Jasper, Indiana

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Coordinates: 38°23′43″N, 86°55′58″W
City of Jasper, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
County	Dubois
Government
- Mayor	William Schmitt
Area
- City	24.0 km² (9.3 sq mi)
- Land	23.9 km² (9.2 sq mi)
- Water	0.1 km² (0 sq mi)
Population (2000)
- City	12,100
- Density	506.7/km² (1,312.3/sq mi)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Website: www.jasperin.org

Jasper is a city in Dubois County, Indiana, United States. The population was 12,100 at the 2000 census. The city has been the county seat of Dubois County^GR6, since 1830, succeeding Portersville. In 1970 the school system of Ireland, a hamlet west of Jasper along State Route 56, was consolidated into that of Jasper [1].

Supercentenarian Minnie Kearby, the oldest resident of Indiana, was perhaps one of Jasper's best-known residents; born in Ireland, Indiana on April 14, 1893, she moved to a Jasper care facility in November 2004. She died the following winter. Jasper is also the hometown to Major League Baseball player Scott Rolen, 3rd baseman on the St. Louis Cardinals. The current Catholic Archbishop of Indianapolis, Daniel Buechlein O.S.B., also hails from Jasper.

The town of Jasper is a regional center in southwestern Indiana. It is noted for its heavily German Catholic ancestoral roots. Jasper has often been dubbed the "Wood Capital of the World" boasting a very large number of furniture companies. Its citizens are regarded as hardworking and maintain a high status lifestyle. In a town with only 12,000 people, its daytime population can reach 50,000. It has an unemployment rate that hovers around 2.5 percent, making it one of the lowest in the state. Furthermore, despite its location in the southern hills and lowlands region, Dubois County is first in the state among agriculture output including hogs and corn. Jasper has also been ranked among the top 25 best small towns in America.

In 2005, Jasper was ranked in the top ten best places to live in the US, by Relocate America, a national realty relocation firm, which consults and helps clients find desirable places across the country to live. Jasper was previously ranked in the top 25 in Norman Crampton's 1992 book 100 Best Small Towns in America.

1 Strassenfest
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Schools
5 External links

[edit] Strassenfest

The Jasper Strassenfest is a four day event held annually during the first weekend in August. The "Fest", as it is referred to, is a celebration between Jasper and its German sister-city Pfaffenweiler, a small village in southwest Germany. Many citizens of Pfaffenweiler travel to Jasper around this time of year. The street festival ecompasses the entire city square complete with countless food stands, rides and a very large Biergarten. Over 1,300 pounds of bratwursts are consumed during the four day event. The Strassenfest culminates in a Sunday parade and evening fireworks. The festival also incorporates a golf tournament, beauty pageant (Miss Strassenfest), fishing tournament, and a network of German "Polka Masses" at the three main Catholic parishes, St. Joseph's, Holy Family, and Precious Blood.

[edit] Geography

Jasper is located at 38°23′43″N, 86°55′58″W (38.395306, -86.932706)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.0 km² (9.3 mi²). 23.9 km² (9.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.43%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 12,100 people, 4,875 households, and 3,188 families residing in the city. The population density was 506.7/km² (1,311.8/mi²). There were 5,107 housing units at an average density of 213.9/km² (553.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.00% White, 0.25% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.54% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.37% of the population.

There were 4,875 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,051, and the median income for a family was $52,634. Males had a median income of $36,415 versus $22,484 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,547. About 3.3% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.