Bluffton, Indiana

City of Bluffton, Indiana
—  City  —
Wells County Courthouse
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Indiana
County Wells
Township Harrison, Lancaster
Government
 • Mayor Ted L. Ellis (D)
Area
 • Total 6.6 sq mi (17.1 km2)
 • Land 6.6 sq mi (17.1 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation 813 ft (252 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 9,897
 • Density 1,442.6/sq mi (557.0/km2)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 46714
Area code(s) 260
FIPS code 18-06220[1]
GNIS feature ID 0431264[2]
Website http://www.ci.bluffton.in.us

Bluffton is a city in Harrison and Lancaster Townships, Wells County, Indiana, United States. The population was 9,897 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Wells County[3].

Contents

Geography

Bluffton is located at (40.737991, -85.172223)[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.6 square miles (17 km2), of which, 6.6 square miles (17 km2) of it is land and 0.15% is water.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 9,536 people, 3,922 households, and 2,517 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,442.7 people per square mile (557.0/km²). There were 4,197 housing units at an average density of 635.0 per square mile (245.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.65% White, 0.34% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.35% of the population.

There were 3,922 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,416, and the median income for a family was $45,294. Males had a median income of $33,088 versus $22,018 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,118. About 6.4% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

History

Bluffton is one of the first towns in Indiana, and across America, to both publicly acknowledge its history of exclusion and to promote itself as an inclusive town. In 2006, Bluffton was featured in USA Today[5] as an inclusive town that was putting up welcoming, inclusive signs at all local schools as well as at the entrances of three state highways. Mayor Ted Ellis was noted in the article for his helping Bluffton become one of the first to join the National League of Cities' Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities.[6]

Notable natives and residents

References

  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
  5. ^ Small Indiana Town Singing Tune of Racial, Ethnic Harmony. USA Today, 8/4/2006 [1]
  6. ^ National League of Cities Official Website

External links