North Judson is a town in
Wayne Township,
Starke County, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
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 ...
. The population was 1,857 as of the
2020 census.
History
The area now known as North Judson was originally Brantwood, a town platted on October 1, 1859, less than a mile northwest of the current town. The town post office was established on September 24, 1860, as North Judson after William D. Judson, President of the Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad (later a part of the
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, commonly called the Pan Handle Route (Panhandle Route in later days), was a railroad that was part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. Its common name came from its main line, whic ...
), which had just been laid through the town. The 'North' was likely added to eliminate confusion with downstate Judson, Indiana.
The town of North Judson proper was later laid out in 1866 and incorporated in 1888. In 1881, the
Indiana, Illinois and Iowa Railroad and
Chicago and Atlantic Railroad were each laid through the town. The town formerly owned and remains the headquarters of the
Chesapeake & Indiana Railroad.
Geography
North Judson is located at the intersection of
State Road 10 and
State Road 39 ( (41.217078, −86.775930)).
According to the 2010 census, North Judson has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 1,857 people.
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 1,772 people, 706 households, and 456 families residing 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 791 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.7%
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 ...
, 0.1%
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 ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 0.2%
Asian, 1.2% 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 1.5% 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 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 7.3% of the population.
There were 706 households, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were
married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.11.
The median age in the town was 37.7 years. 27% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.5% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 15.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town 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 1,675 people, 648 households, and 425 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 704 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.01%
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 ...
, 0.06%
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 ...
, 0.12%
Native American, 0.06%
Asian, 1.97% 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 0.78% 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 6.39% of the population.
There were 648 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were
married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 31.5% 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 2.58 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.1% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 16.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $29,779, and the median income for a family was $39,792. Males had a median income of $31,071 versus $21,467 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 $13,052. About 10.5% of families and 12.7% 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 12.3% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Library
The town has a lending library, the North Judson-Wayne Township Library.
Public Education
The town has an elementary school that teaches kindergarten through sixth grade, while
North Judson-San Pierre High School
North Judson-San Pierre High School is a public high school located in North Judson, Indiana.
Athletics
North Judson-San Pierre High School's athletic teams are the Blue Jays and they compete in the Hoosier North Athletic Conference. The school ...
teaches seventh grade through twelfth grade.
Arts and culture
The town hosts the annual Mint Festival over
Father's Day
Father's Day is a holiday of honoring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on 19 March as Saint Joseph's Day since the Middle Ages. In the Unite ...
weekend in celebration of the history of mint farming in the area. Musicians perform live throughout the weekend on a stage at Norwayne Field, a
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
-built park situated north at the intersection of SRs 10 and 39. Additionally, North Judson is home to the
Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, a memorial to American railroad culture that offers old-fashioned train rides on Saturdays. A short train ride reaches English Lake, at the Kankakee and Yellow Rivers' confluence, before returning to the museum.
Ten miles to the east, Bass Lake, a popular resort, offers summer relaxation opportunities to visitors and locals alike. Just south of the lake, the Melody Drive-in shows movies on two screens.
The community of North Judson is also a strong supporter of its high school North Judson-San Pierre, and the athletic teams the Blue Jays, particularly in football, and basketball, both boys and girls. The Blue Jays have a longtime football rivalry with the Knox High School Redskins, and games are among the biggest high school sports events each season.
Notable people
*
David Haugh
David Haugh (born May 22, 1968) is an American columnist, radio, and television personality. Haugh worked with the Chicago Tribune from 2002 to 2020, serving as the primary Chicago Bears columnist since 2009.
In July 2018, Haugh replaced Brian Ha ...
, sports columnist of the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
''
*
Henry F. Schricker, 36th and 38th
Governor of Indiana
The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the State of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state governmen ...
*
Christine Barger
''American Pie Presents: Beta House'' is a 2007 American sex comedy film released by Universal Pictures. It is the third installment in the ''American Pie Presents'' film series, a spin-off of the ''American Pie'' franchise. John White stars ...
, comedian and ventriloquist
Notes
{{authority control
Towns in Starke County, Indiana
Towns in Indiana
Northwest Indiana