Gas City
CountryUnited States
StateIndiana
CountyGrant
MayorBill Rock Jr. (I)[citation needed]
Founded1892
Area total13.02 km²
Area land13.02 km²
Area water0.00 km²
Population as of2020
Population est6129[1]
Pop est as of2025
Population total6157
Population density1224.79 sq mi
Population density472.88 km²
Time zoneEST (UTC-5)
Time zone (DST)EDT (UTC-4)
Area total5.03 sq mi
Area land5.03 sq mi
Area water0.00 sq mi
Elevation853 ft
Coordinates40°29′27″N 85°36′20″W
Websitegascitygov.com
ZIP code46933
Area code765
FIPS code18-27054[2]
GNIS feature ID2394866[3]
Unit prefImperial

Gas City is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States, along the Mississinewa River. The population was 6,157 at the 2020 census.

History

Gas City was first known as Harrisburg when settled on May 25, 1867, by Noah Harris. It became a boom town when natural gas was found in the area in 1887 as part of the Indiana gas boom. The Gas City Land Company was founded on March 21, 1892, and the town of about 150 people changed its name to Gas City a few days later.[4] However, much of the natural gas was depleted by the late 1800s and early 1900s, often due to inefficient extraction.[5]

The Gas City High School, Thompson-Ray House, and West Ward School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[6]

Gas City annually hosts the Ducktail Run Rod and Custom Car Show in the Fall. The "Ducktail Run," as it is known to locals, is a large car show featuring vehicles from 1972 and older. In the year 2020, the Festival had 2,020 vehicles register to appear.[7]

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Gas City has a total area of 4.56 square miles (11.81 km2), all land.[8]

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Gas City had a population of 6,157. The median age was 40.4 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.3 males age 18 and over.[9][10]

98.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.3% lived in rural areas.[11]

There were 2,562 households in Gas City, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.7% were married-couple households, 18.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[9]

There were 2,734 housing units, of which 6.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.1%.[9]

Racial composition as of the 2020 census[10]
RaceNumberPercent
White5,61091.1%
Black or African American671.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native300.5%
Asian330.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander00.0%
Some other race681.1%
Two or more races3495.7%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)2263.7%

2010 census

As of the census[12] of 2010, there were 5,965 people, 2,410 households, and 1,632 families living in the city. The population density was 1,308.1 inhabitants per square mile (505.1 /km2). There were 2,597 housing units at an average density of 569.5 inhabitants per square mile (219.9 /km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.2% White, 0.9% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.

There were 2,410 households, of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.3% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.92.

The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.6% were from 25 to 44; 27.1% were from 45 to 64; and 15.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 5,940 people, 2,393 households, and 1,643 families living in the city. The population density was 1,599.2 inhabitants per square mile (617.5 /km2). There were 2,497 housing units at an average density of 672.3 inhabitants per square mile (259.6 /km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.46% White, 0.30% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.56% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.52% of the population.

There were 2,393 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,940, and the median income for a family was $42,056. Males had a median income of $34,020 versus $23,482 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,295. About 8.1% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

Transport

Gas City is served by several state and federal routes:

Education

Gas City is home to the Mississinewa School Corporation, which features Mississinewa High School, R.J. Baskett Middle School, and Northview Elementary school all in the city. The town has a lending library, the Gas City-Mill Township Public Library.[13]

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "Gas City Demographic Statistics". Indiana Demographics by Cubit. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  2. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ^
  4. ^ "Gas City History". City of Gas City, IN. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  5. ^ Glass, James A. (2000). "The Gas Boom in East Central Indiana". Indiana Magazine of History. 96 (4): 313–335. ISSN 0019-6673. JSTOR 27792274
  6. ^
  7. ^ "Ducktail Run". Ducktail Run. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
  8. ^ "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  9. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  10. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  11. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  12. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  13. ^ "Indiana public library directory". Indiana State Library. Archived from the original on February 18, 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2018.