Community Tour

NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS……..JUNE 19, 2009 *** RICHMOND INDIANA NAMED AN ALL AMERICAN CITY (SECOND WIN!)

Richmond has won this prestigious (national) award twice…1987 & 2009 (See this page for more details)

About Richmond/Wayne County, Indiana Richmond is the county seat of Wayne County. Wayne County is located in the nation™s agricultural and industrial heartland. About 31% of the nation™s population live within only 500 miles of Wayne County. Richmond has received national recognition in the œNew Rating Guide to Life in America™s Small Cities ranking #13 in the U.S. and #1 in Indiana. Richmond received highest scores in the arts, learning institutions and broadcasting. Other criteria included the percentage of homeowners, broadcasting outlets, community groups and social services.

Population Richmond 37,000 +-   Hagerstown 1,719 +- Centerville 2,436 +- Fountain City 722 +- Cambridge City 2,069 +- Wayne County 70,235 +-

AIR TRAVEL

Greater Richmond Airport

• Five minutes from downtown Richmond.
• Offers charter service.
• Two 5,100-foot runways accommodate any aircraft short of a jumbo jet.
• For information, call 765-983-7297.

Hagerstown Airport

• Located in Hagerstown in western Wayne County.
• For information, call 765-489-7926.

Dayton International Airport

• Located in Vandalia, Ohio, 35 minutes east of Richmond.
• Offers14 passenger airlines with direct and non-stop flights to 41 US and two Canadian cities.
• Serves 2 air-cargo firms and 14 air-freight consolidators, with Foreign Trade Zone.
• For information, call 937-454-8200.

Indianapolis International Airport

• Located 70 minutes west of Richmond
• Rated one of the best US airports by International Air Transport Association.
• Serves 14 commercial passenger airlines with 540 non-stop destinations daily.
• For information, call 317-487-9594.

Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

• Located 90 minutes south of Richmond in Florence, Kentucky.
• Serves 13 passenger airlines offering daily non-stop and direct service to 115 cities (Paris, London, Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Toronto and Montreal).
• Handles 650,000 pounds of express freight nightly.
• For information, call 606-767-3151.

COST OF LIVING

Low Overall Taxes

• Property taxes: Taxes are assessed based on fair market value.
• 7% sales tax (except on food, prescription drugs, items consumed/used in manufacturing).
• 3.4% state and 1.25% county income tax on adjusted gross individual income.
• Edit tax at the rate of .0025% support county economic development

Low Utility Costs

• Electricity rates as low as 3.7 cents per kW (municipally-owned utility)
• Natural gas is 8% below the national average.

Affordable Housing

See Listings Here- Search for all types of local properties

• Home ownership within reach of higher percentage than in most of Indiana and U.S.
• Average  home price  is just $89,255 (MLS sales average from May, 2008 through May, 2009)
• Ample rural building sites (5-20 acres) throughout the county.
• Housing Costs:
  

  New Construction:	3-bedroom/2-bath, 1,400 sq. ft.	$135,000 – $145,000
  Existing:	2-bedroom/1-bath, 800 sq. ft. 4-bedroom/3-1/2 bath, 2,800 sq. ft.	$69,000 $269,000
  Average Monthly Apartment Rent:	2-bedroom, unfurnished	$510.00

COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

School Districts

Richmond Community Schools is the largest of five county school districts. Others are located in Fountain City, Centerville, Cambridge City, and Hagerstown.

Centerville-Abington Community Schools

• Two elementary schools, junior high and high school.
• From 1994-1999 invested $600,000 in technology.
• EXCEL Program for academically talented, Early Intervention for School Success, Reading Recovery Program and programs academically handicapped, attention deficit.
• Administrative Office: 115 West South, Centerville.
• Information: 765-855-3475

Nettle Creek School Corporation

• Kindergarten to 6th grade elementary schools, 7th to 12 grade junior/senior high school.
• 1,000,000 5-year plan for technology
• Student/teacher ratio is about 17 to 1.
• 85% classroom teachers have masters degrees
• Administrative Office: 297 East North Market, Hagerstown.
• Information: 765-489-4543.

Northeastern-Wayne Schools

• Two schools make up district: elementary and junior/senior high school
• Works with Indiana University East to assure instruction is cutting edge
• Graduation rates as high as 90%
• Administrative Office: P.O. Box 406, Fountain City, IN 47341
• Information: 765-847-2821.

Richmond Community Schools

• Nine elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school.
• Adopted Site-Based Shared Decision Making allowing parents, teachers, and community to decides individual school curriculum, instruction and culture.
• April 1996 issue of REDBOOK named Richmond High School the best in Indiana for curriculum and pursuit of excellence.
• Administrative Office: 300 Hub Etchison Parkway, Richmond.
• Information: 765-973-3300. http://rcs.k12.in.us/

Western Wayne Schools

• Academic programs have achieved excellent attendance rates of 95-96%
• Test scores consistently above those in the school system™s PBA league.
• Administrative Office: P. O. Box 217 Pershing, IN 47347
• Information: 765-478-5375.

Charter Schools

• Galileo Charter School http://www.galileocharterschool.org/index.html  K-6
• Galileo Charter School, a free, public school available to all K-6 students in the Richmond/Wayne County area. Galileo opened in August of 2005.

Parochial Schools

• The Children’s School:

  765-966-5767

• Richmond Friends School:

  765-935-3215

• New Creations Chapel and Christian School:

  765-935-2790

• Seton Catholic East & Seton Catholic West:

  765-962-5010 or 962-4877

• Seventh Day Adventist Church School:

  765-935-1033

Post-Secondary Schools

• Earlham: 801 National Road West

  765-983-1416

Bethany Theological Seminary

• Graduate seminary established in 1905, affiliated with Church of Brethren,
• Offers two master™s degrees and one-year certificate program.
• Office: 615 National Rd. West, Richmond.
• Information: 765-983-1800. http://www.bretheren.org/bethany

Earlham College

• Distinguished liberal arts college Founded by the Quakers in 1847.
• Rated among the top 30 national liberal arts colleges in the nation
• Offers programs and consulting services for companies seeking to establish business contacts in Japan and the Pacific Rim.
• Address: National Road West, Richmond.
• Information: 765-983-1200.

Earlham School of Religion

• Seminary (established in 1963) affiliated with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).
• Master of arts and master of divinity degrees offered.
• Address: 228 College Avenue, Richmond.
• Information: 765-983-1323.

Indiana University East/Purdue University Programs

• One of eight campuses of Indiana University
• Certificates, associate and bachelors degrees offered in more than 40 programs.
• Indiana University East enrollment: 2,480. Purdue Programs enrollment: 170.
• Address: 2325 Chester Blvd. Richmond.
• Information: 765-973-8208.

Ivy Tech State College

• Public, statewide, community-based technical college offering associates degrees and one-year technical certificates .
• Courses: business, health and human services, technology, general education.
• Works with local businesses to provide needed technical skills
• Address: 2325 Chester Blvd., Richmond.
• Information: 765-966-2656.
• Web site: http://www.ivytech.edu/richmond.

   REID HOSPITAL & HEALTHCARE SERVICES

Reid Hospital today, A NEW STATE OF THE ART HEALTHCARE FACILITY!

Reid Hospital, with numerous national accreditations, is a not-for-profit 233-bed regional referral medical center serving east central Indiana and west central Ohio. Reid™s service area is home to about 280,000 people and includes five Indiana counties and two Ohio counties. The new Reid Campus (apx $300M cost  & 100 acres)  is situated off Chester Blvd, near I-70. For more information see http://www.reidhospital.org   or  by  landline: (765) 983-3000.

RECREATIONAL PARKS

Richmond Parks  

• Richmond™s largest park, Glenn Miller Park covers 196 acres.
• Includes municipal golf courses, (18, 3 holes) tennis courts, a band shell, a large play ground, picnic shelter facilities.
• Other city parks offer fishing, ball diamonds, tennis courts, picnic areas and a municipal swimming pool.
• Middle Fork Reservoir offers paddle boating, sailing, fishing playground.
• A Memorial Park, constructed for all Wayne County Veterans is located along the scenic Gorge as well. The site is  situated slightly north of the Main Street Bridge, in downtown Richmond.

Whitewater Gorge Park

• A spectacular geological gorge divides Richmond and offers miles of hiking trails, virtual wilderness and vertical cliffs.
• Location of the picturesque Thistlewaite Falls.
• Rails to trails (Cardinal Greenway) project is partially completed and will link Richmond to Muncie via a former train line converted to a hiking/biking/skating trail.
• Richmond’s Historic Jazz Park (south of Main Street Bridge, along the Whitewater River) memorializes early Jazz Music  notables with their likeness (and  list of contibutions)  inlaid in bronze,  along the sidewalks. One of the remaining  buildings used by the Starr Piano Company and the Gennett Recording Company has been preserved and is the location for annual Jazz Festivals. In this area of Richmond, many famous Jazz artists recorded (and in  several instances), their first hit songs. These accomplishments led to Richmond, Indiana  being  widely  recognized as the Birthplace Of Recorded Jazz. Early Jazz artists recording in Richmond included Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Bix BeiderBecke and Hoagy Carmichael. Other musicians and famous orators included Gene Autry, Lawrence Welk, Thomas Dorsey and William Jennings Bryan.

Cope Environmental Center

• Cope Environmental Center is the primary project of the Francis Parks Foundation and is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes.
• CEC provides education, research and demonstrations that promote the sustainable use of the earth™s resources.
• The property ( -102 acres) features a nationally significant collection of conifer trees from around the world, hardwood forests, a six acre native Indiana prairie, 3 wetlands, 2 ponds, and a variety of sustainability demonstrations.
• Trails are free and open to the public dawn to dusk everyday of the year!
• Website: http://www.copeenvironmental.org/
• Information: Richmond Parks and Recreation Department 765-983-7275

MEDIA

Newspaper

• Hagerstown Exponent (Weekly)

  (765) 489-4035

• Palladium-Item (Daily)

  (765) 962-1575

• Western Wayne News (Weekly)

  (765) 478-5448

Radio

• WECI (FM) 95.1
• Earlham College: classical, jazz, folk, blue grass, opera, rock, soul, progressive sounds
  Information: 765-962-3541
• WFMG Hits 101.3: Contemporary Hits
  Information: 765-962-6535
• WKBV (AM) Radio: Talk and news
  Information: 765-962-6533
• WQLK (FM) KICKS 96: Country
  Information (765) 962-1595

Television

• TCI of Indiana, Inc. Local cable access
  Information: 765-966-8321
• WCTV Whitewater Community Television- Indiana University East
  Information: 765-973- 8488
• Trinity Broadcasting Network: Richmond Christian broadcasting
  Information: 765-935-2390

GOVERNMENT

City/County Government

• Nine City Council Members, one Mayor.
• Three County Commissioners, Seven County Council Members.
• City Council members also comprise the board of directors for Richmond Power and Light, a public electric utility.
• Information: 765-983-7235.

Planning and Zoning

• Richmond and Wayne County have separate Planning and Zoning Commissions.
• Richmond Plan Commission information: 765-983-7341.
• Wayne County Plan Commission information: 765-973-9249.

Services

Law enforcement

• 77 police officers, 3 of which work with juveniles in the D.A.R.E. program.
• One liaison with high school and civilian employee working with neighborhood organizations.

Fire protection

• 83 firefighters; six stations; 13 trucks; fire insurance rating Class 4.

Utilities

Electric:	Richmond Power and Light Co. (city) Cinergy/PSI Energy (rural) Whitewater Valley REMC (rural)
Gas:	Vectren
Telephone:	Verizon, Centennial WirelessComcast provides cable, telephone and high speed internet. Richmond Power & Light provides high speed Internet service
Water:	Indiana-American Water Co.

RELIGION

Large Selection of Churches, Temples

• 12 Baptist churches and temples.
• 3 Catholic churches.
• 10 Christian churches.
• 7 Lutheran churches.
• 9 Methodist churches.
• Episcopal, Presbyterian, Nazarene, Pentecostal, and Jehovah™s Witnesses churches.
• Jewish synagogue.
• & Other denominations

LIBRARIES

Morrisson-Reeves Library

• Located in downtown Richmond in an imaginatively designed building
• Capacity for 300,000 volumes
• Information: 765-966-8291. Website: http://www.mrl.lib.in.us/

Lilly Library

• Located at Earlham College, 801 National Road
• Information: 765-983-1287.

Indiana University East Library

• Located at Indiana University East, 2325 Chester Blvd.,
• Information: 765-973-8311.

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS

History

Richmond-Wayne County played a major role in the westward movement of the early 19th century. The Old National road (Route 40) which runs through Richmond-Wayne County was the road to the west for supply wagons, stage coaches, covered wagons, and people on horseback. To the west of Richmond, lies Centerville, the original Wayne County seat. It™s entire downtown is a historic district on the National Register. Today the community is known for its several antique shops, craft shops, bed and breakfasts.

Tourism Bureau Welcome Center

• One of the finest in the state, located at the east edge of Richmond, just off I-70 .
• Offers tourist information and Hoosier hospitality.
• Information: 765-935-8687.

Museums

Huddleston Farmhouse Inn Museum

• Former travelers inn on the National Road.
• Location of the Eastern Regional Office of Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana.
• Iinformation: 765-478-3172.

Overbeck Pottery

• In Cambridge City local library is a small museum featuring Overbeck art and pottery.
• Overbeck sisters produced art and pottery from 1911-1955.
• Information: 765-478-3335.

Levi Coffin Museum

• 19th century home used by Quaker Levi Coffin as a safe house and stop on the Underground Railway for Negro slaves fleeing to Canada.
• Information: 765-847-2432.

Indiana Football Hall of Fame

• Memorabilia from collegiate and professional football teams throughout Indiana.
• Information: 765-966-2235.

Gaar Mansion Museum

• 1876 built home of Abram Gaar, an industrialist and his wife Agnes.
• Features parquet floors, hand-painted ceilings, original art and furnishings.
• Information: 765-966-7184.

Wayne County Historical Museum

• Founded by Julia Meek Gaar in the early 20th century.
• Egyptian mummy, early automobiles manufactured in Richmond, Victorian toys, textiles.
• Replications of early 19th century shops.
• Information: 765-962-5756

Richmond Art Museum

• Only U.S. museum located in operating high school. McGuire Hall, Richmond High School.
• Collection includes regional art, Japanese and European works.
• Information: 765-966-0256.

Sports

• Tennis, hiking, fishing and sailing and more
• Wintertime cross country skiing at Hayes Arboretum

Nature and Gardens

E.G. Hill Memorial Rose Garden
The All America Rose Garden
The German Friendship Garden

• Dedicated in 1937, the E.G. Hill Memorial Rose Garden honors famed Rosarian, Gurney Hill.
• The All America Rose Garden has over 1,600 roses, annuals and perennials.
• Friendship with the German City Zweibruken, led to Friendship Garden.
• All located in Glen Miller Park in Richmond.

Hayes Arboretum

• Former estate of the industrialist Stanley Wolcott Hayes.
• 300+ acre (in-town) nature preserve and natural history center.
• Information: 765-962-3745. Website:   www.hayesarboretum.org.

Shopping

Richmond Uptown Shopping

Mural of  Hoagy Carmichael. Hoagy recorded  the 1st release of  ”Stardust” in Richmond.

• Beautiful, downtown serpentine street-scape with brick sidewalks, flower planters, café tables, reproduction iron gaslights, brick crosswalks and ornamental trees.
• Many businesses, boutiques and restaurants.
• Mural painted on building commemorates Richmond as the birthplace of recorded jazz. (A walk of fame featuring various Jazz notables with their memorials inlaid in the sidewalks is located in the œGorge park.

Eastside Shopping

• Richmond Square Mall upscale enclosed shopping area. Anchors: Dillards, JC Penney and Sears.
• 20 screen Cinema, (2 cinemas total), a large variety of popular eating establishments.
• Several strip shopping centers, as large as 275,000 SF.
• Trader™s Depot http://www.tradersdepotrichmond.com/  (60,000 SF Building) featuring 300 Retailers.                                           (Next to Fazolis and the main Cinema).

Westside Shopping

• Southwest 5th Plaza Shopping Center (earned Chamber of Commerce beautification award).
• Kmart shopping center
• SW 18th & U.S. 40: Neighborhood Shopping Center
• Several eateries at the 2100 Block & U.S. 40 Shopping Center

Historic Richmond Shopping

• A MUST SEE AREA! http://www.richmondfurnituregallery.com/neighborhoodhistory.php  Many retailers, several restaurants, includes Roger & Theresa Richert™s notable Richmond  Furniture Gallery (a restored 100+ year old 3 story building with 120,000 SF of furniture and related  items on  display for sale. Additionally, many historical items including  banners, photos and antiques  will be found  in this very interesting retail store http://www.richmondfurnituregallery.com/  ). This historic railroad district includes shops and restaurants  on Ft. Wayne Avenue to North 8th and there are several notable  businesses and structures on North  E Street.

                   

The Parkers also own this building at the intersection of North 8th & E Streets (Both properties are for sale)

Rick and Kathy Parker own other interesting buildings in this district, across from the old railroad depot, and at North 8th & E Streets. An authentic Italian food store, Joe™s Pizza and the Richmond Hardware  Store http://www.4parker.com/hardware.html  are located in this massive, one block  building, across from the Penn Central Depot. Another prominent feature of the historic Bartel building is the 4th Floor Blues Club, where several times per year, talented regional musicians stage live performances. For more information regarding the 4th Floor Blues Club, see this link: http://www.4parker.com/the4thfloor.html  

                  Chuck Wellings has a very nice restaurant located at North 15th & E Streets. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/228948/wellings_steak_house_in_richmond_indiana.html  

                  Paulee™s restaurant http://local.botw.org/Indiana/Richmond/Paulee_Restaurant/48570904.html  at the intersection of North 8th & E is the oldest restaurant in Richmond. During the Christmas season, visitors to this area of Richmond can ride in horse pulled carriages. Little Sheba™s, http://www.littleshebas.com/  another excellent restaurant, is situated across from  the Richmond Furniture Gallery.  

THE PERFORMING ARTS

Richmond Civic Theater

• Continuous productions since 1941 with local talent presenting eight major plays each year.
• Productions staged in historic Murray Theater, former setting for vaudeville productions with Marx Brothers, Fannie Brice, Jack Benny and Bob Hope.
• Information: 765-962-8011.

Richmond Symphony Orchestra

• 80 piece symphony provides seven concerts each year at Civic Hall Performing Arts Center
• Performed continuously since 1957.
• Information: 765-966-5181. Website: http://www.richmondsymphony.org/

Civic Hall Performing Arts Center

• 6.5 million dollar, state-of-the-art Civic Hall has 924 seats and outstanding acoustics.
• Located on Richmond High School campus.
• Used by students for musical and theatrical productions, Richmond Symphony, civic organizations and touring companies.
• Information: 765-973-3350. Website: http://www.civichall.com/

Copyright © 2009 ~  Lingle Real Estate Inc.  ~ All Rights Reserved

Notice & Terms of Use: The information provided in this Blog (Dan Tate™s Blog)  has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, however, this information is not guaranteed or warranted in any way, and is subject to revision at any time without prior notice.