![Arcadia Indiana street lamp and banner](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Arcadia_Indiana_street_lamp_and_banner.jpg)
Arcadia is a town in
Jackson Township,
Hamilton County,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, United States. The population was 1,666 at the
2010 census.
History
Settlers began to move into the area as early as 1833, when Hencil Bartholomew bought property near present day Arcadia, and other settlers quickly followed. On December 12, 1836, John and Harriet Shaffer bought 160 acres of land adjacent to a plot owned by Daniel and Matilda Waltz, which was later to become the heart of downtown Arcadia.
Railroad
On January 18, 1846, the
Peru and Indianapolis Railroad
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
(P&I) was incorporated to construct and operate a line from
Peru, Indiana
Peru is a city in, and the county seat of, Miami County, Indiana, United States. It is north of Indianapolis. The population was 11,417 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous city in Miami County. Peru is located along the Wabash Rive ...
, to Indianapolis to connect with the
Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad (JMI). By 1849 the town was laid out when the railroad had surveyed a route across the land owned by Shaffer and Waltz, and a year later in 1850, the two men donated the land on which the town was founded, which was plotted the next year by Isaac Martz. According to tradition, the town was originally to be named "Shaltz", combining the names of the two men Shaffer and Waltz, but the official naming was left up to Judge Jeremiah Smith, who called it
Arcadia, after the ancient region of Greece. The Arcadia post office opened in 1852. At this time, the site was heavily wooded, and described as "low" and marshy. After the town was laid out, the woods were cleared and streets paved with gravel, and their upkeep was paid for by a toll of 10 cents for a horse and buggy and 12 cents for a horse and wagon. The land was drained by two large open ditches, later spanned by crude log bridges. Early sidewalks were raised wooden platforms, later replaced by gravel and sawdust.
Manufacturing and Industry
By 1852, the railroad was complete, which included a north and south road constructed by the railroad which ran from Indianapolis to Peru, Indiana. Immediately Arcadia enjoyed steady growth as a farming community, and attracted a wide variety of businesses, which in the early years included a cigar factory, a cabinet shop, a flour and sawmill, and a planing mill to manufacture building materials.
The town continued to attract new businesses through the end of the century. By the 1880s the town included a wagon shop, a drug store, a butcher shop, a hardware store, and a number of dry goods and grocery stores, a furniture store, an undertaker, and two grain elevators. In 1888, the Frankfort Oil and Gas Company drilled for natural gas and struck a vein which ran from Arcadia and to the southwest for some six miles, which caused a small boom in industry. By 1880, eastern factories had used most of the timber they needed for fuel, and were moving west where coal was plentiful, but natural gas allowed them to fire kilns used in glass and brick manufacturing. A brick plant was opened by George Walters and B. P. Hollett, which supplied brick for miles up and down the
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Er ...
, using clay from nearby land. The Baker Glass Company moved operations from Findley, Ohio in 1894, using gas donated by the town, and later the Flint House Glass Company set up a factory to manufacture lamp chimneys. In 1898, the Arcadia Cheese Factory was opened by E. Wiles and John Burris, manufacturing an average of 200 lbs. of cheese a day. In about 1890, the first creamery was established in Arcadia by Toll Driver.
Education
As early as 1840, a school of hewed logs was built on wooded property donated by Moses Martz. School terms lasted three months, financed by private subscriptions of $1.50 per pupil.
[''A History of Arcadia, Indiana'' by members of the Arcadia Study Club, Marian Bishop et al, 1972, p. 16-17.]
Geography
Arcadia is located at (40.175429, -86.019776).
According to the 2010 census, Arcadia has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
2010 census,
there were 1,666 people, 612 households, and 427 families living in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was . There were 683 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.7%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 0.4%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.2%
Native American, 0.2%
Asian, 0.2% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.2% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.8% of the population.
There were 612 households, of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were
married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.2% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.07.
The median age in the town was 36 years. 27.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.3% were from 25 to 44; 23.3% were from 45 to 64; and 12.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.9% male and 50.1% female.
2000 census
As of the
2000 census,
there were 1,747 people, 582 households, and 427 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 607 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.22%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 0.92%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.57%
Native American, 0.23%
Asian, 0.52% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.55% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.09% of the population.
There were 582 households, out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were
married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $44,063, and the median income for a family was $48,833. Males had a median income of $35,435 versus $25,313 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $17,159. About 6.0% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 7.6% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
School districts
*
Hamilton Heights School Corporation
Hamilton Heights School Corporation is a public school district serving the northeastern rural communities in Hamilton County, Indiana. It covers over of mostly farmland within Jackson and White River townships.
Schools
The schools lie betw ...
(K-12)
The high school competes in the
Mid-Indiana Conference (MIC)
The Mid-Indiana Conference, or MIC, was a high school athletic conference which was located in northcentral Indiana, USA. This conference served many high schools located in Cass, Hamilton, Howard, and Miami Counties. The conference dissolved at ...
for athletics.
References
{{authority control
Towns in Hamilton County, Indiana
Towns in Indiana
Indianapolis metropolitan area