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Elkhart (IPA: ) is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The population was 55,874 at the 2000 census.
Industry
Elkhart has long been the headquarters of numerous manufacturers of musical instruments and accessories, of which most of the surviving companies have been absorbed into the Conn-Selmer conglomerate.
In 1884 Dr. Franklin Miles launched the Miles Medical Co. in Elkhart, which in later decades produced products like Alka-Seltzer and One-A-Day vitamins. Later, the Miles Medical Co. was purchased by the German company Bayer, in 1979 and was consolidated into the larger Pittsburgh-based Bayer, Inc. by 1995. *
Elkhart is home to many Recreational vehicle (RV) manufacturers, including the Damon Corporation, Four Winds, Hy-Line, Keystone, Monaco, Skyline, Sun Valley, and Travel Supreme. Many other manufacturers, including Dutchman, Heartland, Gulf Stream, and Jayco, can be found nearby in Goshen, Middlebury, Nappanee, and Wakarusa. Due to the high concentration of the RV industry in the area, Elkhart is dubbed the "RV Capital of the World." *
Geography
Elkhart is located at (41.683149, -85.968798).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 57.7 km² (22.3 mi²). 55.3 km² (21.4 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (4.00%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 51,874 people, 20,072 households, and 12,504 families residing in the city. The population density was 937.7/km² (2,428.0/mi²). There were 21,688 housing units at an average density of 392.0/km² (1,015.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.48% White, 14.75% African American, 0.43% Native American, 1.17% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 9.16% from other races, and 2.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.80% of the population.
There were 20,072 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the city the population 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. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,863, and the median income for a family was $40,514. Males had a median income of $30,674 versus $22,760 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,890. About 11.1% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Town Twinning
Sports teams
The Elkhart Express is a semi-pro Men's Basketball Team started in 2006. Their home games are played at the Northside Middle School gym in Elkhart. *
Notable residents and natives
- Shawn Kemp, basketball player
- Schaefer Suggs, football player
- Erich Barnes, football player
- Peter Reckell, actor
- Farrah Forke, actress
- Louis Criger, baseball player
- Lindsay Benko, gold medalist swimmer
- Amber Jacobs, WNBA basketball player
- Thomas Hampson, baritone
- Tracy Ferrie, musician
External links
- City of Elkhart website
- Elkhart Chamber of Commerce
- Elkhart on city-data.com - extensive collections of statistics and graphs relating to Elkhart.
- Elkhart Sucks - a satirical web site with a collection of photos from the Elkhart area.
"Elkhart, Indiana"