The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-02-04
80 YEARS DOUBLES
POPULATION OF CITY
Entire West Richmond Built
up Since Year Of
1880.
PARKS ARE IMPROVED
Names of Practically Every
Street Have Been
Changed.
PARKS ARE IMPROVED

Richmond has more than doubled
her population in the last thirty years
IT the figures of the county commits
sloners. pla cling the population of the
city at 2S00o or more. are correct. A
census taken in 1884 gives Richmond
population Of 1925. thousand a
year has been the average growth in
the past ten years.
khe lS4 census was unofficial, but
was registered in an old city directory
which is at the court house. An offic
iai census taken IN 1890. fixes the
population at I2.74a then.
The pest office has more than grown
apace with the city. There were thir-
teen men employed by the Richmond
post office in 1890, including the post
master. There are now about fifty
employees
No West Richmond.
At the time the 1880 directory was
taken there was no West Richmond.
1t was laid out shortly after that time
and has grown to claim about one-third
Of the city's population now. Rich
mcnd proper then extended east only
to Sixteenth street, nut the suburb
east Of Sixteenth street was included
in the census report.
Tho city had been in staenation
prior to 1880. and at that time many
reforms We're introduced, there was
more civic spirit ard the citizens took
moro interest in the city government
The streets. which had heen known
by two Or more names in many cases,
were renamed according to the Phil
adeiphia plan, the saine plan which is
now in use.
Az agitation was started for a new
bridge at Main street 10 replace the
old National road bridge. shortly after
West Richmond was plated and 4
rash for property started there. The
bridge came about ten years later.
improve Parks.
II was about that time when the i'm
provement of parks was taken up and
other movements for civic beautifying
started.
TIE city then grew gradually in the
next twenty years until it reached
about 1900. In the next ten years,
the growth has been greater and if the
feHres of the commissioners are true,
the growth has been inc less than an
average Of 1000 new residents year.
In the past few years the growth
has been west of West Fifth street.
eaat Of Nineteenth street and around
the borders of the remainder of he
CITY. Business centers have gradually
mcved from the South side to Main
street and east.
The old names of the streets before
the change to the Philadelphia plan
are interesting to manv of the old res
idents of Richmond.
Change Street Names.
Streets north Of Main street have
undergone the following changes:
A-Broadway and Spring; B--Mul-
Grant; Divine. Cliff and "The street
south Of the fairgrounds; E-Nobie
and Division: F Finley and North:
G Maple and Moffitt: H-Sande,
Chestnut and Delaware; I--Pine, G.
dar aud Vermont i
''"~"te snuth OF Main were known
as follows:
- .Va'nrt: B-~Market: C-Cyca-
more and Scnth Park; D-Mill and
Sherman: f,--Central Avenue; F
Poplar and SaJter; G-Linden; H
Branch; E--Mansion and Reed: j
East and West Oakland; K-Mound
Streets running north and south in
Richmoni were designated thusly:
F'iraF 1850 Jackson: Second - Green;
Third - Washington; Fourth - Front,
Madison an: Fridge: F'ifth--Pearl and
NcHroe. Sixth Marion, Gaar and
tt'}7ifr RSet tltH r rdlklln, ElSnlH-
1'j(th Avenue and Center; Ninth-Bos-
tor Avenue and Virgins: Tenth
S. cath, Newport Pike and East and
NeSt Park; Eleventh-Eighth, Bar
"'eT. Fountain and Mound; Twelfth
Ninth and Mddleborough pike; Thir-
t"euth-Tenth. Streets We're number
on cOnsecutively until Twentieth
street was known as Seventeenth
greet. The present Sixteenth street
Nas called Reeves Avenue and Thir-
tcenth street.