The opening of enclosed shopping malls and the construction of Interstate 69 through rural areas north and west of the city proper further drove the exodus of retail from downtown through the 1960s.

The 1990s marked a turnaround for the city, as local leaders focused on crime reduction, economic diversification, and downtown redevelopment.

In 1950, Fort Wayne's first bypass, Coliseum Boulevard, opened on the north side of the city, followed by the city's first arena, War Memorial Coliseum, bringing new opportunities for suburban expansion.

The Coliseum was home to the NBA's Fort Wayne Pistons from 1952 to 1957.

By 1935, the New Deal's WPA put over 7,000 residents back to work through local infrastructure improvements, including the construction of new parks, bridges, viaducts, and a .2 million sewage treatment facility.

Clockwise from top: Downtown Fort Wayne skyline, Chief Jean-Baptiste de Richardville House, John Chapman's grave in Johnny Appleseed Park, Dr. Memorial Bridge, Embassy Theatre, and Historic Fort Wayne.

With an estimated population of 264,488 in 2016, making it the second-most populous city in Indiana after Indianapolis, and the 76th-most populous city in the United States.

The Miami regained control of Kekionga, ruling it for more than 30 years. General Anthony Wayne led a third expedition resulting in the destruction of Kekionga and the start of peace negotiations between Little Turtle and the U. After General Wayne refused to negotiate, tribal forces advanced to Fallen Timbers, where they were defeated on August 20, 1794. The Wabash and Erie Canal's opening eased travel to the Great Lakes and Mississippi River, exposing Fort Wayne to expanded economic opportunities. Fort Wayne's "Summit City" nickname dates from this period, referring to the city's position at the highest elevation along the canal's route.

In 1790, after the United States achieved independence, President George Washington ordered the United States Army to secure Indiana Territory. The population topped 2,000 when the town was incorporated as the City of Fort Wayne on February 22, 1840. As influential as the canal was to the city's earliest development, it quickly became obsolete after briefly competing with the city's first railroad, the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway, completed in 1854.