Once a booming manufacturing town located in what became known as theRust Belt, Fort Wayne's economy in the 21st century is based upon distribution, transportation and logistics; healthcare, professional and business services; leisure and hospitality, and financial services.[18] Home to theFort Wayne Air National Guard Base, the city is a center for thedefense industry, which employs 1–2% of the population.[19] Fort Wayne was anAll-America City Award recipient in 1983, 1998, 2009, and 2021.[20] The city also received an Outstanding Achievement City Livability Award by theU.S. Conference of Mayors in 1999.[21]
Increasing tension between France and Great Britain developed over control of the territory. In 1760, France ceded the area to Britain after its forces in North America surrendered during theSeven Years' War, known on the North American front as theFrench and Indian War. Managing to hold down the fort for only a mere couple of years, the British lost control of it in 1763 when various Native American nations rebelled against British rule and retook the fort as part ofPontiac's Rebellion. From this point forward in 1763, no active fort existed at Kekionga for the next three decades until American GeneralAnthony Wayne establishedFort Wayne in 1794, following theBattle of Fallen Timbers. The fort throughout this period was described as a, "Defiant mixture of Indian warriors and lawless renegades of the frontier, such as the Girties. It was also the home of a heterogeneous population of English and French traders and their families, French 'engages", and Miami, Delaware and Shawnee tribes."[27]
In 1772, the British regained influence over the village afterSir William Johnson suggested to the government that the fort be reoccupied.[16] The mixed population of the Kekionga area had moved past antipathy with the British by this point, and accepted their friendship. In 1776, Officer Jacques LaSalle moved into the village to conduct strict supervision on behalf of the British government, ensuring that the natives remained loyal to the British, and to check passports with travelers coming down fromFort Detroit.[28]
The British continued to monitor Kekionga andFort Miami throughout theAmerican Revolutionary War. In 1780,French Canadian soldiers coming to assist the U.S. with the revolution were slaughtered in several nearby locations in what is known asLa Balme's Defeat. At the end of the Revolutionary War, in theTreaty of Paris in 1783, Britain ceded this area to the new United States, though they continued to maintain an influence on trading activity and the forts of Miami, with the primary objective of slowing American expansion into theGreat Lakes region. The young United States formally organized the region in theLand Ordinance of 1785 and negotiated treaties allowing settlement, but theWestern Confederacy of Native American nations were not party to these treaties and did not cede their ownership of those lands.
American land speculators and pioneers began flooding down theOhio River into the area, leading to conflict with an alliance of native tribes known as theWestern Confederacy. It was headquartered at Kekionga, where the Miami had permitted two refugee tribes dislodged by white homesteaders, the Delaware and the Shawnee, to resettle. The confederacy—which included other Great Lakes andAlgonquin tribes as well—began sending war parties to raid settlers, hoping to drive them back across theAppalachian Mountains, and refused to meet for negotiations over a possible treaty to instead cede land for white settlement. The growing violence led to theNorthwest Indian War.
In 1790, PresidentGeorge Washington ordered theU.S. Army to subdue and pacify the tribes. The first expedition, led by GeneralJosiah Harmar reached Kekionga and exercisedscorched earth tactics on the village and crops. Miami war chiefLittle Turtle, who had been long tracking the whereabouts of Harmar though the aid of various agents such asSimon Girty, would quickly drive Harmar and the US troops away. The confederacy warriors attacked the second invading force, led in 1791 by GeneralArthur St. Clair, before it could get that far and wiped it out, in a massacre known asSt. Clair's Defeat at modern-dayFort Recovery, Ohio. It's known as the greatest defeat of theU.S. Army by Native Americans in history. This defeat left the US army crippled and borders open to attacks from the British and allied native tribes. GeneralAnthony Wayne was recalled from civilian life to lead a third expedition, defeating the confederacy's warriors at the Battle ofFallen Timbers, near modern-dayToledo, Ohio on August 20, 1794. Wayne's men then marched up theMaumee River, systematically burning evacuated native towns, crops, and winter food stores, until they reached its headwaters, where Kekionga remained in ruins. Wayne then confronted the British at Fort Miami, where the British debated an attack. Later, Wayne selected the site for construction ofFort Wayne. He ordered a fort that could withstand heavy British artillery, especially a 24-pound cannon, along with attacks from their army or native allies.[29]
The following year, Wayne negotiated a peace accord, theTreaty of Greenville with tribal leaders, in which they agreed to stop fighting, end support of the British, and ceded most of what is now Ohio along with certain tracts further west, including the area around Fort Wayne encompassing Kekionga and the land portage. Wayne promised the remainder would remain Indian lands, which is why the territory west ofOhio was named Indiana. Wayne would die one year later and a Spanish spyJames Wilkinson would assume his role as General. In subsequent years, the government used Fort Wayne to hand out annual payments under the treaty. But in a recurring cycle, the tribes ran up debts to white traders who came there to sell them alcohol and manufactured goods, and the government pushed tribal leaders—including through bribes—to sell more reservation land to pay off those debts and, when the land was gone, then to agree to have the tribe removed to the Far West.[30]
The first settlement started in 1815.[32] In 1819, the militarygarrison abandoned the fort and moved to Detroit. In 1822, a federal land office opened to sell land ceded by local Native Americans by theTreaty of St. Mary's in 1818.[33]Platted in 1823 at theEwing Tavern, the village became an important frontier outpost and was incorporated as the Town of Fort Wayne in 1829, with a population of 300.[34][35] TheWabash and Erie Canal's opening improved travel conditions to theGreat Lakes andMississippi River, exposing Fort Wayne to expanded economic opportunities. The population topped 2,000 when the town was incorporated as the City of Fort Wayne on February 22, 1840.[36]
Pioneer newspapermanGeorge W. Wood was elected the city's first mayor. Fort Wayne's "Summit City" nickname dates from this period, referring to the city's position at the highest elevation along the canal's route.[17] As influential as the canal was to the city's earliest development, it quickly became obsolete after briefly competing with the city's first railroad, thePittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway, completed in 1854.[37]
At the turn of the 20th century, the population of Fort Wayne nearly reached 50,000, attributed to a large influx ofGerman andIrish immigrants. Fort Wayne's "urban working class" thrived in industrial and railroad-related jobs.[38] The city's economy was substantially based on manufacturing, ushering in an era of innovation with several notable inventions and developments coming out of the city over the years, such asgasoline pumps (1885), therefrigerator (1913), and in 1972, the firsthome video game console.[39][40] TheGreat Flood of 1913 caused seven deaths, left 15,000 homeless, and damaged over 5,500 buildings in the worst natural disaster in the city's history.[41]
As the automobile's prevalence grew, Fort Wayne became a fixture on theLincoln Highway.[42] Aviation arrived in 1919 with the opening of the city's first airport,Smith Field. The airport served as Fort Wayne's primary commercial airfield until Baer Field (nowFort Wayne International Airport) was transferred to the city in 1947 after serving as a military base during World War II.[43]
Fort Wayne was hit by theGreat Depression beginning in 1929, with most factories cutting their workforce.[44] Thestock market crash did not discourage plans to build the city's first skyscraper and Indiana's tallest building at the time, theLincoln Bank Tower.[45] By 1935, theNew Deal'sWPA put over 7,000 residents back to work through local infrastructure improvements, including the construction of new parks, bridges, viaducts, and a $5.2 million sewage treatment facility.[46]
Thepost-World War II economic boom helped the city prosper once again. Between 1950 and 1955, more than 5,000 homes were built, many in large subdivisions in rural Allen County.[47] In 1950, Fort Wayne's firstbypass,Coliseum Boulevard, opened on the north side of the city, followed by the city's first arena,War Memorial Coliseum, bringing new opportunities for suburban expansion.[48] The Coliseum was home to theNBA'sFort Wayne Pistons from 1952 to 1957. The opening of enclosed shopping malls and the construction ofInterstate 69 through rural areas north and west of the city proper further drove the exodus of retail from downtown through the 1960s.[49] According to the Fort Wayne Home Builders Association estimates, more than 80 percent of new home construction occurred outside the city proper in the 1970s.[50]
Like many cities in theRust Belt, deindustrialization in the 1980s broughturban blight, increased crime, and a decrease inblue-collar manufacturing jobs.[51] Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods continued declining as residents and businessessprawled further into rural Allen County.[52] A 1982 flood forced an evacuation of 9,000 residents, damaging 2,000 buildings, and costing $56.1 million (1982 USD, $137 million 2015 USD), prompting a visit from then president of the United States, Ronald Reagan.[53][54]
In the 1990s, the city began a turnaround. Local leaders focused on crime reduction, economic diversification, and downtown redevelopment. By 1999, Fort Wayne's crime rate decreased to the lowest levels since 1974, and the city's economy recovered, with the unemployment rate hovering at 2.4 percent in 1998.[55] Clearing blighted buildings downtown resulted in new public greenspaces, including Headwaters Park, which has become the premier community gathering space and centerpiece in the city's $50 million flood control project. Fort Wayne celebrated its bicentennial in 1994.[56][57]
Fort Wayne is in theEast North Central region of theMidwestern United States, innortheastern Indiana, 18 miles (29 km) west ofOhio and 50 miles (80 km) south ofMichigan. According to the 2010 census, Fort Wayne has a total area of 110.834 square miles (287.06 km2), of which 110.62 square miles (286.50 km2) (or 99.81%) is land and 0.214 square miles (0.55 km2) (or 0.19%) is water.[61]
The most important geographical feature of the area is the short distance over land between the Three Rivers system, which eventually flows to the Atlantic, and the Wabash system, which eventually flows to the Gulf of Mexico. This came to be the "portage" or carrying place, over which travelers could transport their cargoes from one system to the next. This natural crossroads attracted the Native Americans for thousands of years. It later attracted the European explorers and traders and the American pioneer settlers who continued to develop the area as a transportation and communications center. Chief Little Turtle of the Miami Nation expressed its importance eloquently at the treaty of Greenville in 1795 when he called it "that glorious gate...through which all the words of our chiefs had to pass through from north to south and from east to west".
Fort Wayne's urban tree canopy is 29 percent, double the state average of 14.5 percent[63] and above the national average of 27.1 percent.[64] The canopy is decreasing, notably from development and theemerald ash borer infestation.[63] Fort Wayne has been designated aTree City USA since 1990.[65]
Downtown Fort Wayne, looking south from the St. Marys River
Historically, Fort Wayne has been divided into four unofficial quadrants: northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest. Calhoun Street divides the southwest and southeast, while theSt. Joseph River divides the northwest and northeast quadrants. TheMaumee River separates the northeast and southeast, while portions of theSt. Marys River andChicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad separate the northwest and southwest quadrants.[66]
Fort Wayne's early 20th century development was influenced by theCity Beautiful movement and centered on apark and boulevard plan conceived byurban plannerCharles Mulford Robinson in 1909 and finalized bylandscape architectGeorge Kessler in 1912. The master plan proposed a network of parkways and boulevards connecting the city's three rivers and Spy Run Creek to dozens of neighborhoods and parks. Several parks were designed by noted landscape architectArthur Asahel Shurcliff. Much of the original plan was implemented by 1955. In 2010, the Fort Wayne Park and Boulevard System was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places, consisting of 11 public parks, four parkways, and ten boulevards, covering 1,883 acres (762 ha).[67][68]
The 1970s characterized an era in Fort Wayne that saw substantial changes to the downtown area in accommodation of increasing suburbanization andurban sprawl that began in the city during the early 1950s,[74] of which resulted in the demolition of several prominent and historical buildings and homes around the downtown area.[75][76] This included several hotels, such as the historic thirteen-floor Hotel Anthony.[77] Most of which, were demolished forsurface-level parking lots. One example was the Ewing Homestead, built by William Ewing in 1838, it once stood at the northwest corner of Berry Street:
This three-story brick mansion was one of the finest examples ofGreek Revival architecture in Fort Wayne until it was destroyed in 1970 to make way for a parking lot.[78]
Since at least the early 20th century, Fort Wayne has maintained acombined sewage overflow program, which has resulted in the city routinely discharging untreated human waste, raw sewage from businesses and homes, toxic waste from industrial sites, and agricultural runoff into all three rivers in a number of locations, particularly during heavy rainfall events.[79][80][81] However, as of 2023, a several million dollar citywide sewage overflow tunnel project is set to be completed, among additional efforts, such as a $135 million investment from the city intorain gardens, to prevent further discharge into the rivers.[82][83] There has been growing investment and development along the riverfront since at least 2019.[84][85][86][87]
Fort Wayne lies in thehumid continental climate zone (Köppen:Dfa), experiencing four distinct seasons.[88] The city is located inUSDA hardiness zones 5b and 6a.[89] Typically, summers are hot, humid, and wet. Winters are generally cold with moderate snowfall. The average annual precipitation is 38.34 in (974 mm), recorded at Fort Wayne International Airport. During the winter season, snowfall accumulation averages 33.5 in (85 cm) per year.Lake-effect snow is not uncommon to the region, but usually appears in the form of light snow flurries.
TheNational Weather Service reports the highest recorded temperature in the city at 106 °F (41 °C), most recently on June 28, 2012, and the lowest recorded temperature at −24 °F (−31 °C) on January 12, 1918.[90] The wettest month on record was June 2015, with 11.98 in (304 mm) of precipitation.[91] The greatest 24-hour rainfall was 4.93 in (125 mm) on August 1, 1926. The snowiest month on record was January 2014, with 30.3 in (77 cm) of snowfall.[92] The greatest calendar-day snowfall was 18.0 in (46 cm) on February 28, 1900.[93]
Severe weather is not uncommon in Fort Wayne, particularly in the spring and summer months; the city experiences an average of 39 thunderstorm days and about 10 severe weather days annually.[94]
The city has endured several tornadoes throughout its history. On July 19, 1950, a weak tornado formed on the city's west central side and moved northeast, striking the downtown area.[95] On May 26, 2001, an EF1 tornado struck a shopping center on the city's northeast side, flipping cars and damaging roofs and windows on nearby residences and businesses.[95] Three people were injured in the storm.[96]
The city experienced 91 mph (146 km/h) wind gusts in theJune 2012 North American derecho, knocking out power to 78,000, uprooting approximately 500 trees,[97] and costing $2.5 million.[98]
Climate data for Fort Wayne, Indiana (Fort Wayne Int'l), 1991–2020 normals,[b] extremes 1897–present
Fort Wayne city, Indiana – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
There were 101,585 households, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.0% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.09.
The median age in the city was 34.5 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.5% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 12% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.
Fort Wayne has one of the largestBurmese American population in the U.S., estimated at 8,000.[113][114] Burmese refugee settlement and "secondary migrants" doubled the city's Asian population between 2000 and 2010.[115]
Fort Wayne is sometimes referred to as the "City of Churches", an unofficial moniker dating to the late-19th century when the city was the regional hub ofCatholic,Lutheran, andEpiscopal faiths.[116] Today, there are 360 churches in the city.[117] 54 percent of Fort Wayne residents identify as religious, where 16 percent are Catholic, 9 percent are Lutheran, 6.5 percent areBaptist, 5 percent areMethodist, and 16.5 percent adhere to other Christian faiths.[118] 0.54 percent of residents are Jewish. Increasing religious minorities are found among the city's immigrant communities, includingBuddhism,Hinduism, andIslam.[119]
In 2017, theFort Wayne metropolitan area had a gross domestic product (GDP) of $25.7 billion. The top four industries were manufacturing ($8.1B), health care ($2.54B), retail trade ($1.4B), and finance and insurance ($1.3B). Government, if it had been a private industry, would have tied for third, generating $1.4 billion.[122]
Manufacturing is deeply rooted in Fort Wayne's economic history, dating to the earliest days of the city's growth as an important trade stop along theWabash and Erie Canal. Railroads, introduced shortly after the canal's arrival, eased travel from Fort Wayne to other booming industrial centers along the Great Lakes, such as Chicago, Detroit,Toledo, andCleveland. Throughout the early and mid-20th century, manufacturing dominated the city's economic landscape. From 1900 to 1930, Fort Wayne's industrial output expanded by 747 percent, with total production valued at $95 million in 1929, up from $11 million in 1899.[123] The total workforce also increased from 18,000 in 1900 to nearly 50,000 in 1930.[123]
The Landing is a cluster of historic buildings in downtown Fort Wayne that the city began repurposing intocommercial andresidential real estate in 2017.[124]
The 1970s and 1980s were times of economic depression in Fort Wayne, when much of the city's manufacturing foundation eroded and theblue-collar workforce shrank. Fort Wayne joined several other cities reeling economically within theRust Belt.[128] At the same time, General Electric also downsized much of its more than 10,000-person workforce.[129] Amid other area plant closures and downsizing, coupled with theearly 1980s recession, the city lost 30,000 jobs and reached a 12.1 percent unemployment rate.[130] The arrival ofGeneral Motors in 1987 helped fill the void from shuttered manufacturers and aided in the area's recovery, employing 3,000 at itsFort Wayne Assembly.[131] In 2024, General Motors was the largest manufacturer in the city, employing 4,320.[132] The plant assemblesGMC Sierra andChevrolet Silverado regular and double cab light- and heavy-duty pickup trucks.
Through the 1990s and into the 2000s, the city diversified its economy; manufacturing now employs 16.9 percent of Allen County's workforce.[18] Other sectors include distribution, transportation, and logistics (23.1 percent), health care (17.9 percent), professional and business services (12.1 percent), leisure and hospitality (11.1 percent), and financial services (6.3 percent).[18] The leisure and hospitality sector has especially grown, with 5.8 million visitors spending $545 million in 2013, a 4.3 percent increase over the previous year.[133] The city is a center for thedefense industry, employing thousands at such companies asBAE Systems (1,150),L3Harris (888),Raytheon Technologies (950), and theFort Wayne Air National Guard Base (423).[19]
Do it Best corporate headquarters at Electric Works. In 2022, Do it Best was the largest privately held company in the state of Indiana, with US$5.5 billion in revenue.[134]
Despite economic diversification, the city was significantly impacted by theGreat Recession. According to a report fromPew Research Center, the city lost nearly a quarter of its manufacturing jobs and 11% of its economic status between 2000 and 2014.[135] Economic Innovation Group's 2016 Distressed Communities Index Report ranked Fort Wayne among the most unequal large cities in the U.S. in terms of linking economic opportunities to its distressedZIP codes. As of 2017[update], Allen County's labor force was 180,637 with an unemployment rate of 2.5 percent.[18][136]
TheEmbassy Theatre is a 2,471-seat performing arts theater, which hosts over 200,000 patrons annually.[138] Since its founding in 1944, theFort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra has often been hosted at the Embassy.[139] The University of Saint Francis Robert Goldstine Performing Arts Center, located on its Downtown Campus, contains a 2,086-seat auditorium.[140]
Since its establishment in 2010, Arts Campus Fort Wayne has been home to several of the city's cultural institutions, including theFort Wayne Museum of Art, Auer Center for Arts and Culture, Arts United Center, and Hall Community Arts Center.[141]Arts United Center houses the Fort Wayne Civic Theater, Fort Wayne Dance Collective, and Fort Wayne Youtheatre. Auer Center for Arts and Culture houses Fort Wayne Ballet. Hall Community Arts Center houses Cinema Center, anindependent film venue.
Though used mainly for exhibitions and conventions, theGrand Wayne Convention Center hosts dance and choir productions, such as the annual Foundation for Art and Music in Education (FAME) Northeast Festival.[142] Foellinger Theatre, a 2,500-seatamphitheater in Franke Park, hosts seasonal acts and outdoor concerts during warmer months.[143] Located west of downtown, Arena Dinner Theatre is a nonprofit community arts corporation with a focus on live theater production, annually hosting seven full-length theatrical productions.[144]
Science Central opened in the city's former municipal power plant in 1995.
TheFort Wayne Children's Zoo has been lauded as one of the nation's foremost zoos.[145][146] Covering 40 acres (16 ha) and containing 1,000 animals of 200 different species, the zoo is the largest regional attraction, regularly drawing over 500,000 visitors annually.[147][148] TheFoellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory gardens cover 24,500-square-foot (2,280 m2), displaying over 1,200 plants of 502 different species and 72 types ofcacti.[149]Science Central, an interactive science center, contains permanent displays and temporary exhibits, drawing 130,000 visitors annually.[150]
The History Center, located in Fort Wayne'sOld City Hall, manages a collection of more than 23,000 artifacts recalling the region's history.[153] The center is overseen by the Allen County–Fort Wayne Historical Society, which maintains theRichardville House, one of twoNational Historic Landmarks in the city. Historic Fort Wayne, a replica of the 1815 fortification, hosts scheduled tours andhistorical reenactments throughout the year.[154] Other cultural museums include the African/African–American Historical Museum,[155] Fort Wayne Firefighters Museum,[156] Greater Fort Wayne Aviation Museum,[157] and Baer Field Heritage Air Park.
The city hosts a variety of cultural festivals and events annually. Festivals commemorating ethnic food, dance, music, and art include Germanfest,[160] Greek Festival, and Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival.[161] Initiated in 1997, Fort Wayne Pride celebrates northeast Indiana'sLGBTQ community.[162] BBQ RibFest showcases barbecue rib cooks and live entertainment, attracting 40,000 visitors annually.[163]
Fort4Fitness is a certifiedhalf marathon, 4-mile (6.4 km) run/walk, and health fair. Over 9,000 participated in the 2011 half marathon.[164] In 2012, Fort4Fitness debuted a spring cycle, Bike-the-Fort, which included three bicycling tours with over 1,000 participants.[165] HolidayFest begins with the Night of Lights onThanksgiving eve, with the lighting of the PNC Santa and Reindeer, Wells Fargo Holiday Display, and Indiana Michigan Power Christmas Wreath, ending with a fireworks finale atParkview Field.[166]
The largest annual events in the city are theJohnny Appleseed Festival, Taste of the Arts, Middlewaves and theThree Rivers Festival. The Johnny Appleseed Festival draws 300,000 visitors. The festival is held atJohnny Appleseed Park, whereAmerican folklore legendJohn Chapman is believed to be buried.[167] Apple-themed cuisine, crafts, and historical demonstrations recalling 19th centuryAmerican pioneering are among some of the festival's events.[168] Three Rivers Festival, a celebration of Fort Wayne, spans nine days each July, attracting 400,000 visitors.[169] Three Rivers features over 200 events, including a parade,midway, hot dog eating contest, bed race, raft race, arts fair, and fireworks spectacular. Other annual events include the Allen County Fair,[170]BAALS Music Festival, National Soccer Festival,[171][172] and the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale.[173]
Some notable events in sports history occurred in Fort Wayne. On June 2, 1883, Fort Wayne hosted the Quincy Professionals for one of the first lighted evening baseball games ever recorded.[175] Fort Wayne is also credited as the birthplace of theNBA, as Pistons' coachCarl Bennett brokered the merger of theBAA and theNBL in 1948 from his Alexander Street home.[176][177][178] On March 10, 1961,Wilt Chamberlain became the first player in the NBA to reach 3,000 points in a single season while competing at the War Memorial Coliseum.[176][179]
Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation maintains 86 public parks totaling 2,805 acres (1,135 ha).[117] Over 20 public and private golf courses are located in Allen County.[180] Several notable parks includeJohnny Appleseed Park (home to a campground andJohn Chapman's grave),McCulloch Park (home toSamuel Bigger's grave), and theOld Fort Park (The first and oldest park in Fort Wayne, site of the original well used in thisfort). Downtown, there are a number of parks includingFoellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory, Headwaters Park, Promenade Park, Swinney Park, and Lawton Park (named forMajor-General Henry Lawton),[181] which includes a skate park. Franke Park is the most extensive city park, covering 339.24 acres (137.3 ha).[182] Franke is home to the Foellinger Theatre, Shoaff Lake, and theFort Wayne Children's Zoo.
The Fort Wayne skyline and the St. Marys River viewed from Promenade Park
Starting in the 1970s, the city developed a system of recreational trails along the riverbanks, known as theRivergreenway, with the aim of beautifying the riverfronts and promoting active lifestyles for residents.[183] The Rivergreenway was designated aNational Recreation Trail in 2009.[184] As of 2018, the Rivergreenway had expanded with additional trails to encompass nearly 180 miles (290 km) throughout the city and county, with about 550,000 annual users.[185] With the expansion of trails in recent years, cycling has become an emerging mode of transportation for residents. In 2009, the city's firstbicycle lanes were established[186] with the installation of 250 bike parking places.[187] In 2016, Fort Wayne was designated a Bronze Level bicycle friendly community by theLeague of American Bicyclists.[188]
Hurshtown Reservoir, nearGrabill, is the largest body of water in Allen County and is popular withwatersports enthusiasts for sailing and fishing. Some 300 lakes are located within 50 miles (80 km) of the city.[189] Located downtown along theSt. Marys River, Fort Wayne Outfitters offers canoe, kayak, stand-up paddle board, and pontoon boat rentals for recreation along the three rivers.[190]
According to theTrust for Public Land's 2017 ParkScore Index, some 56% of Fort Wayne residents are underserved.[191]
A statue of General "Mad"Anthony Wayne, namesake of the city, stands in Freimann Square.TheAllen County Courthouse and the Rousseau Centre (background right) in downtown Fort Wayne house county-level government offices.
Fort Wayne has amayor–council government.[192] The mayor, city clerk, and city council members serve four-year terms.Citizens Square houses the executive and legislative branches of city government. As thecounty seat ofAllen County, Fort Wayne serves as the administrative center for county-level elected offices and government functions.
Fort Wayne's current mayor isSharon Tucker, aDemocrat. Tucker – a former county and city councilwoman – succeededTom Henry, a record four-term mayor who died from stomach cancer in March 2024. On April 20, 2024, Tucker won a county party caucus to finish Henry's term, making her the city's first Black mayor.[193][194]Fort Wayne City Council has nine elected members, one representative from each of the city's six council districts and three at-large members, serving four-year terms.[192]
Under theUnigov provision of Indiana Law, Fort Wayne would have automaticallyconsolidated with Allen County when its population exceeded 250,000, previously the minimum population for a first class city in Indiana.[195] Fort Wayne nearly met the state requirements for first class city designation on January 1, 2006, when 12.8 square miles (33 km2) of neighboringAboite Township (and a small section ofWayne Township) including 25,094 people were annexed.[196] However, a 2004 legislative change raised the population threshold for first-class status from 250,000 to 600,000, which ensured Indianapolis' status as the only first class city in Indiana.[197]
Municipal and state laws are enforced by the Fort Wayne Police Department, an organization of 460 officers.[198] In 2006, Fort Wayne's crime rate was 5104.1 per 100,000 people, slightly above the national average of 4479.3.[199] There were 18 murders, 404 robberies, and 2,128 burglaries in 2006.[199] Steve Reed was appointed to the position of police chief in 2016.[200] In 2014, former police chief Rusty York was appointed to the position of director of public safety. York previously served as police chief from 2000 to 2014.[201]
The city is currently served by the Allen County Jail in downtown Fort Wayne, controlled by the Allen County Sheriff's department. In January 2020, a class action lawsuit was filed by Vincent Morris, an inmate at the jail, and theACLU of Indiana against the Sheriff of Allen County.[202] The lawsuit alleges understaffing of the jail, as well as overpopulation, among other complaints resulting in dangerous housing conditions.[203] In March 2022,Judge Damon Leichty of theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana ruled that conditions in the jail were in violation of the8th Amendment and14th Amendment. In his injunction, Judge Leichty ruled that there needed to be substantial progress in the construction of a new jail with expanding capacity. Since this injunction there have been 8 proposed sites for the new jail to be constructed, with the most prominent being at the Allen County Sheriffs department training facility land off of Paulding and Adams Center Roads, which the county already owns.[204] However, this location is being heavily contested for being on the Southeast side of Fort Wayne, as another negative for an already disadvantaged area.[205] At its current location, the jail also sits on what is very valuable land given the city's recent riverfront development, right in between some hallmark developments for the revitalization of the downtown area.[206]
As of 2010, theFort Wayne Fire Department included 375 uniformed firefighters and 18 fire stations.[207] Eric Lahey was appointed fire chief in 2014.[208]
Allen County public school districts:FWCS (pink),EACS (yellow),NACS (blue),SACS (green)
FourK–12 public school districts serve portions of the city.Fort Wayne Community Schools (FWCS) is the largest public school district in Indiana,[210] enrolling nearly 31,000 students in the 2013–2014 academic year. FWCS operate 51 facilities, including 31 elementary schools, ten middle schools, and fivehigh schools. The student body is diverse, with 75 spoken languages in the district.[211]East Allen County Schools (EACS) operate 14 schools, with a total enrollment of 10,010.[212]Northwest Allen County Schools (NACS) operate seven elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school, with a total enrollment of 6,853.[213]Southwest Allen County Schools (SACS) operate six elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school, with a total enrollment of 6,995.[214][215] Private primary and secondary education is offered largely throughLutheran Schools of Indiana and theRoman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend. Amish Parochial Schools of Indiana oversees schooling through the eighth grade in rural eastern Allen County.[216]
Main Library of the Allen County Public Library in downtown Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne is home to the main library and thirteen branches of theAllen County Public Library. It is among the 20 largest public library systems in the U.S., and ranks 89th factoring in academic libraries, with 3.4 million volumes.[219] The library's foundation is also among the nation's largest, with $14 million in assets.[220] The entire library system underwent an $84.1 million overhaul from 2002 to 2007.[221] In 2009, over 7.4 million materials were borrowed by patrons, with over 3 million visits made throughout the library system.[222] The Main Library in downtown Fort Wayne houses the second largest genealogical research collection in the U.S.
Major broadcasting network affiliates includeWANE-TV (CBS),WPTA-TV (ABC/NBC),WISE-TV (CW),WFFT-TV (Fox), andWFWA-TV (PBS), Northeast Indiana'sPBS member station. Religious broadcasters includeWINM. Access Fort Wayne maintains Fort Wayne and Allen County's Public Access capabilities serving from theAllen County Public Library. OneNational Public Radio station is based in the city,WBOI, with the new WELT Community Radio Station transmitting from the Allen County Public Library.
Fort Wayne is served by two primary newspapers, theJournal Gazette andPulitzer Prize-winningNews-Sentinel.[223] The two dailies have separate editorial departments, but under ajoint operating agreement, printing, advertising, and circulation are handled by Fort Wayne Newspapers, Inc. TheNews-Sentinel announced that it would cease printing operations in favor of digital publishing in August 2017.
Fort Wayne includes two municipal airports, both managed by the Fort Wayne–Allen County Airport Authority.Fort Wayne International Airport (FWA) is the city's primary commercial airport, with five airlines offering direct service to 13 domestic connections. The airport is Indiana's second busiest, with over 350,000 passenger enplanements in 2015.[225] Fort Wayne International is also home to the122nd Fighter Wing'sFort Wayne Air National Guard Base.[226]Smith Field, in northern Fort Wayne, is used primarily forgeneral aviation.[227]
Unlike most cities comparable to its size, Fort Wayne does not have an urbanfreeway system. In 1946, planners proposed a $27 million federally funded freeway, crossing east–west and north–south through downtown.[230] Opponents successfully campaigned against the proposal, objecting to the demolition of nearly 1,500 homes at the time of the post-World War II housing shortage, while playing on fears that the project would force displaced minorities into white neighborhoods.[231][232] In 1947, Fort Wayne residents voted down the referendum that would have allowed for its construction, dubbed the 'Anthony Wayne Parkway.'[233] Beginning in 1962, construction commenced for I-69 in suburban Fort Wayne.[234][50]
The I-469 beltway around the southern and eastern fringes of Fort Wayne and New Haven was constructed between 1988 and 1995 as the largest public works project in Allen County history, at $207 million.[233]
There has been a movement to bring direct passenger rail service back in the form of Amtrak orhigh-speed rail service.[237] In 2013, afeasibility study was published outlining the impacts of a proposed Columbus—Fort Wayne—Chicago high-speed rail corridor. At 300 miles (480 km), the route would cost $1.29 billion and generate some $7.1 billion in economic benefits to the region.[238] Freight service is provided by aclass I railroad (Norfolk Southern) and twoclass III railroads.[239] Fort Wayne is headquarters and main operations hub of Norfolk Southern's Triple Crown Services subsidiary, the largesttruckload shipper in the U.S.[239]
Citilink operates and manages the city'spublic bus system, includingparatransit and fixed-route service in the cities of Fort Wayne and New Haven via downtown's Central Station.[240] CampusLink debuted in 2009 as a free shuttle service for students, faculty, and general public traveling betweenIvy Tech's Coliseum and North campuses,IPFW and its student housing on the Waterfield Campus, and shopping and residential areas.[241] MedLink debuted in 2013, connecting Parkview Regional Medical Center withParkview Health's Randallia campus.[242] Despite annual ridership of 2.2 million,[241] less than one percent of residents commute by public transportation.[229] Fort Wayne is served by two intercity bus providers:Greyhound Lines (Indianapolis—Toledo—Detroit) andLakefront Lines (Chicago—Columbus—Akron).[243]
In 2016, the city introduced its firstbike-sharing program, including five stations and 25 bicycles.[244]
Healthcare in the Fort Wayne area is primarily provided by two nonprofit healthcare systems headquartered in the city:Parkview Health andLutheran Health Network. Notable hospitals includeDupont Hospital,Lutheran Hospital of Indiana, Parkview Hospital Randallia, and Parkview Regional Medical Center. Over 1,600 patient beds are available throughout the city's healthcare system.[245]
As of 2017[update], both healthcare systems were Fort Wayne's first and second largest employers, respectively, contributing to a total healthcare workforce in Allen County of 34,000.[245] In 2018,Indiana University Health opened its first facility in the city with plans for future growth.[246] VA Northern Indiana Health Care System's Fort Wayne Campus provides medical services through theDepartment of Veterans Affairs.[247]
City Utilities is the largest municipally owned water utility in Indiana, supplying residents with 72 million US gallons (270,000 m3) of water per day from theSt. Joseph River via the Three Rivers Water Filtration Plant.[248] Sanitary sewer treatment is also managed by City Utilities. The city of Fort Wayne offers full curbside recycling and solid waste collection services for residents, currently contracted throughGFL Environmental.[249] Electricity is provided by Indiana Michigan Power, a subsidiary ofAmerican Electric Power, while natural gas is supplied by Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), a subsidiary ofNiSource. Alltier 1 networks and several additional telecommunication service providers cover the Fort Wayne rate area.[250]
^According to J. Dunn, Jr., this name was "usually said to mean "blackberry patch," or "blackberry bush," this plant being considered an emblem of antiquity because it sprang up on the sites of old villages. This theory rests on the testimony of Barron, a longtime French trader on the Wabash. It is more probable that Kekionga is a corruption or dialect form of Kiskakon, or Kikakon, which was the original name of the place." J. P. Dunn.[24] But, Michael McCafferty, an Algonquian and Uto-Aztecan linguist professor at Indiana University, exhaustively examined the etymology of 'Kekionga' and dismissed Dunn's explanation and several others. See the chapter "Trails to Kekionga" in the relevantly titledNative American Place Names of Indiana (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2008), esp. p. 76. In the 1680s, French traders established a post near Kekionga due to its location on aportage between theGreat Lakes andMississippi River.[25]
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^The commonly-cited figure of 10,388 was the count forWayne Township rather than the city of Fort Wayne, which did not have a separate population figure reported in 1860.[103]
^ab"Communications & Defense". Fort Wayne–Allen County Economic Development Alliance. 2012. Archived fromthe original on December 23, 2014. RetrievedApril 27, 2015.
^Hogeland, William (2017).Autumn of the Black Snake: the creation of the U.S. Army and the invasion that opened the West (First ed.). New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.ISBN978-0-374-10734-5.LCCN2016052193.
^Iwan Morgan, "Fort Wayne and the Great Depression: The Early Years 1929–1933",Indiana Magazine of History, June 1984, Vol. 80 Issue 2, pp. 122–145online[permanent dead link]
^"Economy at a Glance".Bureau of Labor Statistics. United States Department of Labor.Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. RetrievedMay 2, 2015.
^"Station: FT Wayne INTL AP, IN".U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. RetrievedMay 29, 2021.
^Linsenmayer, Steve (September 24, 2007)."Monks here support boycott".The News-Sentinel. Archived fromthe original on December 16, 2008. RetrievedSeptember 24, 2008.
^ab"Rail System". Greater Fort Wayne, Inc. Archived fromthe original on December 12, 2013. RetrievedDecember 8, 2013.
^"Citilink service routes map"(PDF). Fort Wayne Public Transportation Corporation.Archived(PDF) from the original on May 22, 2005. RetrievedFebruary 6, 2009.
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Griswold, Bert J. (1973).Fort Wayne, Gateway of the West. AMS Press.ISBN0-404-07133-3.
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Miller, Dodie Marie (2000).African-Americans in Fort Wayne: The First 200 Years. Arcadia Publishing.ISBN0-7385-0715-6.online
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Violette, Ralph (1999).Fort Wayne, Indiana. Arcadia Publishing.ISBN0-7524-1309-0.
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