Cambridge City is a town in Jackson Township, Wayne County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.

History

Cambridge City was laid out and platted in 1836. The community was named after the city of Cambridge, in England.

The Cambridge City post office has been in operation since 1835.

Cambridge City experienced growth when the Whitewater Canal was extended to that point in 1846.

Situated along the historic National Road (U.S. Route 40), Cambridge City is currently a prominent destination for antique seekers.

The Cambridge City Historic District, Conklin-Montgomery House, and Lackey-Overbeck House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

thumb|Vinton House, a historic inn on the Whitewater Canal

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Cambridge City has a total area of , of which (or 99.02%) is land and (or 0.98%) is water.

Demographics

thumb|left|The Conklin-Montgomery House

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Cambridge City had a population of 1,751. The median age was 42.2 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 753 households in Cambridge City, of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.4% were married-couple households, 19.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 1,870 people, 785 households, and 514 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 893 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.5% White, 0.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population.

There were 785 households, of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.5% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.90.

The median age in the town was 39.8 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 26% were from 45 to 64; and 17% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

2000 census

As of the census

  • Western Wayne Elementary School
  • Lincoln Middle/High School

The town has a lending library, the Cambridge City Public Library.

Economy

Just south of I-70, Cambridge City is home to the Indiana Gateway Industrial Park which is home to Taconic Biosciences, Dot Foods and Sugar Creek Packaging Co. (replacing Really Cool Foods which closed in December 2011).

Notable people

  • Alice Williams Brotherton (1848–1930), writer
  • Larry Crockett (1926–1955), Indy car driver
  • Arthur Ernest Guedel (1883–1956), anesthesiologist
  • Solomon Meredith (1810–1875), a Quaker general in the American Civil War
  • Virginia Claypool Meredith (1848–1936), "Queen of American Agriculture"; ran a farm in Cambridge City
  • The Overbeck Sisters – four daughters of John and Sarah Overpeck who hand-produced their internationally known Overbeck Art Pottery in Cambridge City from 1911 to 1955

See also

  • Whitewater Canal

References

  • Chamber of Commerce
  • Official website