CQ Politics

While the manufacturing center located around Fort Wayne may drive the 3rd’s economy, it is conservative farmers living across the vast agricultural land that influence local politics and make the district Republican. Allen County (Fort Wayne) is the 3rd’s population center, and nearly half of the district’s population lives in the county.

Like other Midwestern cities, Fort Wayne has suffered from a downturn in the manufacturing industry. Nevertheless, the 3rd remains a leading producer of recreational vehicles, manufactured homes and orthopedic products, such as knee replacement devices. Its white-collar businesses, supported by growing health care technology and financial-service industries, have prevented the 3rd’s economy from slipping.

Fort Wayne has a rich entertainment history and attracts musical and theater performers to venues in the city. Educators and students visit Fort Wayne’s Science Central, an interactive educational station that is recognized statewide and designed to help Indiana become a leader in science and math. In the 3rd’s northwest, particularly near Shipshewana, Indiana’s Amish Country draws tourists each year. Various lakes throughout the district, including the state’s deepest in Kosciusko County, become summer hotspots.

Despite union ties, social conservatism tends to have more influence over voters in the 3rd, and many district residents hold deep-rooted religious beliefs driven by traditional values. Rural voters, especially in Kosciusko County — which gave George W. Bush a statewide high of 78 percent in the 2004 presidential election — bolster the state’s Republican leanings. Bush won every county in the 3rd with at least 63 percent of the vote.

Major Industry

Manufacturing, agriculture, health care

Cities

Fort Wayne (pt.), 202,769; Goshen (pt.), 26,611

Notable

Author and naturalist Gene Stratton-Porter’s former home is a state historical site on Sylvan Lake in Noble County; Warsaw, which calls itself the Orthopedic Manufacturing Capital of the World, was home to the first orthopedic device manufacturer, established in 1895; Kendallville hosts the annual Mid-America Windmill Festival.