Elkhart, Indiana City of Elkhart, Indiana Main Street in downtown Elkhart Main Street in downtown Elkhart Nickname(s): The City with a Heart, Hart City, RV Capital of the World County Elkhart Elkhart / lk rt/ is a town/city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States.
The town/city is positioned 15 miles (24 km) east of South Bend, Indiana, 110 miles (180 km) east of Chicago, Illinois, and 150 miles (240 km) north of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Elkhart has the larger populace of the two principal metros/cities of the Elkhart-Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend-Elkhart-Mishawaka Combined Statistical Area, in a region generally known as Michiana.
Even with the shared name, it is not the governmental center of county of Elkhart County; that position is held by the town/city of Goshen, positioned about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Elkhart.
Joseph River widens as it flows west through Elkhart.
When the Northwest Territory was organized in 1787, the region now known as Elkhart was mainly inhabited by the Ottawa, Chippewa, and Potawatomi Indian tribes.
Havilah Beardsley moved westward from Ohio and purchased one square mile of territory from Pierre Moran (a half French, half Native American Potawatomi Chief) in order to establish a rival town titled Elkhart.
Elkhart County was established exclusively by immigrants from New England.
New Englanders and New England transplants from upstate New York were the vast majority of Elkhart County's inhabitants amid the first a several decades of its history.
These pioneer were primarily members of the Congregational Church though due to the Second Great Awakening many of them had converted to Methodism and some had turn into Baptists before coming to what is now Elkhart County.
The Congregational Church later has gone through many divisions and some factions, including those in Elkhart County are now known as the Church of Christ and the United Church of Christ.
As a result of this tradition the vast majority of inhabitants in Elkhart County, much like antebellum New England were overwhelmingly in favor of the abolitionist boss amid the decades dominant up to the Civil War.
Correspondingly, many inhabitants of Elkhart County fought in the Union Army amid the Civil War.
In the late 1880s and early 1890s Irish and German migrants began moving into Elkhart County, most of these later immigrants did not move directly from Ireland and Germany, but rather from other areas in the Midwest where they had already been living, especially the state of Ohio. In 1934, the first recreational vehicle factory opened in Elkhart.
After the war, expansion picked back up and, by 1949, Elkhart was officially dubbed the "RV Capital of the World." In 1851, the Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana Railroad Company assembled the first rail line through the city, and by 1852 the first passenger train passed through town.
This, in turn, caused primary population growth. Today, Norfolk Southern has the biggest barns existence in town, although Elkhart has 2 other barns s (Shortline-Elkhart and Western (operated by Pioneer Railcorp) and Regional-Grand Elk (operated by Watco).
Amtrak has two trains that stop in Elkhart: (Lake Shore Limited and Capital Limited).
In 1867, Elkhart Hydraulic Company assembled the first hydroelectric dam athwart the St.
Bickel House, Bridge Street Bridge, Charles Gerard Conn Mansion, Elkhart Downtown Commercial Historic District, Green Block, William and Helen Koerting House, Lerner Theatre, Mark L.
Although apparently a name of German or Germanic origin, the etymology of the city's name is disputed.
One origin argues that the city's Island Park looks like an elk's heart. Another origin claims that the origin of the city's name was the Shawnee Indian Chief Elkhart (Mihsheweteha : Elk-heart), cousin of the famous Chief Tecumseh, and the father of Mishawaka (Mihshewehkwewa : Elk-woman), the namesake of neighboring Mishawaka. Elkhart is positioned at 41 40 59 N 85 58 8 W (41.683149, -85.968798). According to the 2010 census, Elkhart has a total region of 24.417 square miles (63.24 km2), of which 23.45 square miles (60.74 km2) (or 96.04%) is territory and 0.967 square miles (2.50 km2) (or 3.96%) is water. Joseph and Elkhart Rivers.
The Elkhart River drains into the St.
Climate data for Elkhart, Indiana In the city, the populace 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.
Downtown Elkhart from the Riverwalk.
The city's chief shopping mall is the Concord Mall, positioned on the city's south side.
Elkhart is best known for two industries: recreational vehicles and musical instruments.
It has been referenced as the "RV Capital of the World" and the "Band Instrument Capital of the World" for decades. Other notable industries in Elkhart include; pharmaceuticals, electronic components, produced housing and mobile homes.
Numerous manufacturers of musical instruments and accessories, of which most of the surviving companies have been combined into the Conn-Selmer conglomerate, have a long history in the city.
Elkhart is also home to the Robert Young Rail Yards, which are the second-largest freight classification yards in the world. in Elkhart, which in later decades produced products such as Alka-Seltzer and Flintstones Vitamins.
By 1995. By 2006, Bayer had pulled all manufacturing out of Elkhart.
Elkhart is home to many Recreational vehicle (RV) manufacturers, boat manufacturers, and van conversion companies, including Bennington Marine, Forest River Inc Hy-Line, Keystone, Skyline, Sun Valley, Travel Supreme, Thor Motor Coach, and many other manufacturers, including Gulf Stream, and Jayco, can be found close-by in Goshen, Middlebury, Nappanee and Wakarusa.
(Northern Indiana Brass Company), has called Elkhart home for over 100 years and is now a fifth generation family business.
Elkhart Brass Manufacturing has been a cornerstone of Elkhart's industrialized base.
From its locale in the heart of Elkhart's industrialized area at West Beardsley Avenue, Elkhart Brass Manufacturing has turn into a prestige in the creation of innovative fire-fighting equipment. The unemployment rate reached 18.8% in April 2009. Due to Elkhart's recent economic troubles, the town/city and some of its unemployed inhabitants were featured on the February 8, 2009 version of ABC News. Elkhart's riverwalk.
Elkhart is positioned on the Indiana Toll Road (Interstates 80/90) at exits 92 and 96 and on the easterly portion of the St.
Route 33 and State Road 120 terminate in the city.
Amtrak, the nationwide passenger rail system, services the Elkhart Train Station.
Elkhart Municipal Airport (EKM) is positioned on the city's northwest side.
The Mishawaka Pilots Club Airport (3 - C1) is just outside the southwest edge of the town/city of Elkhart.
Elkhart is a central core for the Interurban Trolley county-wide enhance bus service, which stops at various destinations throughout the town/city and joins it to neighboring Goshen, Osceola, Dunlap and Mishawaka.
The system's name is derived from its use of vintage-trolley-style buses that run between a several different metros/cities and towns, evoking the interurban train networks that were common in United States amid the first half of the 20th century.
North Pointe Route stops at Elkhart's Greyhound station.
Elkhart-Goshen and Concord routes both stop near the Elkhart Train Station.
The Baugo Community Schools serve the southwest side of the town/city and the west central part of the county.
The Concord Community Schools serve the southeast side of the town/city of Elkhart and northwest Goshen.
This fitness consists of four elementary schools (East Side, Ox Bow, South Side, and West Side), an intermediate school, a junior high school, and a high school, all titled Concord.
The Elkhart Community Schools, the biggest district, serve most of the town/city and the populated northwest side of the county.
The fitness includes one major school (Roosevelt), thirteen elementary schools (Beardsley, Bristol, Cleveland, Eastwood, Hawthorne, Mary Beck, Mary Daly, Mary Feeser, Monger, Osolo, Pinewood, Riverview, and Woodland), three middle schools (North Side, Pierre Moran, and West Side), two high schools (Central and Memorial), two alternative schools (L.I.F.E) (Tipton Street Center), and the Elkhart Area Career Center.
In addition to the enhance schools, four private theological schools serve the city.
Elkhart Christian Academy (grades K-12), Trinity Lutheran School (K-8), St.
Thomas the Apostle School (grades K-8) are positioned in Elkhart.
Additionally, Two private secular school exists: The Montessori School of Elkhart on Montessori Drive runs from pre-K through Grade 6.
Bethel College of neighboring Mishawaka has a small locale on the city's south side.
In Elkhart.
Indiana Institute of Technology has a small operation on Middlebury Street on the city's east side.
Indiana University South Bend, which is the third biggest of the Indiana University campuses, operates an Elkhart Center positioned in the city's downtown area.
The front of the Lerner Theater, then titled the ELCO, in downtown Elkhart.
Elkhart's locale on the barns made it a good stopping point for shows traveling from New York to Chicago.
In 1896, the first movie was shown in the theater, which was also used as Elkhart High School's auditorium until 1924. The Bucklen was completed in 1986.
Conrail established the Rail Yards in Elkhart that are now owned by Norfolk Southern.
The RV/MH Hall of Fame & Museum was once positioned in the city, but now has been moved to a new facility along the toll road.
Elkhart County is known as being the RV Capital of the World.
And Elizabeth Baldwin Beardsley, the descendants of the city's founder) and the "Time Was" Museum are also in Elkhart.
Elkhart's downtown riverwalk on a wintery evening.
The NIBCO Water and Ice Park in downtown Elkhart was dedicated in 2007.
The Elkhart Jazz Festival is a three-day event that takes place in late June on the banks of the Elkhart River.
Each June, the Elkhart Parks and Recreation Department presents Rhapsody in Green.
Also, the Elkhart Air Show was an annual event that took place at the Elkhart Municipal Airport at the end of July.
The Elkhart Miracle are a new, autonomous, minor league baseball team that will begin play in the Northern League in 2015.
The stadium will be positioned on the city's southwest side on State Road 19. The Elkhart Express was a semi-professional men's basketball team in the International Basketball League.
Their home games were played at North Side Gymnasium, positioned inside Elkhart's North Side Middle School.
The Elkhart Express officially released news that they were folding under bankruptcy on January 5, 2009.
The Elkhart Truth is the chief journal that serves the town/city of Elkhart and the county.
Elkhart lies in the South Bend-Elkhart tv market, the 89th biggest in the United States as of 2008. One tv station, WSJV-TV (Heroes & Icons Network) is positioned in the city, along with a number of airways broadcasts including WTRC, WAOR, WCMR, WFRN-FM, and WVPE (NPR).
Elkhart is also served by CBS partner WSBT-TV, based in Mishawaka, and six stations in South Bend: WNDU-TV (NBC), WNIT-TV (PBS), WHME-TV (Le - SEA), WBND-LD (ABC), WCWW-LD (CW) and WMYS-LD (My Network TV).
David Gundlach, an insurance business founder and film producer who bequeathed $125 million to the Elkhart County Community Foundation A Standard History of Elkhart County, Indiana: An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular Attention to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial, Educational, Civic and Social Development, Volume 1.
A Standard History of Elkhart County, Indiana: An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular Attention to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial, Educational, Civic and Social Development, Volume 2.
A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Elkhart County, Indiana by Anthony Deahl.
"The History of the RV and Manufactured Housing Industry in and around Elkhart Indiana".
"Origins of Elkhart - Transportation".
City of Elkhart.
"Origins of Elkhart - The Early Years".
City of Elkhart.
"Weatherbase: Weather for Elkhart, Indiana, United States of America".
"Elkhart City Fact Sheet".
The Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce.
"Elkhart Brass: Mission & History".
"Amtrak - Stations - Elkhart, IN (EKH)".
"SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Elkhart County, IN." "Locations / Browse Locations / Elkhart, IN".
"Elkhart's New Water Park".
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elkhart, Indiana.
Elkhart, Indiana at DMOZ Municipalities and communities of Elkhart County, Indiana, United States
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