Goshen, Indiana
Encyclopedia : G : GO : GOS : Goshen, Indiana
Goshen (IPA: [ˈgo.ʃɛn]) is a city of about 30,000 located about 100 miles east of Chicago, Illinois and 30 miles east of South Bend, Indiana in north-central Indiana. It is the county seat of Elkhart county. The town's preferred nickname is the Maple City.
It is primarily known as a center of manufacturing for recreational vehicles and accessories. It is also home to Goshen College, a nationally recognized liberal arts college.
Geography
Goshen is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.7 km² (13.4 mi²). 34.2 km² (13.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.57%) is water.
The city is divided north/south by Lincoln Avenue and east/west by Main Street. There is a distinct economic/social divide between the north and south sides of the city, the north side being regarded as the area north of the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks. This is in places a disadvantaged area and much of the city's crime occurs here. The growing Latino population of Goshen has largely settled on the north side.
South of Lincoln Avenue is considered the "old money" area of the city and many old houses and brick streets are preserved.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 29,383 people, 10,675 households, and 7,088 families residing in the city. The population density was 860.1/km² (2,227.7/mi²). There were 11,264 housing units at an average density of 329.7/km² (854.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.15% White, 1.53% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.10% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 12.00% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. 19.33% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 10,675 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,383, and the median income for a family was $46,877. Males had a median income of $32,159 versus $23,290 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,899. About 6.0% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Notes
- Film director Howard Hawks (1896-1977) was born and raised in Goshen, Indiana. The director of dozens of films, his 1941 film "Sergeant York" won him an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Other notable films directed by Hawks include "Scarface" (1932); "Bringing Up Baby" (1938); "Only Angels Have Wings" (1939); "His Girl Friday" (1940); "To Have and To Have Not" (1944); "The Big Sleep" (1946); "Red River" (1948); "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953); and "Rio Bravo" (1959).
- Former Notre Dame and NFL quarterback Rick Mirer is a native of Goshen. During his years quarterbacking at Notre Dame, he was often referred to as "The Goshen Motion". His father, Ken, led the Goshen High School football team to a state title.
- In 1999, officer Thomas Goodwin became Goshen's first, and to date, only police officer killed in the line of duty, at a shooting in the northwest part of town. A large playground in municipal Shanklin Park was built and dedicated in his memory.
- On December 6, 2001, Goshen was in the national news due to a shooting at the Nu-Wood factory. While initial reports said that 35 people had been shot, the actual facts were that the gunman, Robert Wissman killed one co-worker (plant general manager Greg Oswald), wounded 6 others, and took his own life.
- In 2005, Goshen based soccer club FC Indiana became the first North American women's team ever to win league and cup double by winning the Women's Premier Soccer League national championship and the US Open Cup national championship.
- Screenwriter James C. Strouse is a native of Goshen, Indiana. In 2005, his first film "Lonesome Jim" was filmed in Goshen, Indiana by actor Steve Buschemi. He is currently producing his second film, "Grace Is Gone," scheduled for release in 2007.
- Goshen native Andrew Stoner of Indianapolis is the author of the forthcoming biography (September 2006) on the life of Indiana Governor Frank L. O'Bannon. Stoner served as a member of O'Bannon's staff and his book, "Legacy Of A Governor: The Life of Indiana's Frank O'Bannon" is scheduled for release by [Rooftop Publishing] of Bloomington, Ind.
External links
- [City of Goshen] - informational page from Goshen College
- [Goshen city government website]
- [FC Indiana]
- [Goshen Chamber of Commerce]
- [Goshen on citydata.com] - collection of statistics and graphs of Goshen demographics.
- [Rooftop Publishing]
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