Mount Vernon, Indiana
City of Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|
| File:Down main from courthouse.jpg | |
 Location in the state of Indiana | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Posey |
| Township | Black |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | John M. Tucker (D) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.5 sq mi (6.6 km2) |
| • Land | 2.5 sq mi (6.4 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) 2.77% |
| Elevation | 400 ft (122 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 7,478 |
| • Density | 3,036.0/sq mi (1,173.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 47620 |
| Area code | 812 |
| FIPS code | 18-51732Template:GR |
| GNIS feature ID | 0439718Template:GR |
| Website | http://www.mountvernon.in.gov/ |
Mount Vernon is a city in southern Indiana along the Ohio River and the county seat of Posey County.Template:GR It is located in Black Township. As of the 2000 census, the city's population was 7,478. It is part of the Evansville, Indiana metropolitan area, which had a 2000 population of 342,815.
Geography
Mount Vernon is located at 37°56′12″N 87°53′56″W / 37.93667°N 87.89889°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (37.936766, -87.898780).Template:GR
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.6 km²), of which, 2.5 square miles (6.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (2.77%) is water.
History
Mt. Vernon was named for George Washington's plantation at Mt. Vernon. That name derives from Edward Vernon, a British naval hero, under whom Washington's half-brother served, and in whose honor Rule Britannia was written.
Mt. Vernon is the seat of Posey County, named for Gen. Thomas Posey, Governor of the Indiana Territory, who had the distinction of growing up next door to George Washington at the original Mt. Vernon, and who was widely rumoured to be Washington's illegitimate son. The rumors were dismissed by Posey's biographer, John Thornton Posey.[1]
From around 1805 to 1816, Mount Vernon was known as McFadden's Bluff named for one of the first settlers to the area. There are a number of historic sites in Mount Vernon including The Posey County Courthouse Square, Downtown Historic District, Welborn Historic District and the William Gonnermann House all of which have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The town has become a big center for plastics, with the manufacture of Lexan taking place just south of town at the SABIC plant; in addition, Southwind Maritime Center is an important part of the town's industry.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 7,478 people, 3,027 households, and 2,058 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,036.0 people per square mile (1,173.7/km²). There were 3,312 housing units at an average density of 1,344.7/sq mi (519.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.85% White, 2.65% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population.
There were 3,027 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,543, and the median income for a family was $49,432. Males had a median income of $40,045 versus $22,790 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,264. About 10.5% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The government consists of a mayor and a city council. The mayor is elected in citywide vote. The city council consists of five members. Four are elected from individual districts. One is elected at-large.
Industry
Mt. Vernon is home to a number of refineries and also a former GE Plastics Plant, now owned by Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC). Vectren Energy's A.B. Brown Generating Station is also addressed to Mt. Vernon. The Ports of Indiana are negotiating with a second biofuels company to develop a plant at the Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon. The new facility, along with the Aventine Renewable Energy ethanol plant announced late last year, will make Mount Vernon an important energy port. The Aventine plant, which is being developed by a partnership with Consolidated Grain and Barge, another company at the port, will be the largest ethanol plant east of the Mississippi River. It is expected to produce 110 million gallons of ethanol a year by Sept. 2008. The Mount Vernon port is also the largest port for coal shipments in the U.S. The John T. Myers Locks and Dam located 13 miles SE of Mount Vernon plays important shipping role for the area's river based industries.
Local Media
Mount Vernon is served by a weekly newspaper The Mount Vernon Democrat and 24 hour radio station WRCY-AM 1590.
Transportation
Highways
Rail Service
- Evansville Western Railway, a short line railroad serving area industries both in Indiana and Illinois is headquartered in Mt Vernon.
River Port
- Southwind Maritime Center, a major publicly-funded riverport, is located just east of Mt. Vernon.
Notable natives
- H. Joel Deckard, (1942-), Born in Vandalia, Illinois, Deckard attended public schools in Mount Vernon, Indiana. He served as member of Indiana House of Representatives from 1966 to 1974 and was later elected to the US House of Representatives serving from 1979 to 1983. He was unsuccessful in his reelection bid in 1982 losing to Frank McCloskey.
- William Harrow, (1822-1871), Union general in the Civil War. Born in Winchester, Kentucky, lived in Mount Vernon and is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery just north of town.
- Alvin P. Hovey, (1821-1891), Union general in the Civil War and Governor of Indiana 1889-1891. Played major role in Battle of Champion Hill during the Siege of Vicksburg. Born in Mount Vernon and is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery.
- Thomas Gamble Pitcher, (1824-1895), Union general in the Civil War and was 1845 graduate of the United States Military Academy later serving as Superintendent from 1866-1871. Born in Rockport, Indiana, lived in Mount Vernon and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
See also
- List of cities and towns along the Ohio River
- Largest ports in the U.S. from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Southwind Maritime Center
References
Bibliography
[1]Gugin, Linda C. & St. Clair, James E, ed. (2006). The Governors of Indiana. Indianapolis, Indiana: Indiana Historical Society Press. ISBN 0871951967, p. 33. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
External links
- City website
- Metropolitan School District of Mount Vernon
- WRCY Website
- Evansville Western Railway website
- Mt. Vernon, IN Photos and Articles
- Battle of Champion Hill
| Central city |  | |
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| Municipalities with population over 5,000 in 2010 | ||
| Municipalities with population 1,000-5,000 in 2010 | ||
| Indiana counties | ||
| Kentucky counties | ||
Municipalities and communities of Posey County, Indiana, United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Townships | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
