Anderson, Indiana

Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison county. Anderson is the headquarters of the Church of God (Anderson) and home of Anderson University, which is affiliated with that denomination. Highlights of the city include the historic Paramount Theatre and the Gruenewald Historic House.

The population was 59,734 at the 2000 census.

History
Prior to the organization of Madison County, William Conner entered the land upon which Anderson is located. Conner later sold the ground to John and Sarah Berry, who donated 32 acres (129,000 m²) of their land to Madison County on the condition that the county seat would be moved from Pendleton to Anderson. John Berry laid out the first plat of Anderson on November 7, 1827. In 1828 the seat of justice was moved from Pendleton to Anderson.

The city is named for Chief William Anderson, whose mother was a Delaware Indian (Lenape) and whose father was of Swedish descent. Chief Anderson's Indian name was Kikthawenund (spelled in a variety of ways) meaning "making a noise" or "causing to crack." The Delaware village was known as Anderson's Town, though the Moravian Missionaries called it "The Heathen Town Four Miles Away." Anderson was also known as Andersonton before being formally organized as Anderson.

Introduction of internal improvements by the Mammoth Internal Improvement Act caused a growth in the population in 1837. In December, 1838, Anderson was incorporated as a town with 350 inhabitants. The Central Canal, a branch of the Wabash and Erie Canal, was planned to come through Anderson. Work continued on the canal during 1838 and the beginning of 1839, but work on the canal was soon suspended by the state following the Panic of 1837. The town again became a sleepy village until 1849 when it was incorporated a second time as a town. Many new commercial ventures located around the Courthouse Square.

This incorporation was short-lived and Anderson once again went back to village status in 1852. However, with the completion of the Indianapolis Bellefontaine Railroad, as well as their station in 1852, Anderson burst to life. The third incorporation of Anderson as a town occurred on June 9, 1853. The population continued to increase. On August 28, 1865, with a population was nearly 1,300 people, Anderson was incorporated as a city.

Between 1853 and the late 19th century, twenty industries of various sizes located there. On March 31, 1887, natural gas was discovered in Anderson. As the Indiana Gas Boom began, this discovery led new businesses that could use natural gas, such as glass-making, to move to the city. Anderson grew to such proportions that a Cincinnati newspaper editor labeled the city "The Pittsburgh on White River." Other appellations were "Queen City of the Gas Belt" and (because of the vulcanizing and the rubber tire manufacturing business) "Puncture Proof City."

In 1897 the Interurban Railroad was born in Anderson. Charles Henry, a large stock holder, coined the term "Interurban" in 1893. It continued to operate until 1941.

The year 1912 spelled disaster for Anderson: the natural gas ran out, due to the residents squandering their resources. The city left its gas powered lights on day and night, and there are stories of a pocket of natural gas being lit in the river and burning for a prolonged period for the spectacle of it. The result of the loss of natural gas was that several factories moved out. The whole city slowed down. The Commercial Club (formed on November 18, 1905) was the forerunner of the present chamber of commerce. This club persuaded the Remy brothers to stay in Anderson and others to locate there. For decades, Delco Remy and Guide Lamp (later Fisher Guide) were the top two employers in the city. From 1913 through the 1950s, the Ward-Stilson Company was one of the country's largest producers of uniforms, regalia, furniture and props for the Freemasons, the Odd Fellows and dozens of other U.S. fraternal organizations.

The Church of God of Anderson located its world headquarters in Anderson in 1905. Anderson Bible School was opened in 1917, and this was separated from Gospel Trumpet (now known as Warner Press) in 1925. At the same time, it became known as Anderson Bible School and Seminary. In 1925, the name was changed to Anderson College and then to Anderson University in 1988.

Over the years, 17 different types of automobiles were manufactured in Anderson with the Lambert family among the city's leaders in its development and Buckeye Gasoline Buggy the Lambert product. Many other inventions were perfected in Anderson including: the gas regulator (Miron G. Reynolds), the stamp vending machine (Frank P. Dunn), clothes presser (H. Donald Forse), Irish Mail (Hugh Hill), flower car for funeral homes (Francis M. McClain, automatic gearshift (Von D. Polhemus)), Sisson choke (Glenn Sisson), and the vulcanizing process to retread tires (Charles E. Miller).

Geography
Anderson is located at 40.10004°N, -85.68152°W. The city of Anderson is located in parts of four townships: Anderson, Union, Richland, and Lafayette.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.2 square miles (104.0 km²), of which, 40.0 square miles (103.7 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.27%) is water.

Points of interest

 * Downtown Historic District
 * Paramount Theatre (Anderson, Indiana)
 * Mounds State Park
 * The Anderson Center for the Arts
 * Madison County Historical Center

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 59,734 people, 25,274 households, and 15,417 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,491.6 people per square mile (575.9/km²). There were 27,643 housing units at an average density of 690.3 per square mile (266.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.99% White, 14.88% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.07% of the population.

There were 25,274 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,577, and the median income for a family was $39,552. Males had a median income of $31,346 versus $22,736 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,142. About 10.8% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government
The city government consists of a mayor and a city council. The mayor is elected in citywide vote. The city council consists of nine members. Six are elected from individual districts. Three members are elected at large.

Economy
In 2007, Anderson was ranked 98th in the Forbes List for 100 Best Places for Businesses among Smaller U.S. Metro areas.

When General Motors closed its operations in Anderson, the city was dealt a major economic blow as GM was the biggest employer in Anderson.

Education
Anderson's public school district is the Anderson Community School Corporation, which includes one high school, Anderson High School which serves grades 10–12, one junior high school, Highland Junior High School (formerly Highland High School) which serves grades 7-9, two intermediate schools, North Side and East Side which serve grades 4-6, and three elementary schools, which serve k-3. Until 1997, Anderson had three high schools: Highland, Madison Heights and Anderson. In 1997 Madison Heights was closed and Anderson High School moved into that facility. Beginning in the fall of 2010, Highland High School closed, as well, consolidating all students in grades 9-12 into Anderson High School.

Anderson also has a charter school (non-traditional, tuition-free public school) called Anderson Preparatory Academy. Currently, Anderson Preparatory Academy features grades K-11, planning to add grade 12 in the next year. Anderson Preparatory Academy is a college preparatory, military-based academy. All cadets in grades 6-8 are members of the Civil Air Patrol. High school cadets are all members of the Air Force JROTC program. Original plans called to only offer grades 6-9, then add on another upper grade each year before extending the lower years. However, do to popular demand created by parents pulling students out of the "failing" Anderson Community Schools, APA expanded much quicker.

Anderson University and Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana are also located within the city.

In fiction
The title of a book in the fictional series in the comic strip Peanuts, "The Six Bunny Wunnies," is The Six Bunnie-Wunnies and Their Layover in Anderson, Indiana.

Anderson is the home of several characters in the alternate history novel The Man with the Iron Heart by Harry Turtledove.

Notable citizens

 * Jermaine Allensworth, athlete
 * Lowell Amos, convicted "Black Widower" murderer
 * Melvin E. Biddle, World War II Medal of Honor recipient
 * Everett N. Case, nicknamed "Gray Fox," basketball coach notable for his tenure at North Carolina State University, 1946–1964
 * James Davis, politician, Secretary of Labor
 * Winfield Durbin, politician, former Governor of Indiana
 * David L. Edwards, Analyst, PR, Corporate Communications
 * Carl Erskine, former MLB pitcher for the Brooklyn & Los Angeles Dodgers (1948–1959)
 * Krystal Harris, singer
 * Charles L. Henry, politician, congressman, coiner of the term "interurban"
 * Orville Hodge, embezzler
 * James Kilgore, Symbionese Liberation Army member
 * John William Lambert, inventor of first successful U.S. gasoline automobile
 * Adam Lind, athlete
 * Von Mansfield, athlete
 * Brittany Mason, Teen Model USA 2004, Miss Indiana USA 2008, International Model
 * Mack Mattingly, politician, Georgia senator
 * Jon McLaughlin, singer
 * Phill Niblock, composer and filmmaker
 * Sandi Patty, singer
 * James Rebhorn, actor
 * Brian Reed, comic book writer
 * Kris Roe (The Ataris), singer
 * Fred Mustard Stewart, author
 * Max Terhune, actor
 * Ray Tolbert, athlete
 * Albert Vestal, majority whip of the House of Representatives, 1923–1931
 * Louis J. Weichmann
 * Bobby Wilkerson, athlete
 * Jumping Johnny Wilson, athlete
 * James Whitcomb Riley, poet
 * John Wilkes Booth, assassin / American stage actor
 * Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, author