City of Bluffton, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates: 40°44′17″N 85°10′20″W / 40.73806, -85.17222
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	827 ft (252 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	9,536
- 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: www.ci.bluffton.in.us

Bluffton is a city in Harrison and Lancaster Townships, Wells County, Indiana, United States. The population was 9,536 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Wells County^[3].

Geography

Bluffton is located at 40°44′17″N, 85°10′20″W (40.737991, -85.172223)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.6 square miles (17.1 km²), of which, 6.6 square miles (17.1 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/sq mi (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.

Notable natives and former residents

• Don Lash, champion long-distance runner who won the 1938 James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States, was born in Bluffton in 1912.
• Daniel Patrick Moynihan, former U.S. Senator from New York, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, former ambassador to India.
• Everett Scott, former baseball player, MLB New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the 1920s.
• Jim Barbieri, longtime editor and writer for the Bluffton News-Banner who died on April 1, 2006. He is considered to be one of the most prolific newspaper journalists in American history, working at the newspaper for 56 years.

Facts

• The Bluffton Street Fair, held during the third week of September every year, is the largest of its kind in Indiana.
• Allegedly, the pretzel that President George W. Bush choked on is from Pretzels, Inc. in Bluffton.

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]

According to Ellis, local folklore around Bluffton suggests that Bluffton once had an ordinance to keep African-Americans out. Documented practices of exclusion date back to 1880 when two barbers and a cook came to work in a local hotel. The three African-Americans received written notices informing them that they had to leave. The hotel owner and the sheriff were also warned to "get rid of the Negroes," which is indeed what happened.^[7]

References

External links

• City of Bluffton

• Bluffton, Indiana is at coordinates 40°44′17″N 85°10′20″W / 40.737991, -85.172223 (Bluffton, Indiana)Coordinates: 40°44′17″N 85°10′20″W / 40.737991, -85.172223 (Bluffton, Indiana)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Wells County, Indiana County seat: Bluffton Cities and towns Bluffton | Markle | Ossian | Poneto | Uniondale | Vera Cruz | Zanesville Townships Chester | Harrison | Jackson | Jefferson | Lancaster | Liberty | Nottingham | Rockcreek | Union Unincorporated communities Craigville | Curryville | Dillman | Domestic | Five Points | Greenville | Greenwood | Jeff | Keystone | Kingsland | Liberty Center | McNatts | Mount Zion | Murray | North Oaks | Nottingham | Petroleum | Phenix | Reiffsburg | Riverside | Rockford | Tocsin | Toll Gate Heights | Travisville | Wellsburg