Clarksville, Indiana

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Coordinates: 38°18′43″N, 85°46′2″W
Town of Clarksville, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
County	Clark
Area
- City	26.4 km²
- Land	26.1 km²
- Water	0.2 km²
Population
- City (2000)	21,400
- Density	818.9/km²
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Website: town.clarksville.in.us

Clarksville is a town in Clark County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. The population was 21,400 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Famous residents
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Clarksville is located at 38°18′43″N, 85°46′2″W (38.311885, -85.767265)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 26.4 km² (10.2 mi²). 26.1 km² (10.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.79%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 21,400 people, 8,984 households, and 5,561 families residing in the town. The population density was 818.9/km² (2,120.6/mi²). There were 9,537 housing units at an average density of 364.9/km² (945.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.56% White, 5.59% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.08% from other races, and 1.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.80% of the population.

There were 8,984 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,473, and the median income for a family was $44,688. Males had a median income of $30,860 versus $23,329 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,315. About 5.6% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

Clarksville Town Hall

Clarksville has the largest exposed fossil beds from the Devonian period and the state has built an education center and declared the area, alongside the Ohio River and bordering Kentucky, the Falls of the Ohio State Park. These fossils include plant and marine life from a pre-historic coral reef. The Falls is also where John James Audubon did many of his bird fieldbook sketches.

Clarksville is named for American Revolutionary War General George Rogers Clark who lived for a time on a point of land on the Ohio River. Founded in 1783, the town is believed to be the first true American settlement in the Northwest Territory.

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark meeting at the falls of the Ohio River; statue at the Falls of the Ohio State Park in Clarksville

Local historians say that Clarksville is the starting point of the Lewis and Clark's west expedition, as it was here that the pair joined up to start their journey. However, several other localities claim to be the true start of the journey, most notably St. Louis, Missouri.

The town failed to flourish in the 1800s, due to the many floods. It was a popular dueling spot for Kentuckians who wanted to dodge Kentucky's anti-dueling laws. The most famous of these was the 1809 duel between Henry Clay and Humphrey Marshall. There was an attempt to build a second town within Clarksville's boundaries, named "Ohio Falls City", until the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that this would be illegal.

Clarksville would finally grow due to the post-World War II housing boom. The population went from 2,400 in 1940 to 22,000 in 2000. This was helped by the building of Green Tree Mall and other commercial endeavors north of the old town.

Clarksville is the birthplace of the restaurant chain, Texas Roadhouse.