such instance was a brigade of sandbaggers who were credited with saving 1,860 properties in the Lakeside neighborhood as the clay dikes along the Maumee River began to show signs of seepage, earning Fort Wayne the distinction of being The City That Saved Itself.
Since the 1982 flood, miles of levees and dikes were built or enhanced, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers widened the Maumee River, and Headwaters Park was established near the confluence of the rivers in downtown Fort Wayne, all implemented to alleviate future flooding. In commemoration of the 1982 flood's 25th anniversary, former Mayor Graham Richard proclaimed March 19-23, 2007 as Flood Awareness Week in Fort Wayne, also highlighting the flood mitigation efforts the city has made in the last quarter century.
Cityscape
Architecture
- Allen County Courthouse, 715 South Calhoun Street, Beaux-Arts-style government building, Brentwood S. Tolan, 1897-1902
- Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, 4000 Parnell Avenue, sports arena, Alvin M. Strauss, 1952
- Anthony Wayne Bank Building, 203 East Berry Street, commercial highrise, 1964
- Canal House, 114 West Superior Street, warehouse, 1852
- Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 1122 South Clinton Street, Gothic-style church, 1860
- Center School, restored schoolhouse, 1893
- Commerce Building (now Star Financial Bank Building), 127 West Berry Street, Beaux-Arts architecture, commercial high-rise, Charles R. Weatherhogg, 1923
- Concordia Senior College (now Concordia Theological Seminary), Eero Saarinen, 1953
- Crooks House, residence, postmodernist Michael Graves, 1976
- Embassy Theatre and Indiana Hotel, 121 West Jefferson Boulevard, theater and hotel, Alvin M. Strauss, 1928
- Fort Wayne Museum of Art, 311 East Main Street, art museum, Walter Netsch, 1984
- Grand Wayne Center, 120 West Jefferson Boulevard, convention center, 1985, 2005
- Hanselmann House, residence, Michael Graves, 1967
- Hugh McCulloch House, 616 West Superior Street, residence, 1853
- J.B. Franke House, 2131 Forest Park Boulevard, residence, Francis Barry Byrne, 1914
- J. Ross McCulloch House, 334 East Berry Street, residence, 1883
- Lincoln Bank Tower, 116 East Berry Street, Art-Deco highrise, Alvin M. Strauss, 1930
- Old City Hall, 302 East Berry Street, Richardsonian Romanesque-style government building, 1893
- One Summit Square, 101 East Washington Boulevard, commercial highrise, 1981
- Pennsylvania Railroad Station, 231 West Baker Street, train station, 1914
- Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville House, 5705 Bluffton Road, Greek Revival residence, 1827
- Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1126 Barr Street, Gothic-style church, 1889
- Snyderman House, residence, Michael Graves, 1972
- The Landing, Columbia Street, Italianate, Renaissance, and Romanesque commercial lowrises, 1868-1943
- Trinity English Lutheran Church, 405 West Wayne Street, church, 1923
- Wermuth House, residence, Eero Saarinen, 1942
Demographics
The first census was performed in 1744 on the order by the governor of Louisiana, revealed a population of approximately forty Frenchmen and one thousand Miami.
As of the census of 2000, there were 205,727 people, 83,333 households, and 50,666 families residing in the city. There are 90,915 housing units at an average density of 1,151.5/sq mi (444.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 75.45% White, 17.38% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 1.56% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.91% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races. 5.78% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 83,333 households out of which 31.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% are married couples living together, 14.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% are non-families. 32.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.41 and the average family size is 3.08.
In the city the population is spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years of age. For every 100 females there are 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $36,518, and the median income for a family is $45,040. Males have a median income of $34,704 versus $25,062 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,517. 12.5% of the population and 9.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 17.5% of those under the age of 18 and 7.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Fort Wayne is cited as having the highest Burmese refugee population in the United States, with between 3,000-3,500.
Religion
Besides its Summit City nickname, Fort Wayne is also informally referred to as the City of Churches, a nickname that stretches back to the late-1800s when the city was the hub of regional Catholic and Lutheran faiths. Until the building of the Lincoln Bank Tower in 1929, church and cathedral spires dominated the city's skyline.
The Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church was constituted in Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, then known as Saint Pauls Evangelisch-Lutheranische Gemeinde, once founded in 1837 as Fort Wayne's first Lutheran church. Fort Wayne is the principle city of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend which covers northeastern and north central Indiana. The principle cathedral of the diocese is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, located in downtown Fort Wayne.
As of May 2006, three national Christian denominations were headquartered in Fort Wayne; the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship Association, Missionary Church, Inc. and the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches, while the headquarters of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ is in nearby Huntington, Indiana. Fort Wayne's Jewish population is served by Congregation Achduth Vesholom, the oldest Jewish congregation in Indiana and second oldest Reform congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains, founded in 1848.
There is also an increasing religious minority found among Fort Wayne's immigrant communities, including Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism.
Government
| Elected officials of Fort Wayne |
|---|
| Official | Position | Political Party | | Tom Henry | Mayor | Democrat | | City Council Members | | Marty Bender | At-Large | Republican | | Liz Brown | At-Large | Republican | | John Shoaff | At-Large | Democrat | | Tom Smith | First District | Republican | | Karen Goldner | Second District | Democrat | | Tom Didier | Third District | Republican | | Mitch Harper | Fourth District | Republican | | Tim Pape | Fifth District | Democrat | | Glynn A. Hines | Sixth District | Democrat |
Fort Wayne has a mayor-council government. As of April 2006, the city was exploring a voluntary government restructuring that included the possible consolidation of its government or parts of its government with Allen County. Discussions with the County have been intermittent for several years.
Fort Wayne's mayor is Democrat Tom Henry, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2008. He succeeded Democrat Graham Richard who had served since 2000. Mayor Richard chose not to run for re-election. Greg Purcell holds the position of Deputy Mayor, respectively. Fort Wayne City Council is a nine-member legislative group that serve four-year terms. Six of the members represent specific districts; three are elected city-wide as at-large council members. The council elected on November 6, 2007 will serve until December 31, 2011. Democrat Sandra Kennedy has been Fort Wayne's city clerk since 1983.
Under the Unigov provision of Indiana Law, City-County consolidation would have been automatic when Fort Wayne's population exceeded 250,000 and became a first class city in Indiana. Fort Wayne nearly met the state requirements for first class city designation in 2006 when the populous portions of Aboite Township were annexed. However, a 2004 legislative change raised the population requirements from 250,000 to 600,000, which ensured Indianapolis' status as the only first class city in Indiana.
Sister cities
Fort Wayne has three sister cities as designated by Sister Cities International:
Economy
A major manufacturing center in the Midwest by the mid-20th century, Fort Wayne included such employers as General Electric, Westinghouse, and International Harvester. Also vital employers, Phelps Dodge, Rea Magnet Wire, and Essex Wire comprised the largest concentration of copper wire production globally during World War II. As the 20th century came to close, advancements in technology and the reduction of manufacturing jobs nationally led Fort Wayne to be counted among other cities in the Rust Belt. However, Fort Wayne's economy has diversified with time to include defense and security, healthcare, and insurance. In 2008, Forbes ranked the Fort Wayne metropolitan area 73rd on its list of 200 metropolitan areas in the "Best Places For Business And Careers" report. Individually, Fort Wayne was ranked 7th in cost of living and 11th in cost of doing business.
Fort Wayne is headquarters for such corporations as Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company, DeBrand Chocolatier, Home Reserve, K&K Insurance Group, Medical Protective, North American Van Lines (SIRVA), OmniSource Corporation, Rea Magnet Wire, STAR Financial Group, Steel Dynamics, Sweetwater Sound, Triple Crown Services, Vera Bradley, and WaterFurnace International.
Fort Wayne's ten largest non-government employers:
- Parkview Health System (3,844)
- Lutheran Health Network (3,432)
- General Motors Truck Group (2,964)
- Lincoln Financial Group (1,900)
- ITT Communications Systems (1,490)
- Verizon (1,459)
- BFGoodrich (1,380)
- Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (1,120)
- International Truck and Engine (1,100)
- Raytheon Systems (1,100)
Education
Fort Wayne is home of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), with an enrollment of 11,943, it is the fifth-largest public university campus in Indiana. The city also holds the main campus of the Northeast Region of Ivy Tech Community College, the second-largest public community college campus in Indiana. Indiana University maintains the third public higher educational facility in the city with the Fort Wayne Center for Medical Education, a branch of the IU School of Medicine.
Fort Wayne's private colleges and universities include religious-affiliates and secular institutions. Religious-affiliated schools include the University of Saint Francis (Roman Catholic), Concordia Theological Seminary (Lutheran), Taylor University Fort Wayne (Evangelical Christian), and Indiana Wesleyan University (Wesleyan Church). Non-religious colleges and universities include the Indiana Institute of Technology (IIT) as well as regional branches of Trine University, Brown Mackie College, Indiana Business College, ITT Technical Institute, and International Business College.
By means of private education, Roman Catholic residents of Fort Wayne and Allen County are served by the schools of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. Two of the four high schools in the diocese, Bishop Luers High School and Bishop Dwenger High School, are located in Allen County along with 13 of the 39 grade schools. Lutheran Schools of Indiana operate 14 schools within Allen County, including Concordia Lutheran High School.
Libraries
Fort Wayne and Allen County residents have been served by the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) and its fourteen branches since it's founding in 1895 as the Fort Wayne Public Library. The entire library system began an $84.1 million overhaul of branches in 2002, finishing work by 2007. The centerpiece, the Main Library Branch, now covers , featuring an art gallery, underground parking garage, bookstore, café, and community auditorium. According to data from 2005, 5.4 million materials were borrowed by patrons, and 2.5 million visits were made throughout the library system.
In 1997, Places Rated Almanac recognized Fort Wayne as having the highest reading quotient of any place in North America, due in part to the city's quality library system.
Genealogy
The Fred J. Reynolds Historical Genealogy Department, located in the Main Library Branch, is the largest public genealogy department in the United States, home to more than 350,000 printed volumes and 513,000 items of microfilm and microfiche.
Culture
Festivals
- BBQ RibFest is a four-day event held in mid-June at Headwaters Park, showcasing barbecue rib cooks and vendors, as well as musical performances from across the nation.
- Fort-4-Fitness debuted in 2008 as a way to motivate residents to take steps in creating healthier lifestyles. The festival includes a certified half-marathon, 4-mile run/walk, health fair, and healthy food expo. Over 6,200 people participated in the festival's inaugural run.
- Germanfest, first celebrated in 1981, commemorates Fort Wayne's largest ethnic group with such events as the Germanfest Bake Off and National Weiner Dog Finals. German cuisine, dance, and fashion are showcased in the eight-day celebration, held in the first week of June at Headwaters Park.
- Greek Fest is a four-day event held at the end of June at Headwaters Park. The festival, which originated in 1986, celebrates Fort Wayne's local Greek population and heritage.
- HolidayFest begins the day after Thanksgiving with the lighting of the Wolf & Dessauer Department Store Santa and Reindeer light display, the Wells Fargo Holiday Tree, and the Indiana Michigan Power Christmas Wreath. Other events through the season include the Festival of Gingerbread at The History Center, the Festival of Trees at the Embassy Theatre, and the Headwaters Park Ice Rink.
- National Soccer Festival is staged at IPFW's Hefner Soccer Complex where event-goers celebrate the sport of soccer on the collegiate level, with such activities as golf outings, live entertainment, and food vendors. In 2008, twelve universities participated in the event.
- Three Rivers Festival is the paramount of northeast Indiana festivals, annually attracting an estimated 400,000 event-goers. The festival's run annually spans nine days in mid-July, featuring over 200 events, including a community parade through downtown, a midway, food alley, hot dog eating contest, bed race, arts fair, and fireworks spectacular.
Performing arts
The John and Ruth Rhinehart Music Center opened in late 2007 to hold community concerts and university events. The auditorium includes 1,600 seats, located next to Williams Theatre and the Visual Arts Building, on the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne campus. Located downtown, Cinema Center features independent, foreign, classic and documentary films.
Arts United Center, located adjacent to the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, houses the Fort Wayne Civic Theater and Fort Wayne Youtheatre, with seating for 663. The Scottish Rite Center contains a 2,086-seat auditorium and a Valencia Ballroom. Foellinger Outdoor Theatre, in Franke Park near the zoo, offers seasonal acts and movies during warmer months. The Firehouse Theater, in remodeled Enginehouse #10, contains 73 seats and presents original works and classics adapted for stage.
The Historic Embassy Theatre, located across from the Grand Wayne Center, presents shows ranging from concert tours, Broadway musicals, dance, community events and lectures, serving over 200,000 patrons annually. The Embassy is also home to the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra. The Grand Wayne Center, though used mainly for exhibitions and conventions, also plays host to dance or choir productions, such as the annual FAME Festival (The Foundation for Art and Music in Elementary Education), which showcases local school choirs and dancers.
Museums
Fort Wayne includes a handful of museums. The Corvette Classics Museum features more than fifty restored classic Corvettes dating back to 1953. The Fort Wayne Firefighters Museum, located at Engine House #3 in downtown Fort Wayne, exhibits artifacts from the Fort Wayne Fire Department, dating back to 1839, as well as showcasing four early previously-used fire engines. The Jack D. Diehm Wildlife Museum of Natural History showcases stuffed and mounted North American wildlife animals in habitat settings. Science Central is a "hands-on" science center, located in Lawton Park just north of downtown Fort Wayne, offering children hundreds of interactive exhibits.
The African/African-American Historical Museum, which opened near downtown in 2000, contains two floors and ten exhibits relating to slavery in the United States, the Underground Railroad, African-American inventors, and the history of the local African-American community. The Fort Wayne Museum of Art, located in downtown Fort Wayne, contains of exhibition space, along with an auditorium. It was announced in May 2008 that the FWMoA would add more exhibition space and other amentities by spring 2010.
The Greater Fort Wayne Aviation Museum, located inside the Lieutenant Paul Baer Terminal at Fort Wayne International Airport, highlights aviation history in Fort Wayne, as well as memorabilia relating to historical aviation figures such as Fort Wayne's own Art Smith and World War I Ace, Paul Baer. The History Center, located in Fort Wayne's Old City Hall, manages a collection of more than 23,000 artifacts recalling the history of Fort Wayne and Allen County; the center is overseen by the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society, which also maintains the Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville House.
Sports
Fort Wayne was rated the "Best Place in the Country for Minor League Sports" in a 2007 issue of Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal. The city is the current home of seven minor league sports franchises. These include the Fort Wayne Fever of soccer's Premier Development League, the Fort Wayne Flash of the Women's Football Alliance, the Fort Wayne Flyers of the Minor League Football Association, the Fort Wayne Freedom of the Continental Indoor Football League, the Fort Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League, and the Fort Wayne TinCaps of baseball's Midwest League. There is also a presence of intercollegiate sports in Fort Wayne — IPFW joined the NCAA's Division I Summit League in 2007.
Fort Wayne has also been home to three former professional sports franchises. These include the NBA's Fort Wayne Pistons (now in Detroit), 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 (an early predecessor to the current MLB).
Fort Wayne has also been home to a few sports firsts; the first major league baseball game was played May 4, 1871 between the Fort Wayne Kekiongas and the Cleveland Forest Citys. It was rained-out in the top of the ninth inning, with the Kekiongas ahead 2-0, though the Kekiongas franchise was sold midway through the first season. Another first, on June 2, 1883, Fort Wayne hosted the Quincy Professionals for one of the first lighted baseball games ever recorded. Fort Wayne has also been credited for being the birthplace of the NBA when Fort Wayne Pistons owner Fred Zollner brokered the merger of the BAA and the NBL in 1949 from his kitchen table.
Media
The major newspaper in the city is the independent Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, a daily that has more than twice the circulation of the city's second daily, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. The two dailies have separate editorial departments, but under a joint operating agreement, printing, advertising, and circulation are handled by Fort Wayne Newspapers, Inc. The city is also served by several free weekly and monthly alternative and neighborhood newspapers, including Aboite & About, Dupont Valley Times, Frost Illustrated, Ink, The Macedonian Tribune (the oldest and largest Macedonian language publication produced outside of the Balkans), St. Joe Times, whatzup Entertainment Newspaper, and The Waynedale News.
The Fort Wayne radio market is the 103rd-largest in the nation. Beginning broadcasting in 1925, Fort Wayne's second radio station, WOWO, is now an independent news/talk radio station, featuring local and network news talkshows. Two National Public Radio stations, WBNI and WBOI, are based in the city. Fort Wayne is the 107th-largest television media market in the nation. Broadcast network affiliates include WANE-TV (CBS), WFFT-TV (FOX), WISE-TV (NBC), WPTA (ABC), and WFWA (PBS). Religious broadcasters include WINM and W07CL. The CW Network and My Network TV also are cable-only for many Fort Wayne market viewers as they are broadcast by digital sub-channels of WPTA-TV and WISE-TV, respectively, and not broadcast on an NTSC channel. WKJG-TV (renamed WISE-TV) began broadcasting in 1953 as the city's first television station.
Recreation
Fort Wayne's first park (and smallest), the 0.2 acre (800 m²) Old Fort Park, was established in 1863. The newest developed park includes Buckner Park, established in 2004. Franke Park is Fort Wayne's most extensive park, at 316.4 acres (1.3 km²), also the home of the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo (ranked as the ninth best zoo in the nation by Child Magazine in 2004). Downtown Fort Wayne is home to the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory and the Lawton Skatepark. As of 2007, Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation maintained 84 parks and dozens of smaller community parks and playgrounds, covering 2,805 acres (8.9 km²). Allen County Parks include Cook's Landing County Park, Fox Island County Park, Metea County Park, and Payton County Park, all four of which cover nearly 900 acres (3.6 km²). Northeast of Fort Wayne, near Grabill, is Hurshtown Reservoir, the largest body of water in Allen County, at .
Fort Wayne is also making efforts in restoring natural wetlands to the region. In southwest Allen County, the Little River Wetlands Project's Eagle Marsh contains 705 acres (2.85 km²) of protected wetlands, making it the third largest wetland restoration in the state of Indiana. Nearby Arrowhead Marsh is also in the process of restoration. Many species of turtles, herons, and cranes have been reported of making a resurgence in the wetlands.
Trails
In recent decades, Fort Wayne has developed new paths and paved walking trails along the riverbanks, known as the Rivergreenway Trail System, not only to beautify the riverfronts, but to also promote healthier living habits for residents around the community. The Rivergreenway Trail System currently encompasses around throughout Allen County.
It was announced November 2007, that the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) had awarded the City of Fort Wayne nearly $1 million to aid in construction that will soon begin on a new extension of the Rivergreenway, called the Pufferbelly Trail, that will eventually link the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo in Franke Park and the northern suburbs of Fort Wayne with the rest of the trail system. The final plan includes joining Pokagon State Park near Angola, Indiana in the north, and Ouabache State Park in the south near Bluffton, Indiana.
In the spring of 2008, ABC affiliate WPTA-TV received $10,000 in seed money from the reality television series Oprah's Big Give which was then received by Aboite New Trails, Fort Wayne Trails, Greenway Consortium, and Northwest Allen Trails, four organizations in Fort Wayne. The donations topped $1 million April 12, 2008 at a community celebration named Oprah's Big Give: Fort Wayne Trails in Headwaters Park with Indianapolis Colts Coach Tony Dungy and players in attendance. On April 21, 2008, Fort Wayne was featured on a segment of The Oprah Winfrey Show in recognition for raising the most money of the ninety participating cities in the country. The final total rounded-out to $1.2 million.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Air Service
Fort Wayne International Airport (formerly known as Baer Field during World War II and Fort Wayne Municipal Airport from 1946-1991) is the state's third busiest airport behind Indianapolis International Airport and South Bend Regional Airport, serving approximately 650,000 passengers annually. Fort Wayne International shares the distinction with O'Hare International Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport as one of three Midwest commercial airports containing a runway. Fort Wayne International is also homebase for the 122d Fighter Wing of the Indiana Air National Guard. Smith Field, in northern Fort Wayne, is used primarily for small aircraft and pilot education and training.
Major Highways
* Interstate 69 runs south to Indianapolis and north to Port Huron, Michigan, straddling the west and north fringes of Fort Wayne
- Interstate 469 (Ronald Reagan Expressway) completes a beltway around Fort Wayne and New Haven's southern and eastern outskirts
Indiana State Roads
Airport Expressway, a four-lane divided highway, provides direct access to Fort Wayne International Airport from Interstate 69.
Mass Transit
Fort Wayne's mass transit system is managed by the Fort Wayne Public Transportation Corporation. Citilink provides bus service via twelve routes through the cities of Fort Wayne and New Haven, along with Citiloop, a trolley service offered downtown in the summer season.
Healthcare
Fort Wayne is served by six hospitals; Parkview Hospital, Lutheran Hospital of Indiana, Saint Joseph Hospital, Dupont Hospital, Rehabilitation Hospital of Fort Wayne, and Parkview North Hospital, encompassing over 1,300 patient beds. These six hospitals belong to either of the two health networks serving the region; Parkview Health Systems or Lutheran Health Network. Parkview Hospital, the flagship hospital of Parkview Health Systems, is the fourth largest hospital in Indiana, as well as the largest outside of Indianapolis.
Utilities
Electricity is provided to Fort Wayne residents by Indiana Michigan Power (a subsidiary of American Electric Power), headquartered in the city and serving 575,000 customers in northeastern Indiana and southern Michigan. Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) provides area residents with natural gas. The City of Fort Wayne supplies residents with 72 million gallons of water per day via the Three Rivers Water Filtration Plant and Saint Joseph River. Hurshtown Reservoir, in northeast Allen County, contains 1.8 billion gallons of water to be rationed in the event of a major drought or disaster at the three rivers.
See also
Further reading
- Beaty, John D., History of Fort Wayne & Allen County, Indiana, 1700-2005, M.T. Publishing Company, 2006, ISBN 1-932439-44-7
- Bushnell, Scott M., Historic Photos of Fort Wayne, Turner Publishing Company, 2007, ISBN 9781596523777
- Gramling, Chad, Baseball in Fort Wayne, Arcadia Publishing, 2007, ISBN 9780738541297
- Griswold, Bert J., Fort Wayne, Gateway of the West, AMS Press, 1973, ISBN 0-404-07133-3
- Hawfield, Michael C., Fort Wayne Cityscapes: Highlights of a Community's History, Windsor Publications, 1988, ISBN 0-89781-244-1
- Jarosh, Andrew, Son of a Son of a Politician: Paul Helmke Behind City Hall Doors, Writers Club Press, 2002, ISBN 0595216005
- Martone, Michael, Fort Wayne is Seventh on Hitler's list: Indiana Stories, Indiana University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-253-33687-2
- Paddock, Geoff, Headwaters Park: Fort Wayne's Lasting Legacy, Arcadia Publishing, 2002, ISBN 0-7385-1971-5
- Violette, Ralph, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Arcadia Publishing, 2000, ISBN 0752413090
External links
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