Muncie

Muncie is an incorporated city and the seat of Delaware County, Indiana. It is located in East Central Indiana, about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Indianapolis. The United States Census for 2020 reported the city's population was 65,194. Muncie developed as a manufacturing and industrial center, especially after the Indiana gas boom of the 1880s. As a result of the Middletown studies, sociological research that was first conducted in the 1920s, Muncies is said to be one of the most studied United States cities of its size. The city's early name of Munsee Town is derived from the "Munsee" clan of Lenape people, the white settlers' name for a group of Native Americans whose village was once situated along the White River. In 1818 the area's native tribes ceded their lands to the federal government under the terms of the Treaty of St. Mary's and agreed to move farther west by 1821. The area was first settled in the 1790s by the Lenape (Delaware) people, who were forced west from their tribal lands in the Mid-Atlantic region (all of New Jersey, southeastern New York, eastern Pennsylvania, and northern Delaware) to new lands in present-day Ohio and eastern Indiana. Prior to the discovery of nearby natural-gas wells and the beginning of the gas boom in 1886, the region was primarily an agricultural area. The Indianapolis and Bellefontaine Railroad provided the town and the surrounding area with access to larger markets for its agricultural production.

History

Muncie was first settled in the 1790s by the Lenape (Delaware) people, who were forced west from their tribal lands in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Lenape founded several towns along the White River, including Munsee Town, near the site of present-day Muncie. Abundant supplies of natural gas attracted new businesses, industries, and additional residents to the city. The city's early utility companies also date to the mid-1860s, including the city's waterworks, which was established in 1865. After the American Civil War, the arrival of additional railroads from the late 1890s to the early 1900s and the discovery of abundant natural gas in the area led to a new era of prosperity for the city and surrounding area. By the time the natural gas supply from the Trenton Gas Field had significantly declined and the gas boom ended in Indiana around 1910, Muncies was well established as an industrial town and a commercial center for east-central Indiana, especially with several railroad lines connecting it to larger cities. The arrival of automobile industry manufacturing after 1900 also contributed to the growth of the city in the late 1800s and early 20th century. A public library was dedicated on January 1, 1904, which served as the main branch of the public library system. The forerunner to Ball State University arrived in the early twentieth century, but it closed after two years. Several subsequent efforts to establish a private college also helped establish the private college.

Government

Muncie is a second class city in Indiana (pop. 35,000 to 599,999) It is governed by a Mayor and a nine-member city council as well as a city clerk and city judge. The current mayor is Dan Ridenour, a Republican first elected in 2019. The nine-members of the city council are divided into six members elected from districts and three members elected at-large. City elections for Mayor, city council, city judge, and city clerk are held in odd years immediately preceding presidential elections (2015, 2019, etc.). The current city clerk is Belinda Munson and the current city judge is Amanda Dunnuck. The county government is a constitutional body and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code. It is the only county government in Indiana with a mayor and a city council of more than 10 members. The city council is made up of six members from districts, three members from at- large, and one member from the mayor's office. The mayor and city council members are elected for a four-year term, with the mayor and the city clerk serving a two-year terms, and the clerk and judge serving a three-yearterm, respectively. The council is composed of six men and one woman, with three members of the mayor’s office serving a four year term, and a member of the council from the county council for one year, and two members from the state legislature for two years.

Geography

Muncie has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) experiencing four distinct seasons. Muncie has over 50 identified neighborhoods. According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of 27.392 square miles (70.94 km²) of which 99.3% is land and 0.192 sq miles (0.50km²) (or 0.7%) is water. The city is located on the Indiana Turnpike, which runs through the center of the city. It has a population of 1,816,000 (as of the 2010 Census) and a population growth rate of 1.7% since the 1950s. The town has a climate of Dfa, which means it has a dry, hot, and dry climate. The area has a high level of humidity. It also has a low level of dryness, which makes it a wet, hot and humid climate. It is located near the Indiana River, which is a source of water for the city's water supply. The water table is low, and the city is covered by a low-lying area called the Indiana Dunes, which have a low water level of 0.3%. The city has over 100,000 residents, the majority of whom live in or near the town's downtown area. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a training facility in the city, which was built in the early 1900s. It was the first military base in the state, and is one of the oldest.

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, there were 65,194 people, 26,692 households and 6,179 families residing in the city. The most common language spoken at home was English with 95.5% speaking it at home. The median household income in Muncie was $34,602, 38.4% less than the median average for the state of Indiana. 30.2% of the population were in poverty, including 32.6% of residents under the age of 18. The poverty rate for the town was 17.3% higher than that of the state. 18.6 per cent of the town's population was disabled and 8.7 per cent had no healthcare coverage. The city's median gross rent was $714 and the homeownership rate was 50.0%. The median age of the city was 28.8 years, with 83.8% of people age 18 or older. 53.2 per cent were employed, working a mean of 34.0 hours per week. 5.8 per cent are veterans. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.09. It is the most populous city in Indiana, with a population of 70,085. It has a population density of 2,577.0 inhabitants per square mile (995.0/km²) and a population growth rate of 2.4 per cent over the past decade. It's the most densely populated city in the state, with 31,183 people living there.

Economy

Muncie's major industrial development included glass manufacturing, iron and steel mills, and automobile manufacturing and auto parts factories. As in many mid-sized cities in the Rust Belt, deindustrialization, which began in the 1960s, impacted Muncie's economy. From 2001 to 2011, the city lost thousands of jobs as the city continued transitioning from a blue-collar workforce to a white-collar service economy. The city also struggles to retain college graduates. Despite Ball State's presence, only 32.2 percent of Delaware County's working-age adults (ages 2564) hold a two-year or four-year college degree, which is below the national average. As of September 2022, the largest employers in the city were: BorgWarner, The Broderick Company (aformer division of Harsco), Dayton-Walther Corporation, Delco Remy, General Motors, New Venture Gear, Hemingray Glass Company, Ontario Corporation, A. E. Boyce Company, Indiana Steel and Wire, and Westinghouse Electric. In 2009, MunCie became the U.S. headquarters for Brevini Wind, an Italian-based company that manufactures gearboxes for wind turbines. In 2011, locomotive maker Progress Rail (a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc) opened in a former Westedhouse facility that had been vacant since 1998. First Merchants Corporation is based in Muncies, and the first Scotty's Brewhouse location opened in theCity in 1996.

Culture

Three of the city's largest performing arts centers belong to Ball State University: the 3,581-seat Emens Auditorium, the 600-seat Sursa Performance Hall, and the 410-seat University Theatre. Minnetrista Cultural Center, just north of downtown along the White River, is a cultural heritage museum featuring exhibits and programs focusing on nature, east-central Indiana history, and art. The Cardinal Greenway, Indiana's longest rail trail project, stretches 60 miles (97 km) from Richmond to Marion, Indiana. Muncie is home to the NCAA Division I Ball State Cardinals which is a member of the Mid-American Conference. Notable sports include football (played at Scheumann Stadium), men's basketball (played at John E. Worthen Arena), and baseball (play at Ball Diamond) The city also has a network of craft beer enthusiasts. The city's music scene has been home to such acts as Brazil, Everything, Now!, and Archer Avenue (ex-Margot & the Nuclear So and So's). Muncies MusicFest is held every year in late September. The Ball State campus is also home to Christy Woods, an 18-acre (7.3-hectare) arboretum, three greenhouses, and the Wheeler Orchid Collection and Species Bank. The MuncIE Flyers, also known as the Congerville Flyers, were a professional football team from 1905 to 1925. It played in the National Football League (NFL) in 1920 and 1921.

Education

The U.S. state of Indiana's high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools. The state's higher education institutions include Ball State University, Ivy Tech Community College, and Scuba Educators International. Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities is the state's only high school for science and math education. Indiana University-Purdue University-Indiana is a state university. Indiana State University-IU-Indiana offers a bachelor's and master's degree program in science and technology. The Indiana State College of Art and Design offers a master's program in art and design. The University of Notre Dame offers a masters program in design and design studies. The U.N. State of Indiana is the only state to offer a bachelor’s program in engineering and design, which began in the 1970s. The State College College of Arts and Sciences offers a doctorate program in business and management. The university offers a business program in the 1990s and 2000s, which started in the 2000s. It is the first state college in Indiana to offer an associate degree in business, which was established in the 1980s. In 2000, the University of Indiana-Indiana added a masters degree in computer science to its program. The program is a joint program between Ball State and Indiana State, which also offers a certificate program in computer and business studies. It was the first to do so in the state. The college has a program in both business and engineering, which has been in existence since 2000.

Transportation

Until 1986 Muncie's Wysor Street Depot was a passenger train stop on the Chicago-Cincinnati service of Amtrak's Cardinal. Fort Wayne International Airport at 74.4 miles (119.7 km) and Indianapolis International Airport are the nearest commercial airports. Muncies Indiana Transit System (MITS) provides 14 fixed bus routes daily, except Sundays. Until 1971, MunCie Union Station was a stop on Penn Central's Indianapolis-Cleveland on the route of the New York Central's former Southwestern Limited (St. Louis-New York City) and Cleveland Special (Indianapolis-cleveland). MuncIE is located on the Indiana Turnpike, which runs from Indianapolis to Bloomington and from Bloomington to Chicago. The city is home to the Indiana State Museum, which was built in 1894. The Indiana State Fair is held every year in the town's downtown area. The town is also the site of the Indiana state fair, which takes place in the spring and summer of each year. It is also home to a state fair that runs in the fall and the state fair in the winter, which is held in the summer. It also hosts the Indiana International Film Festival, which took place in 2008 and 2009. The state fair runs from September to November. It was founded in 1892 and is located in the city's historic downtown area, which dates back to the early 19th century. It has been the home of Indiana's state fair since 1894, and is now the state's largest.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Muncie, Delaware County, Indiana = 44.2. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 10. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 81. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Muncie = 3.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 65,194 individuals with a median age of 31.1 age the population dropped by -4.96% in Muncie, Delaware County, Indiana population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,379.00 residents per square mile of area (918.54/km²). There are average 2.15 people per household in the 26,706 households with an average household income of $28,611 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 9.70% of the available work force and has dropped -4.94% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 20.42%. The number of physicians in Muncie per 100,000 population = 224.9.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Muncie = 38.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 26 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 121. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 185. 85 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 16.9 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 45, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Muncie, Delaware County, Indiana which are owned by the occupant = 49.22%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 51 years with median home cost = $86,620 and home appreciation of 1.17%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $10.21 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,893 per student. There are 15.3 students for each teacher in the school, 388 students for each Librarian and 375 students for each Counselor. 4.51% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 10.73% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 9.74% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).