Columbus, Indiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
 Location in the state of Indiana |
|
| County | Bartholomew |
| Mayor | Fred Armstrong |
| Area –Land –Water |
68.3 km² 67.2 km² 1.1 km² |
| Population –Total (2000) –Density |
39,059 581.1/km² |
| Time zone –Summer (DST) |
EST (UTC−5) EST (UTC−5) |
| Latitude Longitude |
39°12'50" N 85°54'40" W |
| Official website: www.columbus.in.gov | |
Columbus is the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 39,059. It is a small city approximately 40 miles south of Indianapolis, 6 on the east fork of the White River.
Contents |
History
In 1820, the land which is now Columbus was bought by General John Tipton and Luke Bonesteel. General Tipton build a log cabin on Mt. Tipton, a small hill overlooking White River and the surround flat, heavily forested, swampy valley. A ferry was established in order to avoid crossing both the Flat Rock and Driftwood rivers, which join only a short distance above the site of the ferry. This became a village of three or four log cabins and in 1821, the first store was added. In the same year, Bartholomew County was organized by an act of the State Legislature and named after the famous Indian fighter, General Joseph Bartholomew. Columbus, Indiana was chartered as a city in 1864.
For years, it was recorded in the local history books that the land on which Columbus sits was donated by General Tipton. It has recently come to light that General Tipton actually sold the land. A deed showing sale of the land was acquired by the Historic Columbus Indiana website (http://www.historiccolumbusindiana.org) in 2003.
When the city of Columbus was first formed, it was called Tiptona. This name only lasted about a month, when the name was changed to Columbus. General Tipton was very upset by this, and he moved from Columbus. Later, when General Tipton became the Highway Commissioner for the state of Indiana, he decided to bypass Columbus. This was the first bypass road ever built. He was in charge of building a road from Indianapolis to Louisville and just south of Franklin, he built the Mauxferry Road and brought it south, around the west side of Columbus on its way to Seymour.
In 1844, the first railroad in Indiana reached Columbus from Madison Indiana. This was known as the Madison branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The railroad caused the community to grow into one of the larger communities of the State of Indiana. By 1850, three more railroads came into the city.
Columbus is host to the oldest theatre in the State of Indiana: the Crump Theatre, which was built in 1889 by John Crump. Today, the building is a historical landmark. Columbus is also host to the oldest, continually operated bookstore in the State of Indiana: Cummins Bookstore first began its operations in 1892.
Columbus Indiana has one of the oldest soda fountain type businesses in the State of Indiana. Zaharakos has been owned and operated by the Zaharako family since 1900. Drinks are still made by mixing syrup with soda water, and stirred. Zaharakos Confectionery, as it was called, is also known to the locals as the Greeks. In the 1950's, Walt Disney offered the Zaharako brothers one million dollars for the interior of the business. His plans were to move it to a new place called Disneyland. The Zaharako brothers decided not to sell. Any visit to Columbus should include a visit to this historical landmark. Christmas time is always the best time to visit, as the decorations are spectacular.
Architecture
Columbus is a city known for it's architecture. The Cummins Engine Company, a local concern, instituted a program in which they would pay the architects fee on any building if the client selected a firm from a list they compiled. As such it has come to have an unusual number of notable public buildings and sculpture, designed by such individuals as Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, S.O.M. and others. Six of its buildings, built between 1942 and 1965, are National Historic Landmarks, and 60 other buildings sustain the Bartholomew County capital seat's reputation as a showcase of modern architecture. The National Historical Landmarks are:
- First Baptist Church by Harry Weese
- First Christian Church by Eliel Saarinen
- Irwin Union Bank by Eero Saarinen, with landscape by Dan Kiley; and its addition by Kevin Roche
- Mabel McDowell School by John Carl Warnecke
- Miller House, the Residence of J. Irwin Miller by Eero Saarinen, with landscape by Dan Kiley.
- North Christian Church (congregation founded in 1955), designed by Eero Saarinen in 1964.
Other notable buildings include:
- Cleo Rogers Memorial Library, designed by I. M. Pei
- Commons-Courthouse Center, by César Pelli
- Columbus East High School, by Romaldo Giurgola
- Large Arch, sculpture by Henry Moore
Columbus is also the home of several companies, including Cummins Inc. and ArvinMeritor Industries.
Geography
Columbus is located at 39°12'50" North, 85°54'40" West (39.213998, -85.911056)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 68.3 km² (26.4 mi²). 67.2 km² (26.0 mi²) of it is land and 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.59% water.
Demographics
In 1900, 8,130 people lived in Columbus, Indiana; in 1910, 8,813; and in 1940, 11,738. As of the census2 of 2000, there are 39,059 people, 15,985 households, and 10,566 families residing in the city. The population density is 581.1/km² (1,505.3/mi²). There are 17,162 housing units at an average density of 255.3/km² (661.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 91.32% White, 2.71% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 3.23% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.39% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 2.81% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Households
There are 15,985 households out of which 31.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% are married couples living together, 11.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% are non-families. 29.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 2.94.
Ages
In the city the population is spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.6 males.
Income
The median income for a household in the city is $41,723, and the median income for a family is $52,296. Males have a median income of $40,367 versus $24,446 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,055. 8.1% of the population and 6.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.7% of those under the age of 18 and 8.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Entertainment
A lot of people will talk about coming to see Columbus' architecture, and others will talk about Mill Race and Donner's park. As of now, there are 3 theatres: new movies (Kerasotes Showplace 12); one showing movies about to hit DVD for $1.50 (Commons Cinema); and Yes Cinema showing Indie flicks and older movies.
External links
- Columbus Indiana: different by design
- Volunteer Action Center, Columbus, Indiana
- Columbus Entertainment and Events Network, Columbus, Indiana
- A Kid's Columbus, Columbus, Indiana
- A History of Columbus Indiana
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth
