Elkhart, Indiana
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Elkhart is a city located in Elkhart County, Indiana. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 51,874.
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Industry
Elkhart was long the headquarters of one of the United States leading manufacturers of brass band musical instruments, C.G. Conn.
In 1884 Dr. Franklin Miles launched the Miles Medical Co. in Elkhart, which in later decades produced products like Alka-Seltzer and One-A-Day vitamins. Later, the Miles Medical Co. was purchased by the German company Bayer, in 1979 and was consolidated into The larger Pittsburgh-based Bayer, Inc. by 1995. [1]
Elkhart is home to many Recreational vehicle (RV) manufacturers, including the Damon Corporation, Four Winds, Hy-Line, Keystone, Monaco, Skyline, Sun Valley, and Travel Supreme. Many other manufacturers, including Dutchman, Heartland, Gulf Stream, and Jayco, can be found nearby in Goshen, Middlebury, Nappanee, and Wakarusa. Due to the high concentration of the RV industry in the area, Elkhart is dubbed the "RV Capital of the World." [2]
Geography
Elkhart is located at 41°40'59" North, 85°58'8" West (41.683149, -85.968798)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 57.7 km² (22.3 mi²). 55.3 km² (21.4 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 4.00% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 51,874 people, 20,072 households, and 12,504 families residing in the city. The population density was 937.7/km² (2,428.0/mi²). There were 21,688 housing units at an average density of 392.0/km² (1,015.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.48% White, 14.75% African American, 0.43% Native American, 1.17% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 9.16% from other races, and 2.95% from two or more races. 14.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Image:Elkhart-indiana-st-joe-river.jpg
There were 20,072 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,863, and the median income for a family was $40,514. Males had a median income of $30,674 versus $22,760 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,890. 13.6% of the population and 11.1% of families were below the poverty line. 18.6% of those under the age of 18 and 9.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Sports teams
The Elkhart Express is a semi-pro Men's Basketball Team started in 2006. Their home games are played at the historic Northside Gym in Elkhart. [3]
Notable residents and natives
- Former NBA All-Star Shawn Kemp is from Elkhart and as are former NFL stars Schaefer Suggs and Erich Barnes.
- Soap opera actor Peter Reckell (Days Of Our Lives) and Wings actress Farrah Forke are from Elkhart.
- Babe Ruth's catcher Louis Criger was born here.
- Lindsay Benko from Elkhart and graduate of Elkhart Central High School was a 2000 Sydney Olympian gold medalist in the 800m free relay.
External links
- City of Elkhart website
- Elkhart Chamber of Commerce
- Elkhart on city-data.com - extensive collections of statistics and graphs relating to Elkhart.
- Elkhart Sucks - a satirical web site with an extensive collection of photos from the Elkhart area.
- Erich Barnes
- Criger,Louis[4]io:Elkhart, Indiana