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Lebanon (/ˈlɛbnən/) is a city in and the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
of Boone 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 ...
, United States. The population was 15,792 at the 2010 census. Lebanon is located in central Indiana, approximately northwest of downtown Indianapolis and southeast of Lafayette.


History

Lebanon was founded in 1832. It was named by a pioneer settler who saw a stand of hickory trees on the site and was reminded of the
Biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
cedars of
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
. The first post office at Lebanon was established in 1832.


Historical sites

Lebanon is the home of the Historic Cragun House. Built in 1893, it was once the home of Strange Nathaniel Cragun and his family. The family travelled the world, and their house is now a living history museum full of the pieces they collected from their travels as well as original furniture from the dwelling. This Victorian home is owned and maintained by the Boone County Historical Society and serves as headquarters for the organization. The Cragun House has been added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
. Also listed on the National Register of Historic Places are the Boone County Courthouse and Oak Hill Cemetery (Lebanon, Indiana).


Geography

Lebanon is located at (40.052137, -86.471570). According to the 2010 census, Lebanon has a total area of , of which (or 99.9%) is land and (or 0.1%) is water.


Notable architecture

The county courthouse of Lebanon is notable for its single-piece vertical
Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composi ...
limestone columns. They were at one time believed to be the largest single-piece limestone columns in the world.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2010, there were 15,792 people, 6,433 households, and 4,049 families living in the city. 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 7,057 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.1%
White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 0.5%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 1.5% 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 for ...
or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population. There were 6,433 households, of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.1% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the city was 37.5 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.6% were from 45 to 64; and 14.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.


2000 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 14,222 people, 5,834 households, and 3,780 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 6,202 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.67%
White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 0.33%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.39% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.58% from other races, and 0.65% 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 for ...
or Latino of any race were 1.61% of the population. There were 5,834 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,791, and the median income for a family was $47,769. Males had a median income of $35,614 versus $22,791 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 city was $18,245. About 4.4% of families and 7.1% 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 ...
, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.


Government

The government consists of a mayor and a city council. The mayor and clerk-treasurer are elected in a citywide vote. The city council consists of seven members, five of whom are elected from individual districts, while two are elected at-large. ;Current elected officials - Lebanon, Indiana: *Mayor: Matt Gentry *Clerk-Treasurer: Tonya Thayer *City Council, District 1: Mike Kincaid *City Council, District 2: Keith Campbell *City Council, District 3: Morris Jones *City Council, District 4: Dick Robertson *City Council, District 5: John Copeland *City Council, At Large: Sierra Messenger *City Council, At Large: Brent Wheat


Politics

The most recent mayoral election occurred in November 2015 where Republican Matt Gentry 65.48% defeated Democrat Michele Thomas 33.46% by a 2 to 1 margin. Gentry was highly favored after defeating the incumbent Mayor Huck Lewis by a 2 to 1 margin. At age 26, Gentry became the youngest mayor in Lebanon history. Tonya Thayer was re-elected as Clerk-Treasurer with no opposition. The only contested city council seats were the two at-large bids, where newcomer Dan Fleming (Republican) 43.42% and incumbent Jeremy Lamar (Republican) 34.86% were able to defeat Aaron Smith (Independent) 21.71%. The mayoral election of 2011 occurred in May because no Democrats filed for the position. Incumbent Mayor Huck Lewis was able to retain his seat against Debbie Ottinger. Lewis won with 53.39% compared to Ottinger's 46.61%. Former Mayor Jim Acton (
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
) did not file to run for a fifth term, which left the 2007 election open to new candidates. In the mayoral election of November 2007. The candidates were: Republican John Lasley, President of the Lebanon City-Council, Democrat Roger Neal, Lebanon Community School Corporation School Board member and former Lebanon Parks and Recreation Director, and independent candidate George Piper who used to be an editor at '' The Lebanon Reporter'', which is Boone County's largest newspaper. Republican City Council President John Lasley won the election with 48% of the vote, to Democrat Roger Neal's 27% and Independent George Piper's 25%. 30% of registered voters cast votes in the 2007 election. Lasley died on May 2, 2009. He was battling a recurrence of cancer since December. City Council President Dick Robertson assumed the mayoral duties until the Republican Party precinct chairpersons met to choose Harold "Huck" Lewis as his successor. Despite having recently elected Democratic mayors, Lebanon can be considered to be highly Republican when it comes to national and state politics. In the 2008 election, Boone County (the county in which Lebanon is located) voted 62% for Republican presidential candidate John McCain and more than 80% for Republican gubernatorial candidate Mitch Daniels.


Education

Lebanon Community School Corporation The Lebanon Community School Corporation governs education in the areas surrounding the city of Lebanon, Indiana, the county seat in Boone County, Indiana. The Corporation is run by a five-member school board who appoints a superintendent to a ...
has six schools under its jurisdiction: four elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. The body enrolled 3,381 students for the 2019–2020 school year, and is recognized as a “B” district by the Indiana Department of Education. ;List of schools - Lebanon Community School Corporation: * Lebanon Senior High School * Lebanon Middle School * Central Elementary School * Hattie B. Stokes Elementary School * Harney Elementary School * Perry-Worth Elementary School The city has a lending library, the Lebanon Public Library, which was established as a Carnegie library with an initial grant of $15,000 in 1903.


Economy

Major employers in Lebanon include Lebanon Community School Corporation; the U.S. headquarters of German power tools company Festool and of Canadian specialty foods manufacturer Skjodt-Barrett; manufacturing plants for
Hendrickson International Hendrickson Holdings, L.L.C. is a privately held American holding company located in Woodridge, Illinois which, through its subsidiaries, designs and manufactures medium- and heavy-duty mechanical, elastomeric and air suspensions; integrated and n ...
, DS Smith, Kuraray, Kauffman Engineering, Maplehurst Bakeries, and D-A Lubricant Company; distribution centers for CNH Parts & Services, Subaru of America, Continental Tire the Americas, and Hachette Book Group USA; and health care and medical facilities operated by Witham Health Services.


Transportation

Highways *
Interstate 65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gu ...
to
Gary Gary may refer to: *Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Gary, Indiana, the largest city named Gary Places ;Iran *Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province ;Unit ...
(near
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
) and Indianapolis * US 52. A junction of U.S Route 52 and Interstate 65 is located in the northwest part of Lebanon, and the two routes are concurrent through most of the city. * State Road 32 to Crawfordsville and Muncie *
State Road 39 The following highways are numbered 39. For a list of roads called ''N39'', see List of N39 roads. Australia * Newell Highway * Goulburn Valley Highway * **Gore Highway ** Leichhardt Highway Canada * Alberta Highway 39 * British Columbia Hi ...
to LaPorte and Martinsville Airports
The Boone County Airport is located two
nautical mile A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude. Today t ...
s (2.3 mi, 3.7 km) southeast of Lebanon's
central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the " cit ...
. The nearest commercial airport which currently has scheduled airline service is Indianapolis International Airport (IND), located approximately south of Lebanon. Railroads and Trails
CSX provides freight rail service in Lebanon. The Lebanon Business Park located in the southwest part of the city is designated a CSX Select Site; CSX constructed a rail spur directly into the business park. The Lafayette and Indianapolis Railroad line traversing Lebanon was owned and operated by a number of companies from its inception in 1852 until it was abandoned in 1985. Portions of the former railroad line have been re-purposed as a shared use path currently known as Big 4 or Farm Heritage Trail. A trailhead is located at Sam Ralston Road east of Interstate 65 in Lebanon, and the trail extends from this point northwest to Thorntown.


Notable people

* Doug Jones, MLB All-Star relief pitcher * Mel Kenyon, Hall of Fame midget car driver; had four top-five finishes in
Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of India ...
; inducted in International Motorsports Hall of Fame *
Sylvia Likens Sylvia Marie Likens (January 3, 1949 – October 26, 1965) was an American teenager who was tortured and murdered by her caregiver, Gertrude Baniszewski, many of Baniszewski's children, and several of their neighborhood friends. This abuse in ...
, murder victim, born in Lebanon, murdered in Indianapolis in 1965 when she was 16 * Ray Long, editor of '' Cosmopolitan'' from 1919 to 1931, was born in Lebanon *
Ami McKay Ami McKay (born 1968) is an American Canadian novelist, playwright and journalist. McKay was born in Lebanon, Indiana, but now lives with her husband and two sons on the Bay of Fundy. She began her writing career as a freelancer for CBC Radio. Her ...
, novelist, playwright and journalist. * Rick Mount, 1966 Indiana "Mr. Basketball" award recipient, 3x All-American Purdue player, member of 1972 ABA championship
Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first est ...
team * William Perigo, basketball head coach at
Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the tr ...
and
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
* Drew Powell, actor, is best known for his role as Hoss Cartwright on the PAX series ''Ponderosa'' and as Butch Gilzean on FOX's "Gotham", and for his guest roles on ''Malcolm in the Middle'' and ''Leverage'' * Allen Saunders, cartoonist and writer, '' Mary Worth'' *
G. Thomas Tanselle George Thomas Tanselle (born January 29, 1934) is an American textual critic, bibliographer, and book collector, especially known for his work on Herman Melville. He was Vice President of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation from 1978 to 2006. Bi ...
, textual critic, bibliographer, and book collector, especially known for his work on
Herman Melville Herman Melville (born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are ''Moby-Dick'' (1851); '' Typee'' (1846), a r ...
* Craig Terrill, former Purdue and
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...
football player * Herman B Wells, former President of
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. * Indiana Univers ...
, attended Lebanon High School and worked as teller at his father's bank in Lebanon for several years


References


External links


City website


{{authority control Cities in Indiana Cities in Boone County, Indiana County seats in Indiana Indianapolis metropolitan area