Vevay, Indiana

Vevay, Indiana
—  Town  —
Location of Vevay in the state of Indiana
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Indiana
County Switzerland
Township Jefferson
Area
 • Total 1.5 sq mi (4.0 km2)
 • Land 1.5 sq mi (3.8 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation 482 ft (147 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 1,683
 • Density 1,171.3/sq mi (452.2/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 47043
Area code(s) 812
FIPS code 18-79010[1]
GNIS feature ID 0445270[2]

Vevay ( /ˈvv/ vee-vee) is a town in and the county seat of Jefferson Township, Switzerland County, Indiana, United States,[3] along the Ohio River. The population was 1,683 at the 2010 census.

Contents

History

Vevay was founded in 1802 by Swiss immigrants intending on cultivating grapes and producing wine. It was named after the Swiss town of Vevey. Vevay has a reputation as being home of the first commercial winery in the United States. When Switzerland County was formed in 1814, Vevay was made the county seat.

Geography

Vevay is located at (38.745837, -85.071044)[4], along the Ohio River and Ohio Route 56/156.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2), of which 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (3.25%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 1735 people, 719 households, and 437 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,171.3 people per square mile (452.6/km²). There were 795 housing units at an average density of 536.7 per square mile (207.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.67% White, 0.23% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.69% from other races, and 0.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population.

There were 719 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,448, and the median income for a family was $32,857. Males had a median income of $28,068 versus $20,167 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,477. About 11.4% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Events

The Swiss Wine Festival

Vevay holds an annual celebration called the Swiss Wine Festival. It is usually held on the last weekend in August, as well as the preceding Thursday and Friday. The festival has many fun activities such as ferry rides on the Ohio River, amusement rides, pageants, car shows, musical performances, cheerleading competitions, the famed grape stomps and both Beer and Wine Gardens. Many people also set up booths for shopping. On Saturday night, most gather on the docks and close to the river to watch a fireworks show. People from all over the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio tristate come to enjoy the festive celebration.

Origin

Since 1797, every 22 years, in the Swiss city of Vevey, is celebrated La fête des vignerons The Winegrowers' Festival.

Points of interest

Noted natives

See also

References

External links