BlockBefore

Decatur, Indiana

13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1992. It stands in Washington Township. It lies in ZIP code area 46733. It stands on Borum Run. The Survey maps it on the Decatur quadrangle. 9,913 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 801 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Decatur within Adams County

On record in Decatur

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 6 records

Population over time

2 figures

Decatur grew from 9,405 to 9,913 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
20109,405
20209,913+508 (+5%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

5 surveys from 13 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

975 words on this township

Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, published 1907 has no passage naming this settlement, which was common for smaller places. Its township is covered in full.

The chapter on Washington Township covers the township.

Read the chapter on Washington Township - 975 words.

Mines and quarries near this place

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Decatur: 3 producers, 1 past producer. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Clay. 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
Decatur City Engr.StoneProducer
Krick-Tyndall PitClayPast Producer
Adams County Sand & Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Cly Gravel CompanySand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Adams County

Storms near this place

60 of 70 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Decatur in 70 storm reports between 1997 and 2025: 36 thunderstorm wind, 28 hail, 2 lightning, 2 tornado. The reports record 1 injury. 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
July 2005LightningDecatur1 hurtA firefighter was outside his home watching the storms approach when he was struck by lightning. He was taken to the hospital for evaluation but was released a few hours later with no major injuries. The same lightning strike also affected an adjacent house. The energy form the lightning entered a house and traveled through a set of video game controllers being held by two boys. Each received a shock from the strike, but did not require medical treatment.
August 2006Tornado (F1)Decatur$125,000The tornado briefly touched down 2 miles east of Decatur, in the Briarwood subdivision, at the intersection of US 224 and CR 200 E. Part of a roof was ripped off, with a garage door being pulled out. A leaf was found sucked up under a piece of siding. The tornado crossed 200 E, damaging some trees, blowing a barn door in and flattening a small area of soy beans before lifting. The funnel moved across US 224 and touched down about a quarter mile from where it lifted. A parked car was flipped, totallin
August 1998Flash FloodDecatur$100,000NUMEROUS COUNTY ROADS ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE COUNTY WERE INUNDATED ALONG WITH LOW LYING AGRICULTURAL FARMLANDS.
July 1998LightningDecatur$50,000A DOUBLE WIDE TRAILER AT THE CALVARY WORSHIP CENTER BURNED TO THE GROUND DUE TO A LIGHTNING STRIKE.
April 2006Tornado (F1)Decatur$45,000A tornado touched down roughly 3 miles northwest of Decatur and moved southeast across mainly open fields. Eyewitness reports of debris at the ground but no immediate condensation funnel. The tornado moved over a farm just east of the intersection of county roads West 750 North and North 200 W. While no significant damage occurred, several buildings suffered minor damage including damage to doors and a roof of a barn, trees being uprooted, and structure damage to a refinished garage. A corncob was also found inside a mini van on the property, apparently being thrown by the tornado through the back window. The circulation ended as it move into a grove of trees, roughly 2 miles northwest of Decatur. The damage was consistent with a low end F1 tornado with winds of around 80 mph. No injuries or fatalities were reported. Damage to all property is estimated at around $45,000.
December 1998Thunderstorm WindDecatur$30,000GARAGE DESTROYED. EIGHT AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER POLES WERE KNOCKED DOWN.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindDecatur$25,000The Quality Glass store at 12th Street and Nuttman Avenue had the top section of its roof torn off by a thunderstorm wind gust. Damage to the roof was estimated to be between $10,000 and $15,000. Debris from the roof was blown across 12th Street and onto a parked car and into two yards. A power pole behind the building was also damaged and had to be replaced.
November 2005Thunderstorm WindDecatur$20,000Numerous trees, as well as a barn were blown over.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindDecatur$15,000Amateur radio operators reported numerous trees and power lines down in the city of Decatur.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindDecatur$15,000A travel trailer overturned and two barns destroyed.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindDecatur$10,000County officials reported a tree branch down onto a power line with other power outages in the area.
August 2005Thunderstorm WindDecatur$10,000A large tree was blown down northwest of Decatur and a roof was blown off a building near the town of Monmouth.
November 1998Thunderstorm WindDecatur$10,000MANY TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWN ACROSS THE TOWN.
April 2025HailDecatur$1,000Quarter size hail in Decatur.
March 2024HailDecatur$1,000no account filed
July 1999Thunderstorm WindDecatur$500Trees downed.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindDecatur-Amateur radio operators reported multiple trees blown down.
July 2021FloodDecatur-The Indiana State Police reports high water over the road at W 600 N around N 100 W.
May 2019Thunderstorm WindDecatur-The public reported a one foot diameter trees was uprooted.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindDecatur-Trees were blown down in the area.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindDecatur-A trained spotter estimated wind gusts to 60 mph.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindDecatur-A trained spotter reported several healthy four to six inch tree limbs being blown down.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindDecatur-A trained spotter reported a 45 foot tall, two foot diameter tree was blown down. Other smaller branches were also downed in the area.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindDecatur-Emergency management officials reported several tree limbs down, some up to eight inches in diameter. An evergreen tree was also uprooted with tree limbs suffering damage at Belmont High School.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindDecatur-A tree was reported blown down one mile northwest of Decatur by emergency management officials.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindDecatur-Trained spotters reported several small to medium size branches down across the town.
November 2013HailDecatur-A trained spotter reported quarter size hail.
November 2013Thunderstorm WindDecatur-A trained spotter reported wind gusts of at least 60 mph.
September 2012Thunderstorm WindDecatur-Law enforcement officials reported a tree was blown down onto Winchester Road.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindDecatur-Emergency management officials reported massive damage throughout the northern part of the county with intermittent damage across the remainder of the county. In Decatur, roofs were blown off, trucks blown over and several small fires reported, likely from downed power lines.
August 2011HailDecatur-A trained spotter reported hail to the size of dimes lasted for about 5 minutes in downtown Decatur.
May 2011HailDecatur-A trained spotter reported tennis ball size hail at U.S. 224 and County Road 300 West.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindDecatur-Two trees, one of which was 12 inches in diameter, were blown down along with several small branches.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindDecatur-A few trees were blown down just north of Decatur.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindDecatur-Trained spotter estimated wind gusts to 60 MPH.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindDecatur-Law enforcement reported trees and power lines down west of Decatur.
September 2002Thunderstorm WindDecatur-Emergency management reported a shed was blown over.
November 2002Thunderstorm WindDecatur-A trained spotter reported numerous trees down just north of Decatur.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindDecatur-Numerous power lines down.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindDecatur-Trees and power lines blown down.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindDecatur-Trees down.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindDecatur-Trees down on power lines.
July 1998Thunderstorm WindDecatur-ROOF DAMAGE JUST WEST OF DECATUR.
July 2016HailDecatur-no account filed
May 2011HailDecatur-no account filed
May 2011HailDecatur-no account filed
May 2005HailDecatur-no account filed
May 2004HailDecatur-no account filed
May 2004HailDecatur-no account filed
April 2003HailDecatur-no account filed
April 2003HailDecatur-no account filed
July 2003HailDecatur-no account filed
July 2003HailDecatur-no account filed
May 2002HailDecatur-no account filed
June 2002HailDecatur-no account filed
June 2002HailDecatur-no account filed
May 2001HailDecatur-no account filed
May 2001HailDecatur-no account filed
May 2001HailDecatur-no account filed
May 2001HailDecatur-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Adams 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
Monmouth2.7 miles13
Elm Tree Crossroads3.2 miles13
Preble4.5 miles10
Peterson4.7 miles10
Rivare4.8 miles12
Pleasant Mills5.9 miles12
Monroe5.9 miles13
Coppess Corner6.1 miles13

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 DecaturAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2348734The 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 446543. 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.

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.