Crawfordsville, Indiana

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Coordinates: 40°2′20″N, 86°53′48″W
'City of Crawfordsville, Indiana'
Location in the state of Indiana
County	Montgomery
Government
- Mayor	John Zumer
Area
- City	21.7 km² (8.4 sq mi)
- Land	21.7 km² (8.4 sq mi)
- Water	0.0 km² (0 sq mi)
Population (2000)
- City	15,243
- Density	702.3/km² (1,818.9/sq mi)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Website: www.crawfordsville.org

Crawfordsville is a city in Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 15,243. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County^GR6. Its current mayor is John Zumer, who took office in January, 2004.

Crawfordsville and the unincorporated county areas attached to it are collectively referred to as Union Township.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Industry
4 Demographics
5 Notable Residents
6 Rail Transportation
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Geography

Crawfordsville is located at 40°2′20″N, 86°53′48″W (40.038831, -86.896755)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.7 km² (8.4 mi²), all land.

[edit] History

[edit] Beginnings

In 1813 Williamson Dunn, Henry Ristine, and Major Ambrose Whitlock noted that the site of present-day Crawfordsville was ideal for settlement, surrounded by deciduous forest and potentially arable land, with water provided by a nearby creek, later named Sugar Creek. They returned a decade later to find at least one cabin built. Major Whitlock laid out the town in March 1823. Crawfordsville was named in honor of Colonel William H. Crawford. It was successfully incorporated as a town in 1834, following a failed attempt three years earlier. In 1832, Wabash College was founded in Crawfordsville. Today, it is one of only four remaining all-male liberal arts colleges in the country, and has a student body of around 900. The city grew in size and amenities, adding such necessities as a bank and fire department. It gained status as a city in 1865, when Indiana granted its charters.

[edit] Late 1800's

In 1880, prominent local citizen Lew Wallace produced Crawfordsville's most famous literary work, Ben-Hur, a historical novel dealing with the beginnings of the Christianity in the Mediterranean world. Perhaps more crucial for Indiana's basketball-oriented culture, both the first official basketball game in the state (Crawfordsville versus Lafayette, March 16, 1894) and the first official intercollegiate basketball game (Wabash versus Purdue, also in 1894) occurred at the city's YMCA.

[edit] Early 1900's

The beginning of 20th century marked important steps for Crawfordsville, as Culver Union Hospital and the Carnegie Library were built in 1902 (both were closed near the end of the century, with the city now being served by St. Clair Hospital and a new library constructed across Washington Street from the old building). In 1911, Crawfordsville High School (motto: Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve) was founded, and promptly won the state's first high school basketball title. Crawfordsville's major employer for much of the century, commercial printer RR Donnelley, began operations in Crawfordsville in 1922.

[edit] Recent history

Recent history has held few nationally noteworthy events for the city, but much internal change. Nucor Steel, Alcoa CSI, Raybestos Products Company, and Golden Books all created factories in or near Crawfordsville which provided employment to much of the population. Wabash College won the Division III NCAA basketball title in 1982. In 1998 the state began a proposed project to widen U.S. 231, in an attempt to ease intrastate travel flow.

[edit] Industry

Crawfordsville is the home of the world's first thin-slab casting minimill (steel manufacturing plant that recycles scrap steel using an electric arc-furnace). Nucor Steel broke ground on its first sheet steel mill and first galvanizing line at its $1 B Crawfordsville facility in 1987.

[edit] Demographics

As of the 2000 census^GR2, there were 15,243 people, 6,117 households, and 3,664 families residing in the city. The population density was 702.3/km² (1,819.4/mi²). There were 6,623 housing units at an average density of 305.1/km² (790.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.02% White, 1.61% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.39% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.25% of the population. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,571, and the median income for a family was $43,211. Males had a median income of $32,834 versus $22,093 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,945. About 10.0% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Notable Residents

Joseph Allen - Astronaut, served as mission specialist on the first fully operational flight of the Shuttle Transportation System in 1982.
Henry S. Lane - One of the city's most prominent 19th century figures - a United States Senator and pallbearer for Abraham Lincoln. He, has a historical site dedicated to him in the city.
James W. Marshall - A New Jersey native who had at some point called Crawfordsville his home, James W. Marshall, was the discoverer gold at Sutter's Ford, California in 1848 and thus set off the California Gold Rush.
Pete Metzalaars - Professional football player, is a graduate of Wabash College.
Will Shortz - New York Times puzzle writer, also grew up in the city.
Lew Wallace - the author of Ben-Hur, has a historical site dedicated to him in the city.
Dick van Dyke - In 1938, just before Dick was of High School age, the Van Dyke fmaily moved to Crawfordsville, Indiana, and returned to Danville in 1940

[edit] Rail Transportation

Until 1967, passenger service was provided by the Monon Railroad, providing service to Chicago, Lafayette, Greencastle and Bloomington, Indiana.

Currently, Amtrak provides service to Crawfordsville. Amtrak Train 51, the westbound Cardinal, serves Lafayette, Rensselaer, Dyer, and Chicago. Amtrak Train 50, the eastbound Cardinal, serves Indianapolis, and other eastbound points, culminating in New York City. Intra-Indiana service is provided by Amtrak Trains 851 and 850.

See also: Crawfordsville (Amtrak station)