| Wakarusa, Indiana | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
| Downtown Wakarusa | |
| Location of Wakarusa in the state of Indiana | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Elkhart |
| Township | Harrison, Olive |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.3 sq mi (5.9 km2) |
| • Land | 2.3 sq mi (5.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 840 ft (256 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 1,618 |
| • Density | 716.0/sq mi (276.4/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 46573 |
| Area code(s) | 574 |
| FIPS code | 18-79478[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0452499[2] |
Wakarusa is a town in Harrison and Olive townships in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,618 at the 2000 census. Wakarusa is a small farming and manufacturing community located on Indiana 19 just north of Indiana 119. The town is 12 miles south of Elkhart, 25 miles southeast of South Bend, 120 miles east of Chicago, and 140 miles north of Indianapolis.
The town was in the news on August 5, 2009, following the visit of President Barack Obama to announce that Indiana was to receive $400 million USD in federal stimulus funds to help revive the state economy.
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Wakarusa is located at (41.534490, -86.016223)[3].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2), all of it land. The town sits in the middle of predominately rural farm land.
In 1836, rural Olive Township was formed in Western Elkhart County and in 1849, as the population grew, a post office named Mt. Olive opened. After more population growth, a new village named Salem was established to prevent people from having to travel to either Goshen or Elkhart to conduct business. Since there is already a town named Salem in Indiana, the name was changed to Wakarusa in 1859. The Mt. Olive Post Office was renamed for Wakarusa a year later.[4] The etymology of the name "Wakarusa" is not known. It is thought that that the name "Wakarusa" is from native American language meaning "knee deep in mud".
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 1,618 people, 595 households, and 427 families residing in the town. The population density was 716.0 people per square mile (276.4/km²). There were 618 housing units at an average density of 273.5 per square mile (105.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.34% White, 0.49% African American, 0.19% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population.
There were 595 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 25.9% 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 2.51 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,515, and the median income for a family was $50,833. Males had a median income of $36,014 versus $25,300 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,615. About 3.2% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.
Neighboring Nappanee and Wakarusa combined their school systems in the 1970s to create the Wa-Nee Community Schools.
Wakarusa has several churches including Wakarusa Missionary Church, which is the Missionary Church denomination based out of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Other churches include Bible Baptist Church, a Methodist church, and Olive Mennonite Church just outside of Wakarusa.
Originally solely a farming community, a lumber mill opened up shop in 1866. By the 1880s, several factories and businesses existed despite the fact that the railroad would not roll into town until 1893.[4] At one point, three different lumber mills operated in the town, though none exist today.
Today, Wakarusa continues to have a thriving farming economy and has two grain mills within the town's limits. Wakarusa's location in Elkhart County places it within a strong industrial area, and because of this, multiple manufacturers are located in the area. Recreational Vehicle manufacturing, modular home manufacturing, and custom truck production are the base of the industrial economy. Forest River employs nearly 300 in the RV and modular housing industry, Utilimaster employs around 700, and Livin-Lite RV has been named a "Company to Watch" in the state of Indiana.
On July 17, 2008, Monaco Coach Corporation announced the closing of its Wakarusa production plant and laying off its approximately 1400 workers.[5] Since then, the plant has been reopened under the name Monaco RV, which is fully owned by Navistar, who bought the properties and remaining assets at the Wakarusa complex. The company hopes to employ 700 by 2013.
Today the historic town center has several antique shops & a dime store candy shop that sells the locally made maple syrup & jumbo jelly beans to a small but growing number of regional tourists.
Once a year, the town hosts the Maple Syrup Festival and holds a parade as well as other activities associated with small-town celebrations. The festival was started in 1969 by the then Chamber of Progress. Originally held in March, the festival now occurs during the middle of April.
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