Spencer, Indiana
| Spencer, Indiana | |
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| — Town — | |
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| Coordinates: 39°17′13″N 86°45′51″W / 39.28694°N 86.76417°WCoordinates: 39°17′13″N 86°45′51″W / 39.28694°N 86.76417°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Owen |
| Township | Washington |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.3 sq mi (3.3 km2) |
| • Land | 1.3 sq mi (3.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 561 ft (171 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,217 |
| • Density | 1,984.6/sq mi (766.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 47460 |
| Area code(s) | 812 |
| FIPS code | 18-71972[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0443934[2] |
| Website | http://www.spencer.in.gov/ |
Spencer is a town in Washington Township, Owen County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,217 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Owen County.[3]
Spencer is part of the Bloomington, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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[edit] Geography
Spencer is located at 39°17′13″N 86°45′51″W / 39.28694°N 86.76417°W (39.286848, -86.764225)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2), all of it land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 2,508 people, 1,090 households, and 659 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,984.6 people per square mile (768.5/km²). There were 1,193 housing units at an average density of 944.0 per square mile (365.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.52% White, 0.20% African American, 0.40% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.
There were 1,090 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 83.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $28,664, and the median income for a family was $36,921. Males had a median income of $29,679 versus $21,531 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,843. About 8.4% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] General
Spencer, Indiana was named after Captain Spier Spencer who died in the Battle of Tippecanoe November 7, 1811.
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The Town of Spencer was laid out in 1820 and the first auction for lots took place.
The first court house was built of logs and replaced in 1825 with a brick courthouse. That courthouse stood until 1910 when the current courthouse was constructed to replace it. In 1890 a steam driven dynamo was installed in Spencer for carbon arc street lights. Spencer also recently passed Indianapolis as the town with the most married couples with children per capita in the state.
Owen Valley Community High School is located in Spencer with 980 students and more than 100 faculty members. Built in 1971, OVHS is the result of a consolidation of several smaller schools located within Owen County. Owen Valley's mascot is the Patriot, and the school's colors are red, white and blue. The school's newspaper is the Patriot Guide, and the yearbook is the Triad, Tri- meaning the three schools that were merged to make Owen Valley High School.
Spencer is also the home of the Spencer PRIDE Festival, an annual event celebrating shared values of both GLBT and straight communities.
Former British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan‘s mother was from Spencer.
[edit] Hickam
Horace Meek Hickam was a famous pilot for the United States in the earlier half of the 20th century. The son of a lawyer, Hickam was born in Spencer, Indiana, the eldest of four children. Hickam's association with aviation began with the United States' entry into World War I. He was involved in the Mexican Punitive Expedition. By the end of his career, he had achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and had even received a Silver Star. Colonel Hickam was killed in a landing accident at Fort Crockett, Galveston, Texas, on November 5, 1934. His fame as being a pioneering figure in aviation and aerospace science eventually led to the naming of the United States Air Force Base in Hawaii, "Hickam AFB" in his honor.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Horace Meek Hickam, Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army Air Corps". www.arlingtoncemetery.net. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/hmhickam.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
[edit] External links
- Town of Spencer, Indiana website
- http://www.owen.in.us/owenhist/owenhis2.htm
- http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1017.html
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