Peru, Indiana

13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1951 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Peru Township. It lies in ZIP code area 46970. The Survey maps it on the Peru quadrangle. 11,073 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 650 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Peru within Miami County

On record in Peru

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 12 records

Wallace Circus and American Circus Corporation Winter QuartersNational Historic Landmark · listed 1987
Brownell Block/Senger Dry Goods Company Buildinglisted 1983
James Omar Cole Houselisted 1984
Francis Godfroy Cemeterylisted 1984
Terrell Jacobs Circus Winter Quarterslisted 2012
Miami County Courthouselisted 2008
Peru High School Historic Districtlisted 2013
Shirk-Edwards Houselisted 1995
Westleigh Farmslisted 2003
Godfroy's Addition Historic Districtlisted 2023
Peru Courthouse Square Historic Districtlisted 2018
Peru Westside Historic Districtlisted 2023

Population over time

3 figures

Peru grew from 1,266 to 11,073 between 1850 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.

Year	People	Change
1850	1,266
2010	11,417
2020	11,073	-344 (-3%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 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.

1951 USGS Peru quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
1953 USGS Danville quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
1955 USGS Danville quadrangle1:250000
1956 USGS Danville quadrangle1:250000
1960 USGS Peru quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
1985 USGS Logansport quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings

In the county-history sources

9,898 words on this township

History of Miami County, Indiana : a Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People and Its Principal Interests, published 1914 names this settlement in its chapter on Peru Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

Peru, the county seat and only incorporated city of Jliami county, is situated on the north bank of the Wabash river, a little southwest of the geographical center of the county. Its history begins with the treaty negotiated with the Miami Indians at the mouth of the Mississinewa river on October 23, 1826, at which time John B. Richardville, the principal chief of the Miamis, was granted, among other tracts of land, a reservation of one section where the city now stands. The following February John McGregor built a small cabin on the western part of this reservation and he has the credit of being the first white man to establish a permanent domicile within the present limits of Miami county. On August 18, 1827, Richardville and his wife, Pem-e-se-(iuah, conveyed this .section to Joseph Holman for a consideration of $500, and it is said that part of the purcha.se price was "paid in trade," instead of all cash.

Passage source: History of Miami County, Indiana : a Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People and Its Principal Interests, published 1914.

It is to be regi'etted that not more is known of the early settlers of Miamisport. Joseph Holman, the proprietor of the town, was born in Kentucky in 1788 and in 1820 removed to Wayne county, Indiana. During the administration of President John Q. Adams he was land commissioner at Fort Wayne and just before Miami county was erected represented the district composed of Allen and Cass counties in the legislature. In 1839 he returned to Wayne county, where he died in 1872. He was an active politician during the greater part of his mature life and was a delegate to the convention that framed the present constitution of Indiana. His first residence in :\Iiami county was a small cabin on the bank of the Wabash river, a short distance below the town of Miamisport, where he lived for several years, when he built a stone house on Ilolman street between Main and Third streets, within the present limits of Peru. Subsequently he built a frame house on his farm and lived there until he went back to AYayne county.

Passage source: History of Miami County, Indiana : a Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People and Its Principal Interests, published 1914.

William N, Hood, one of the most influential men in the early history of the county and founder of the city of Peru, was born in Ohio in 1791. ^Vhen only aliout eijjhteen years of age he eame to Indiana, first locating at Fort Wayne, where he was engaged in mercantile pursuits for several years and amassed considerable wealth for that period. In 1831 he came to Miami county and in 1886 was elected to represent the counties of Cass and Miami in the state legislature. He was again elected representative in 1838, and died in July of that year, soon after the expiration of the legislative session.

Passage source: History of Miami County, Indiana : a Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People and Its Principal Interests, published 1914.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Peru Township - it names this place 38 more 38 times.

Fires near this place

3 since 2003

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Peru between 2003 and 2005, burning about 2 acres in total. None started naturally. None was 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	2
Debris and open burning	1

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

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
6 April 2003	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office	not named
30 April 2003	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1.0 acres	Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office	not named
26 February 2005	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office	not named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Miami County

Mines and quarries near this place

6 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of Peru: 4 producers, 1 unknown, 1 plant. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Stone, Fire Clay (Refractory). Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Kickapoo Stone Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Miami Co. Hwy. Dept.	Stone	Producer
Precision Ceramics Plant	Fire Clay (Refractory)	Plant
Comersford Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
Kickapoo Sand & Gravel	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Kratzer Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer

Every working recorded in Miami County

Storms near this place

60 of 83 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Peru in 83 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 50 thunderstorm wind, 26 hail, 5 flash flood, 1 flood. 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.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
May 2004	Tornado (F3)	Peru	1 hurt, $6,000,000	NWS storm survey found a tornado with a path length near four and one half miles and just less than one quarter mile wide at its greatest width. The storm touched down three and one half miles west southwest of downtown Peru as an F0 and moved northeast at 35 MPH across the northwest corner of the city of Peru. The storm then caused F1 and F2 damage to trees, buildings, and a trailer park where two homes were destroyed and one woman was injured. The storm then intensified to F3 strength as it moved across an industrial park on the north side of Peru, tearing off a roof and knocking down a large communications tower. The storm then quickly began to dissipate as it appeared the rear flank downdraft quickly choked off the circulation in a field near the intersection of Highways U.S. 24 and SR19. Damage estimates were from 5 to 6 million dollars to private property and more than one half million in public property. Miami county was declared a presidential disaster area on June 3rd.
July 1998	Flash Flood	Peru	$1,000,000	MAUGANS ROAD MOBILE HOME PARK SUSTAINED SEVERE FLOODING. SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES WERE INUNDATED WITH WATER UP TO 4 FEET DEEP. MANY OF THE RESIDENTS SUFFERED FLOODED VEHICLES INCLUDING ONE MAN WHO LOST A VAN, A TRUCK AND A HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE. MANY HOMES IN PERU WERE FLOODED WITH RAW SEWAGE AS STORM SEWERS FLOODED AND BACKED UP INTO HOMES.
June 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	$50,000	Emergency management officials reported numerous trees and power lines down in Peru.
April 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	$50,000	Several homes sustained window and siding damage due to the hail and high winds.
August 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	$20,000	Several large trees and power lines were blown down throughout the city of Peru. One of these trees fell onto a car.
December 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	$20,000	WIND DESTROYED ONE MOBILE HOME AND DAMAGED ANOTHER.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	$15,000	Emergency manangement officials reported trees and power lines down in and around Peru.
June 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	$10,000	Mobile Home sustained structural damage. Trees and power lines down.
June 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	$10,000	Numerous trees and power lines down.
December 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	$10,000	POWER OUTAGES CAUSED BY HIGH WINDS KNOCKING TREE BRANCHES ONTO WIRES.
July 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	$5,000	Powerlines down in Peru.
June 2006	Hail	Peru	$5,000	Several homes in the Willow Creek subdivision sustained hail damage.
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	$3,000	Large tree and telephone poles down.
August 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	$2,000	Tree limbs are down in the area. A trained spotter estimates wind gusts of 55 mph.
July 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	$2,000	Several trees and power lines were blown down.
September 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	$1,500	Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees in the southern part of the county.
June 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	$1,000	Circus tent and tiger cage blown over at circus.
March 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Wind gust reported from a personal weather station. Tree limbs down.
March 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	A member of the public estimated a 60 mph wind gust.
July 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Utility poles down at W. Main and Fremont Street.
August 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	The public reported large trees were blown down in Peru.
May 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Emergency management officials reported several trees down around the Peru area.
August 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Emergency management officials reported several tree limbs down along with scattered power outages.
June 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Tree down over the road.
June 2015	Flash Flood	Peru	-	Water flowing rapidly over Flora Dr.
June 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Emergency management officials reported a tree was blown down onto power lines.
November 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Emergency management officials estimated wind gusts of at least 60 mph with multiple power outages in the area.
July 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	An off duty NWS employee estimated a wind gust to 60 mph in Peru.
June 2011	Hail	Peru	-	The public reported quarter size hail as well as estimated wind gusts of 55 to 60 mph.
June 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Law enforcement officials reported trees and power lines down in and around Peru, as well as southern portions of the county.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Emergency management officials reported numerous trees and power lines down in Peru.
July 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Law enforcement officials reported a large tree down onto County Road 500 North.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Large tree down on State Road 19 south of Peru.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Trees down on power lines.
March 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Emergency management officials reported a large tree fell onto a residence.
August 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	A 14 inch diameter tree down on 6th street and several 8 to 10 inch diameter trees along Daniels Street in Peru.
May 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Local officials reported receiving scattered tree and power line damage across the central part of the county.
May 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Numerous trees and power lines down.
June 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Numerous trees were reported blown down.
June 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Emergency management reported several trees down east of Peru.
June 2004	Flash Flood	Peru	-	Law enforcement reported US 31 flooded and impassable in places east of Peru with water flowing across the highway.
July 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Law enforcement reported trees down north of Peru.
July 2003	Flash Flood	Peru	-	Law enforcement reported several roads closed around Peru due to flash flooding.
July 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Law enforcement reported trees and power lines down in Peru.
July 2003	Flash Flood	Peru	-	Law enforcement reported a trailer park was being evacuated along Highway 31 outside of Peru due to flash flooding.
July 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Law enforcement reported trees down in Peru.
May 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	A HAM reported numerous trees and power lines down southeast of Peru.
July 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Sheriff reported trees down north of Peru.
May 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Power lines down in county.
May 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Power lines down in county.
April 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Several tree limbs blown down along Wabash road.
May 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Construction trailer overturned and 6 inch tree limbs down.
June 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Tree downed against a house. Minor damage.
September 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Tree blown down on Highway 24.
May 1995	Hail	Peru	-	Trees and power lines were downed across the county.
June 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	Trees were downed.
June 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Peru	-	One tree and several limbs blown down.
June 2018	Hail	Peru	-	no account filed
June 2012	Hail	Peru	-	no account filed
June 2011	Hail	Peru	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Miami 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.

Place	Distance	Sheets
Ridgeview	0.6 miles	13
South Peru	0.8 miles	13
Oakdale	1.3 miles	13
Park View Heights	1.3 miles	13
Flora	2.1 miles	13
Hidden Hills	2.4 miles	13
Wells	2.7 miles	13
Missisinewa (historical)	3.2 miles	13

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 Peru	An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q386657	The 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 441047. 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.