Hartford City, Indiana

Infobox Settlement
official_name = City of Hartford City, Indiana
settlement_type = City
nickname =

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imagesize = 250px
image_caption = Hartford City from the air, looking northeast


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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location in the state of Indiana


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map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Indiana
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Blackford
government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Dennis J. Whitesell (D)
area_note =
established_date =
area_magnitude = 1 E6
area_total_km2 = 9.7
area_land_km2 = 9.6
area_water_km2 = 0.0
population_as_of = 2000
population_note =
population_total = 6928
population_density_km2 = 719.1
timezone = EST
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
latitude = 40°27'9" N
longitude = 85°22'10" W
area_total_sq_mi = 3.7
area_land_sq_mi = 3.7
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0
elevation_m = 280
elevation_ft = 919
latd = 40 |latm = 27 |lats = 09 |latNS = N
longd = 85 |longm = 22 |longs = 10 |longEW = W
website = www.hartfordcity.net
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 47348
area_code = 765
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 18-32242GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0435826GR|3
footnotes =

Hartford City is a city in Blackford County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,928 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Blackford CountyGR|6.

Geography

Hartford City is located at coor dms|40|27|9|N|85|22|10|W|city (40.452548, -85.369324)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.7 km²), of which, 3.7 square miles (9.6 km²) of it is land and 0.27% is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 6,928 people, 2,918 households, and 1,943 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,861.7 people per square mile (719.1/km²). There were 3,156 housing units at an average density of 848.1/sq mi (327.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.34% White, 0.09% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.61% of the population.

There were 2,918 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,531, and the median income for a family was $39,654. Males had a median income of $29,257 versus $20,600 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,596. About 7.3% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Early History

Folklore taught in local elementary schools suggested that Hartford City was originally a place to cross Lick Creek, known as “Hart’s ford”. This evolved to Hartford, and was eventually changed to Hartford City to avoid confusion. During the last half of the 19th Century, East Central Indiana consisted mostly of rural farming communities, including Hartford City. According to the publication “Hartford City Illustrated”, published April 1896 by Daulton & Scott, the city’s population did not exceed 2,000 until after natural gas was discovered in the region in 1887. Hartford City’s population tripled in the next decade, as manufacturers were lured to the region to take advantage of low costs for land and the natural gas. Hartford City benefited from railroad service from two railroads in addition to a natural gas supply that was thought to be unlimited. Manufacturers such as Hartford City Glass, Sneath Glass, Hartford City Paper, Utility Paper, and Willman Lumber all located or began in Hartford City during the 1890s. Although the supply of natural gas was soon exhausted, many of these businesses continued to the 1950s and beyond. As the manufacturing boom declined, most of the skilled workforce either left the city or became commuters that worked in the auto parts manufacturing plants located in nearby cities.

References

External links