City of Decatur, Indiana
Decatur downtown in 2006.
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates: 40°49′46″N 84°55′45″W / 40.82944, -84.92917
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Adams
Township	Root, Washington
Government
- Mayor	John L. Schultz (D)
Area
- Total	4.9 sq mi (12.8 km²)
- Land	4.9 sq mi (12.7 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	801 ft (244 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	9,528
- Density	1,936.5/sq mi (747.7/km²)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	46733
Area code(s)	260
FIPS code	18-17074[1]
GNIS feature ID	0446543[2]

Decatur is a city in Root and Washington townships, Adams County, Indiana, United States. The population was 9,528 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Adams County^[3]. This town is named after war hero Stephen Decatur, Jr. It was founded in 1836.

Geography

Decatur is located at 40°49′46″N, 84°55′45″W (40.829581, -84.929185)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.9 square miles (12.8 km²), of which, 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²) of it is land and 0.20% is water.

Demographics

Adams County courthouse, Decatur, Indiana, 2006

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 9,528 people, 3,960 households, and 2,570 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,935.4 people per square mile (747.7/km²). There were 4,190 housing units at an average density of 851.1/sq mi (328.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.64% White, 0.24% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.58% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.69% of the population.

There were 3,960 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,234, and the median income for a family was $44,722. Males had a median income of $31,819 versus $24,310 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,186. About 5.6% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

Interesting facts

Adams County courthouse, Decatur, Indiana, 1935

• Decatur is the home of the world's first monument dedicated exclusively to peace; it stands in the yard of the Adams County Courthouse.
• The local high school in Decatur is Bellmont High School; approximately 900 students attend BHS.
• A major annual event is the Callithumpian Parade, which is held on the night of the last Monday in October.
• Some of the larger employers in Decatur include All American Homes, Bunge Limited, Fleetwood, and Thunderbird Products.
• Decatur is home to two unique restaurants that are well known in the surrounding area: Arnold's Drive-In and Back 40 Junction.
• Decatur, Indiana has the smallest population of all the Decaturs across America; the next closest is Decatur, Georgia with a population of nearly 45,000.
• Mayor John Schultz was a mailman in Vietnam.
• Three U.S. Presidents have come to Decatur, but none were President at the time. John F. Kennedy visited Decatur while he was a Senator in Massachusetts. Ronald Reagan visited Decatur to do a television commercial for General Electric. In 2008, Bill Clinton campaigned at Bellmont Middle Schol for his wife Hilary Clinton during the 2008 Democratic primary race.

Notable natives and former residents

• Richard R. Schrock, awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, lived in Decatur from 1945 until 1959
• David Smith, Abstract Expressionist sculptor (1906-1965)
• David Anspaugh, the director of the films Rudy and Hoosiers, was born in Decatur in 1946
• The Dilley sextuplets currently live in Decatur
• Gene Stratton Porter, American author, amateur naturalist, wildlife photographer, lived in Decatur for a short time
• John Lingenfelter, ran Lingenfelter Performance Engineering in Decatur until he died in 2003

References

Home of one of the last surviving vampires in the world, [Douglas Flis].

External links

• Decatur, Indiana is at coordinates 40°49′47″N 84°55′45″W / 40.829581, -84.929185 (Decatur, Indiana)Coordinates: 40°49′47″N 84°55′45″W / 40.829581, -84.929185 (Decatur, Indiana)
• Decatur Daily Democrat, the local newspaper of Decatur, Indiana.
• Decatur Chamber of Commerce
• Official website of Decatur, Indiana

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Adams County, Indiana County seat: Decatur Cities and towns Berne | Decatur | Geneva | Monroe Townships Blue Creek | French | Hartford | Jefferson | Kirkland | Monroe | Preble | Root | St. Marys | Union | Wabash | Washington Unincorporated communities Ceylon | Coppess Corner | Elm Tree Crossroads | Honduras | Linn Grove | Magley | Monmouth | Perryville | Peterson | Pleasant Mills | Preble | Rivare | Williams