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Auburn, Indiana

11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1994. It stands in Union Township. It lies in ZIP code area 46706. The Survey maps it on the Auburn quadrangle. 13,412 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 866 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Auburn within DeKalb County

On record in Auburn

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 5 records

Population over time

2 figures

Auburn grew from 12,731 to 13,412 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
201012,731
202013,412+681 (+5%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 11 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

In the county-history sources

4,466 words on this township

History of Dekalb County, Indiana, with Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Old Families, published 1914 has no passage naming this settlement, which was common for smaller places. Its township is covered in full.

The chapter on Union Township covers the township.

Read the chapter on Union Township - 4,466 words.

Fires near this place

14 since 2002

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 14 fires within 5 miles of Auburn between 2002 and 2004, burning about 64 acres in total. None started naturally. 3 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Recreation and ceremony5
Missing data/not specified/undetermined3
Arson/incendiarism3
Debris and open burning2
Equipment and vehicle use1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 July 2004Arson/incendiarismunder an acreIndiana State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
8 July 2003Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreIndiana State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
28 April 2003Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreIndiana State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
27 April 2004Debris and open burning1.0 acresIndiana State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
26 April 2002Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIndiana State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
16 April 2003Arson/incendiarism1.0 acresIndiana State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
23 March 2003Arson/incendiarismunder an acreIndiana State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
11 March 2002Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreIndiana State Fire Marshal's Officenot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in DeKalb County

Mines and quarries near this place

5 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Auburn: 3 producers, 1 prospect, 1 past producer. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Auburn Sand PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Bailey PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Fedrick PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProspect
Scott PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Steward PropertySand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Storms near this place

43 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Auburn in 43 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 27 thunderstorm wind, 12 hail, 2 flood, 1 tornado. The reports record 1 death. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2011Thunderstorm WindAuburn1 killedLaw enforcement officials reported multiple trees down along 7th Street. One of these trees in the 400 block of 7th Street, fell onto a westbound United Parcel Service truck, striking the driver compartment. The 46 year old male driver was killed instantly.
January 2008FloodAuburn$150,000At least 6 roads were temporarily closed, with many others posted with high water signs, as ditches overflowed and low areas filled. A senior care center was threatened by flood waters coming out of a overflown retention pond. Sandbags were placed to help, but luckily no evacuations were needed. No exact damage figure were available, but are estimated at around $150,000.
March 2025Thunderstorm WindAuburn$20,000Power pole on fire due to a lightning strike. Downed power lines in and around Auburn.
April 1999Thunderstorm WindAuburn$20,000One home had its roof blown off with several large trees and limbs down in town.
March 2025LightningAuburn$15,000Power pole on fire due to a lightning strike.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindAuburn$15,000Photo on Twitter shows a large tree down onto a covered porch. Porch roof collapsed.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindAuburn$10,000Numerous trees were down across the entire county.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindAuburn$8,000Some shingles removed from a roof and a flag pole was snapped 2 feet above the ground.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindAuburn$5,000A mobile home on CR 427 was knocked on its side. Large tree limbs crushed the side of the trailer. A newspaper report stated that a citizens' band radio tower, set in cement, also toppled over and bent across the trailer. At another property across the street several trees were knocked down and two large pine trees were uprooted.
July 2025FloodAuburn$1,000Photo on social media of standing water, estimated to be a few inches deep, throughout a strip mall parking lot.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindAuburn$1,000Tree blown down.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindAuburn-The pubic reported a small tree was blown down.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindAuburn-The public reports a tree is down and blocking the roadway.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindAuburn-The public reports that a tree fell into wires and that both are in the roadway.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindAuburn-Central dispatch relayed a report of a tree being blown down onto a garage on 9th Street in Auburn. No information on the size or health of the tree and no injuries were reported.
May 2015Thunderstorm WindAuburn-The public reported a one to two foot diameter tree snapped and fell onto a house. No fatalities or injuries were reported.
May 2015Thunderstorm WindAuburn-Emergency management officials reported trees and power lines down in Auburn.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindAuburn-Amateur radio operators estimated winds of 50 to 60 mph with several four to five inch tree limbs down.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindAuburn-Law enforcement officials reported multiple tree branches down throughout the east side of Auburn.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindAuburn-Indiana State Police officials reported a semi-trailer rolled over on Interstate 69, at mile marker 129. No injuries were reported, but northbound lanes were closed for several hours.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindAuburn-Law enforcement officials reported numerous trees down.
June 2008HailAuburn-Trained spotters reported hail up to the size of quarters.
June 2006HailAuburn-Reported 2 miles south of US 6 on county road 19.
June 2006Thunderstorm WindAuburn-4 to 5 inch diameter tree branches down.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindAuburn-Two large trees were blown down.
March 2003Thunderstorm WindAuburn-Tree was blown onto power lines.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindAuburn-Law enforcement reported trees down in Auburn.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindAuburn-A wind gust at DeKalb County Airport was measured at 75 mph. Strong winds split the trunk of a large tree near a house on DeKalb County Road 60, between the DeKalb County Airport and County Road 427. Winds tore the roof off of a barn east of the airport on DeKalb County Road 60 near the Meese Chapel United Methodist Church. Winds also blew down tents that had been set up at Kruse Auction Park in preparation for the Labor Day weekend classic car auction.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindAuburn-Trees down.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindAuburn-Trees and power lines down.
September 1999Thunderstorm WindAuburn-Two trees were reported blown down.
December 1998Thunderstorm WindAuburn-LOTS OF TREE LIMBS WERE BLOWN DOWN.
May 2018HailAuburn-no account filed
June 2006HailAuburn-no account filed
April 2003HailAuburn-no account filed
May 2003HailAuburn-no account filed
May 2000HailAuburn-no account filed
April 1999HailAuburn-no account filed
May 1999HailAuburn-no account filed
May 1998HailAuburn-no account filed
May 1998Tornado (F0)Auburn-no account filed
June 1998HailAuburn-no account filed
June 1994HailAuburn-no account filed

Every storm recorded in DeKalb County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Auburn Junction1.3 miles11
Garrett4.2 miles10
Waterloo4.9 miles11
Saint Johns5.0 miles11
Altona5.2 miles10
Sedan5.3 miles11
Butler Center5.8 miles10
Moore6.0 miles10

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on AuburnAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1075822The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 430334. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.