Nappanee

Small Town Breakdown

Small Town Breakdown: Nappanee, Indiana

Nappanee — where you can experience a historic Apple Festival, explore art trails, and expand your lifestyle with an RV purchase all in one.

Fast Facts

📍LOCATION: Northern Indiana

• Nappanee is located in the southwest corner of Elkhart County with a small portion of town crossing the southern county line into Kosciusko County

• State Road 19 (Nappanee Street) runs north-south through town while U.S. Route 6 intersects with it in the heart of town going east-west

• 2 hours and 20 minutes north of Indianapolis

• 1 hour and 20 minutes northwest of Fort Wayne

• 40 minutes southeast of South Bend

👥 POPULATION & RANKING

• 6,872 residents (as of 2023)

• Ranks as Indiana’s 102nd-largest city

• Third-largest of seven incorporated towns/cities in Elkhart County behind Elkhart and Goshen

📏 LAND AREA

• 4.43 square miles

📅 FOUNDED

• Elkhart County was established in 1830 with Dunlap as its original county seat

• The county borders were later shifted, and Goshen became the seat

• There is no certainty as to why it was named Elkhart County, but one of the most common beliefs is it was named after the Shawnee Indian Chief Elkhart, who was a cousin of the famous Chief Tecumseh

• Nappanee was established in 1874 thanks to the construction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

• It was originally spelled Napanee, attributing to the Indian culture in the area, and received its current spelling when the town was surveyed and selected for a post office

🏥 MAIN INDUSTRIES: Manufacturing, Woodworking, Farming

• CHaSE Manufacturing buildses hardwood cabinet and mill work products for upscale recreational vehicles (RVs)

• Heckaman Homes made by Craftech Building Systems, Inc. has been building homes in the area since 1969

• Gulf Stream Coach manufactures recreational travel trailers

• Ayr Cabinet Co., Coppes Napanee and Kountry Cabinets all specialize in cabinetry

RV Capital of the World

Elkhart County is known as the “RV Capital of the World.” Why? One out of every two RVs on the road today is manufactured in the county. It dates back to 1931, when Milo Miller built a travel trailer for his family when he was on business trips. He eventually sold that trailer and started making them by the dozens. Miller sold his company to Wilbur Schult in 1936, and it became the largest trailer manufacturer in the world. If you drive through Elkhart County, you’ll see RV manufacturers everywhere… seriously.

Coppes Commons

You can shop and enjoy eateries at Coppes Commons, once the factory home of Coppes Kitchen Cabinets that made the famous “Hoosier Cabinet.” Antiques, boutiques, bookstores — this place has it all. Be sure to grab a coffee from Coppes Coffee Co. & Lounge, or pop into Deysi’s Tacos, Rocket Science Ice Cream or Dutch Kernel Gourmet Popcorn, where there are over 40 flavors of popcorn available.

Bite Into an Annual Festival

The 49th Annual Nappanee Apple Festival is set for Sept. 18-21. It attracts more than 80,000 people annually and includes over 150 exhibitors. Attendees can enjoy shopping, games, carnival rides, a parade, apple peeling, pie-eating contests and the Miss Apple Blossom scholarship pageant. The festival kicks off with Indiana’s largest baked apple pie, measuring 7 feet in diameter and weighing over 600 pounds!

Breakfast, Dinner, Drinks

Main Street Roasters opened as Main Street Coffee House in 2003. It’s locally owned and the perfect spot to relax, work remotely or catch up with family and friends. Guests give it a 4.8-star rating on Google (nearly 1,000 reviews!). If you aren’t nearby, you can order your favorite coffee flavor from them online with over 40 options available.

Ruhe152 Italian Bistro is an upscale bistro, brewery and distillery all in one. Patrons can enjoy traditional Italian cuisine like lasagna, fettucini, chicken marsala and gnocchi dishes from its made-from-scratch kitchen. The menu also includes seafood, flatbreads and steak, among many other savory options. The brewery side of the business features 14 beers on tap at any given time, and the distillery became fully operational in April to add to the bar experience.

Hunter’s Hideaway is one of my favorite spots in Nappanee. Sit on the covered patio in the spring or summer, and enjoy its menu filled with bar-and-grill favorites like steak, wings, burgers and pizza.

Other Nappaneengs

• McCormick Creek Golf Course opened in 1973 and offers 18 holes of challenging play.

• The Nappanee Arts Center has an art path with close to 150 sculptures.

• The oft-visited Amish Acres, in operation for over 50 years, is now only a wedding & events center.

• NorthWood High School has won four state titles in school history. Full breakdown below:

  • Girls hoops won the first in 1999 in the final year of Market Square Arena, surviving previously unbeaten Cathedral 72-71 in the highest-scoring 3A championship game on record. They also won the 2020 3A title, defeating Salem 37-29. The 29 points allowed is the record for fewest points surrendered in a 3A championship game. Go figure.

  • The football program has made it to the state finals eight times… and won once, defeating Indianapolis Bishop Chatard 7-0 in 2005. The Panthers lost in the 2A title game in 1980, 3A championship games in 1986, 1993, 1998 and 2003, and 4A finals in 2016 and 2023.

  • Boys basketball brought home the 3A championship in 2023. The top-ranked Panthers held off Guerin Catholic 66-63 in overtime.

The next time you’re cruisin’ USA in an RV (likely manufactured in Elkhart County), swing through Nappanee and thank us later.

Check out Nate’s breakdown of Nappanee ⬇️