Columbia City is a city in Columbia Township, Whitley County, Indiana, United States. The city is the county seat of Whitley County, and is the largest community therein. It is part of the Fort Wayne MSA.

History

thumb|Whitley County Courthouse

The first non-Native American settlers arrived in 1837 as a result of the end of the Black Hawk War and the Erie Canal. They were from New England - "Yankee" Settlers, descendants of the English Puritans who settled New England in the colonial era. They were primarily members of the Congregational Church though due to the Second Great Awakening many of them had converted to Methodism and some had become Baptists before coming to what is now Columbia City.

Columbia City was founded in 1839, originally just being called "Columbia". The name was later changed in 1854 since there was already a city named Columbia in the state. Many public debates were held to discuss different names for the city, but it was later only reduced to two: "Beaver" and "Columbia City." Eventually, the name Columbia City was selected.

The completion of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, & Chicago Railway in 1856 brought rapid growth to the small town, and from 1865 to 1875 the population would have tripled. Columbia City was incorporated in the state of Indiana in 1888.

The city's historic jailhouse was built in 1875 with an old second empire-style. It is known to be haunted. A new county jail was inaugurated in 2024.

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 Thomas R. Marshall House was added to the register in 1983 and the Columbia City Historic District was added in 1987.

Geography

thumb|left|City Hall building

According to the 2010 census, Columbia City has a total area of , of which (or 99.63%) is land and (or 0.37%) is water.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Columbia City has a hot-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Columbia City was on June 26, 1988, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 19–21, 1994.

|source 2 = National Weather Service

Economy

About 12 percent of Columbia City's population is employed in the manufacturing sector. This makes it one of the most important sectors in the city. Currently there are 6 businesses employing 50 - 350 people in the city. Those six companies are 80/20, Coupled Products, LLC, Alcoils, inc., Reelcraft Industries, Inc. ChromaSource, Inc. and Kilgore Manufacturing Company, Inc.

The city also has agricultural roots with it contributing heavily to its economy.

Columbia City is 25 miles away from Fort Wayne, 20 miles away from Warsaw, and 69 miles away from South Bend, making it a strategic location for business.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Columbia City had a population of 9,892. The median age was 36.4 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.7 males age 18 and over.

99.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 4,250 households in Columbia City, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.8% were married-couple households, 19.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 8,750 people, 3,658 households, and 2,235 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,944 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.7% White, 0.5% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population.

There were 3,658 households, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.9% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93.

The median age in the city was 36.1 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.7% were from 25 to 44; 23.9% were from 45 to 64; and 15.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

2000 census

As of the census

Healthcare

  • Columbia City is home to a Parkview Health branch.

Education

  • Columbia City High School
  • Eagle Tech Academy
  • Indian Springs Middle School
  • Mary Raber Elementary School
  • Little Turtle Elementary School
  • Northern Heights Elementary School
  • Coesse Elementary School
  • Faith Christian Academy

The town has a lending library, the Peabody Public Library.

Notable people

  • Jim Banks, U.S. senator for Indiana; former U.S. representative

References

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