Richmond, Indiana
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Richmond, Indiana is called the "birthplace of recorded jazz" because some early jazz records originated here. Richmond is the county seat of Wayne County. As of 2000 the city's population was 39,124.
Richmond is the home of Earlham College.
Richmond High School may be the home of the only art museum located in a public school in the country.
Richmond is the headquarters of the Friends United Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).
Richmond is also has three universities. Indiana University East, Earlham College and Ivy Tech.
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History
After an early beginning in Union City (a short distance to the north) a large manufacturing facility known as the Wayne Works was established in Richmond. Wayne was a manufacturer of horse-drawn vehicles, including "kid hacks", a precursor of the motorized school bus. Beginning in the early 1930s through the 1940s, several automobile designers and manufacturers were located in Richmond. Among the automobiles manufactured there was the "Richmond" which was built by the Wayne Works, the "Rodefeld", and the Crosley.
In the 1950s, Wayne Works became Wayne Corporation, a famous bus manufacturer, and relocated to a site adjacent to Interstate 70 in 1967. The company was a leader in school bus safety innovations, but closed in 1992 during a period of school bus manufacturing industry consolidations.
Richmond was known as the Rose City because of the many varieties once grown there by Hills Roses in several sprawling complexes of greenhouses. The company once had about 34 acres under glass. The Richmond Rose Festival honored the rose industry and was a popular summer attraction.
Richmond is located on the National Road, which became part of the system of National Auto Trails. The highway is now known as U.S. Highway 40. One of the extant Madonna of the Trail monuments was dedicated at Richmond on October 28, 1928. The monument sits in a corner of Glen Miller Park adjacent to U.S. 40.
On April 6, 1968, several downtown blocks were destroyed or damaged by a massive explosion and fire, killing 41 people and injuring more than 150. As a result, the main street through downtown was closed to traffic and the Downtown Promenade was built in 1972 (and later expanded in 1978). The five-block pedestrian mall was later torn down and the street reopened to traffic in 1997 as part of an urban revitalization effort.
Geography
Richmond is located at 39°49'49" North, 84°53'26" West (39.830189, -84.890668)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 60.3 km² (23.3 mi²). 60.1 km² (23.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.26% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 39,124 people, 16,287 households, and 9,918 families residing in the city. The population density is 650.8/km² (1,685.3/mi²). There are 17,647 housing units at an average density of 293.6/km² (760.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 86.78% White, 8.87% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.09% from other races, and 2.14% from two or more races. 2.03% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 16,287 households out of which 27.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% are married couples living together, 13.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% are non-families. 33.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.29 and the average family size is 2.89.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $30,210, and the median income for a family is $38,346. Males have a median income of $30,849 versus $21,164 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,096. 15.7% of the population and 12.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 22.8% of those under the age of 18 and 10.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.