Columbia City

History

The first European ancestry settlers arrived in 1837 as a result of the end of the Black Hawk War and the Erie Canal. They were from New England - "Yankee" Settlers, descendants of the English Puritans who settled New England in the colonial era. They were primarily members of the Congregational Church though due to the Second Great Awakening many of them had converted to Methodism and some had become Baptists before coming to what is now Columbia City. Columbia City was founded in 1839, originally just being called "Columbia". The name was later changed in 1854 since there was already a city named Columbia in the state. Many public debates were held to discuss different names for the city, but it was later only reduced to two: "Beaver" and "Columbia City." Eventually, the name Columbia City was selected. The completion of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, & Chicago Railway in 1856 brought rapid growth to the small town, and from 1865 to 1875 the population would have tripled. Columbia City was incorporated in the state of Indiana in 1888. The city's historic jailhouse was built in 1875 with an old second empire-style. It is known to be haunted. A new county jail was inaugurated in 2024. The Whitley County Courthouse was designed (1888–1891) by Brentwood S. Tolan, of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The Thomas R. Marshall House was added to the register in 1983 and the Columbia City Historic District was added in 1987.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Columbia City has a total area of , of which (or 99.63%) is land and (or 0.37%) is water. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Columbia City has a hot-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Columbia City was on June 26, 1988, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 19–21, 1994. |source 2 = National Weather Service }}

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Columbia City High School
  High · Columbia City · 1,147 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• Indian Springs Middle School
  Middle · Columbia City · 834 students · 18.5:1 ratio
• Churubusco Jr-Sr High School
  High · Churubusco · 647 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• Little Turtle Elementary School
  Elementary · Columbia City · 604 students · 17.3:1 ratio
• Whitko Jr/Sr High School
  High · South Whitley · 541 students · 8.9:1 ratio
• Northern Heights Elementary School
  Elementary · Columbia City · 510 students · 18.2:1 ratio
• Churubusco Elementary School
  Elementary · Churubusco · 485 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• South Whitley Elementary School
  Elementary · South Whitley · 289 students · 15.2:1 ratio