Rossville, Indiana

Rossville, Indiana
—  Town  —
Westbound along Main Street in downtown Rossville
Nickname(s): Rosstucky
Location of Rossville in the state of Indiana
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Indiana
County Clinton
Township Ross
Founded 1832
Incorporated 1870
Named for John Ross, settler
Area
 • Total 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2)
 • Land 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 725 ft (221 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 1,653
 • Density 2,929.8/sq mi (1,131.2/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 46065
Area code(s) 765
FIPS code 18-66150[1]
GNIS feature ID 0442329[2]
Website http://www.rossville.net/

Rossville is a town in Ross Township, Clinton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,653 at the 2010 census. The town is named for John Ross, a pioneer settler and associate county judge.[3]

Contents

History

In 1832, Thomas Ewing, with his wife and infant child, settled on 160 acres (0.65 km2) of land north of what is now Main Street in Rossville, Indiana. In 1834, Mr. Ewing and Thomas Smith platted the town of Rossville with the intention of starting a blacksmith shop at the location. The town grew steadily and gained a store operated by William Seawright, a saddler (John H. Smith) and a physician (Dr. James Wilson). Residents of Rossville are referred to as "Rossvillians". Due to its quaint size, some locals jokingly refer to the town as "Ros Vegas" or "Ros Angeles".

A petition to incorporate the town was filed on October 22, 1870, at which time the town had 339 residents and 66 families. The incorporation election, held November 5, passed with a vote of 35 to 19 and on December 1, 1870, Rossville was incorporated.

The Monon Railroad was completed through Rossville in 1883.[4]

In 1932, the town experienced unprecedented welfare as Purdue University won the National Championship and donated money to the town hall.

Geography

Rossville is located at (40.419138, -86.596466)[5].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 1,513 people, 555 households, and 411 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,929.8 people per square mile (1,123.4/km²). There were 586 housing units at an average density of 1,134.7 per square mile (435.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.88% White, 0.53% African American, 0.13% Asian, 0.07% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.33% of the population.

There were 555 households out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 80.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $48,333, and the median income for a family was $50,694. Males had a median income of $45,000 versus $23,819 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,765. About 2.3% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Summer's End Festival

An annual festival marks the end of summer in Rossville. The event has been held annually since 1984. The festival is held on the fourth full weekend in August, and includes a car show, fireworks, music, performances on the main stage, street fair, parade, programs in the high school auditorium, queen, little miss and mister contest, and town-wide garage sales. The festival concludes with a community-wide worship service.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ Claybaugh, Joseph (1913). History of Clinton County, Indiana. Indianapolis: A. W. Bowen & Company. pp. 31. 
  4. ^ Claybaugh, Joseph (1913). "Ross Township". History of Clinton County, Indiana. Indianapolis: A. W. Bowen & Company. 
  5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
  6. ^ "Summer's End Festival". Town of Rossville, Indiana. http://www.rossville.net/summers_end.php. Retrieved 2010-05-08. 

External links