Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fort Wayne is a city and the county seat of Allen County in northeastern Indiana. As of the 2000 census, as recertified in June 2003, the city had a total population of 220,486. It is named after a U.S. military fort established in 1794 by Gen. Anthony Wayne where the St. Joseph River and St. Marys River join to form the Maumee River.

Economy

Major industries

In the mid-20th century, Fort Wayne was a major manufacturing center of the northeastern United States. Major employers included General Electric, International Harvester (left Fort Wayne in 1983), and Tokheim gasoline pumps (sold in 2003). Phelps Dodge, Rea Wire, and Essex Wire comprised the largest concentration of copper and enamel wire manufacturing in the world. In the latter half of the 20th century, shifts in manufacturing patterns resulted in a reduction of the importance of manufacturing to the city economy, and Fort Wayne could be counted among the relatively stagnant "rust belt" cities of the northeast.

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In recent decades growth based on a more diverse economy has resumed. General Motors opened the Truck and Bus Assembly operation in the 1980s. Fort Wayne employs many in the transportation and logistics sector, with Sirva, Norfolk-Southern railroad, Triple Crown Intermodal, and Kitty Hawk Air Cargo combining for more than 2,500 local jobs. National defense is also an increasingly important component of the local economy, with ITT and Raytheon employing more than 1,000 people each. While the homegrown Lincoln National Corporation has changed names and relocated its headquarters to Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial still employs about 1,500 professionals in the city and contributes millions of dollars annually to local charities and civic causes.

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Taxes