Thorntown is a town in Sugar Creek Township, Boone County, Indiana. The population was 1,520 at the time of the 2010 census. Thorntown is located in northwestern Boone County, about halfway between Lafayette and Indianapolis.

History

The first permanent settlement at Thorntown was made in 1827. A post office was established at Thorntown in 1830. Thorntown was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted in 1831. Thorntown is the English translation for the name of a former Native American village located there. The Thorntown Public Library was listed on 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 artistic ...

in 1986.

Geography

Thorntown is located at (40.128757, -86.608762). According to the 2010 census, Thorntown has a total area of , all land.

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 inc ...

of 2010, there were 1,520 people, 556 households, and 422 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 622 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.1%

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 ...

, 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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% from other races, and 0.5% 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 0.7% of the population. There were 556 households, of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.1% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age in the town was 37.5 years. 26% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 27.8% were from 45 to 64; and 13% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,562 people, 589 households, and 444 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 632 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.57%

, 0.13% Asian, 1.47% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.98% of the population. There were 589 households, out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.07. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.3% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,289, and the median income for a family was $43,194. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $24,524 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 $19,109. About 5.4% of families and 6.6% 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 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The town is governed by
Town Board
who oversees all sewage, electric, and police and fire service. The town board is also in charge of capital improvements and special projects such as road construction, signage, ordinance adoption, and administrating over the town court. There are five members of the board and a president is chosen from among them. The town's fire service is provided b

and ambulance service is provided b
Witham Health Services
The town's police department consists of four full-time police officers and anywhere between six and nine reserve officers. The town's police department falls under th

The town uses three police vehicles and provides almost 24-hour service. The town's marshals are also in charge of collecting loose or stray animals as well as enforcing local ordinance and state laws. The officers have full police authority within anywhere in the state of Indiana as prescribed by law.

Notable people

William La Follette William Leroy La Follette (November 30, 1860 – December 20, 1934) was a four-term member of the United States House of Representatives representing Washington. He represented the 3rd District from 1911 to 1915, and the 4th District from 191 ...

, member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, was born in Thorntown. * Paul Hutchens, author known for the ''

Sugar Creek Gang Sugar Creek Gang is a series of 36 Christian-themed children's literature books written by Paul Hutchens.Brett, Jennifer (14 November 2004). "Sunny films bring young talent to light", ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'', p. JJ1. The original se ...

'' book series * Anson Mills, general and founder of

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the ...

William W. Rogers William Walter Rogers (December 25, 1893 – October 15, 1976) was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of major general, who served as staff officer in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II. Ea ...

, major general in Marine Corps during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

References

External links

Town of Thorntown, Indiana website
{{authority control Towns in Boone County, Indiana Towns in Indiana Indianapolis metropolitan area