Brazil is a city in

Clay County, Indiana Clay County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 26,466. The county seat is Brazil, Indiana, Brazil. Clay County is included in the Terre Haute, Indiana, Terre Haute metropolit ...

, United States. The population was 8,176 at the 2022 census. The city is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Clay County. It is part of the

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and its metropolitan area had a population of 168,716. Located along the Wabash River about e ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. There is a fountain from the country of Brazil; Brazil often flies the Brazilian, Indiana flag, and U.S. flag alongside one another at the fountain.

History

In the 1840s, the owners of the farmland that would later become the city of Brazil decided to name their farm after the country of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. The city was founded in 1866. As of 2024, Brazil is part of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Fl ...

, formed in 1825, originally had Bowling Green as its county seat. The county seat was relocated to Brazil in 1876 following the city's development. The Chafariz dos Contos Fountain (from " contos de réis" a former Brazilian currency) was given to the city by the country of Brazil as a symbol of friendship in 1956. It is a replica of the original fountain located in

Ouro Preto Ouro Preto (, ), formerly Vila Rica (, ), is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The city, a former Brazilian Gold Rush, colonial mining town located in the Serra do Espinhaço mountains, was designated a ...

, State of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

, built in 1745. In 2010, Brazil gained national attention for accepting money from

Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC Corporation, doing business as KFC (an abbreviation of Kentucky Fried Chicken), is an American fast food restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken and chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the world's s ...

for the rights to display the

KFC KFC Corporation, doing business as KFC (an abbreviation of Kentucky Fried Chicken), is an American fast food restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken and chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the world's se ...

and Fiery Grilled Wings logos on city fire hydrants. The Brazil Downtown Historic District, Clay County Courthouse, Clay County Hospital, Meridian-Forest Historic District, and U.S. Post Office-Brazil are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

Brazil is located at (39.525000, -87.127500). According to the 2010 census, Brazil has a total area of , of which (or 99.08%) is land and (or 0.92%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 8,181 people, 3,664 households, and 3,282 families living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 94.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.9%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.0% Native American, 0.0% Asian, and 3.9% of households with two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 7,912 people, 3,154 households, and 2,018 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 3,583 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.1%

, 0.6%

, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population. There were 3,154 households, of which 35.1% included children under the age of 18, 41.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.0% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were composed of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age in the city was 36.2 years. 26% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.2% were 25 to 44; 23.9% were 45 to 64; and 14.4% 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 2000 census, there were 8,188 people, 3,383 households, and 2,151 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,740 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.80%

, 0.64%

, 0.37% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.28% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.61% of the population. There were 3,383 households, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were

living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were composed of individuals, and 17.3% 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 3.01. The age demographics were as follows: 25.8% of people were under the age of 18, 9.5% were from 18 to 24, 26.8% were from 25 to 44, 20.6% were from 45 to 64, and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,902, and the median income for a family was $37,569. Males had a median income of $29,693 versus $20,215 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $15,123. About 10.7% of families and 13.2% 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 18.5% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The government consists of a mayor and a city council. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote. The city council consists of five members. Four are elected from individual districts while one is elected at large. The current chief executive of Brazil is

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Brian Wyndham ( D).

Education

The city has a free lending library, the Brazil Public Library.

Transportation

Airport

The Brazil Clay County Airport is a public-use

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

located in Clay County, south of Brazil's

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center 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 wit ...

Notable people

Gerald Eades Bentley Gerald Eades Bentley (September 15, 1901 – July 25, 1994) was an American academic and literary scholar, best remembered for his seven-volume work, ''The Jacobean and Caroline Stage,'' published by Oxford University Press between 1941 and 1968. T ...

, scholar of Elizabethan theater * Gene Cramer, NBL player * George N. Craig, governor of Indiana, Past National Commander of

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

* Johnnie Davis, musician, band leader * Joe Dean, American basketball player, announcer and college athletic director * John Dugan, actor * Ivan Fuqua, winner of gold medal in 4×400m relay at the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

* David Goggins, US Navy Seal, Motivational Speaker,

Ultramarathon An ultramarathon is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon distance of . The sport of running ultramarathons is called ultra running or ultra distance running. Various distances, surfaces, and formats are raced competitively, from the ...

runner, New York Times bestselling author * Charles B. Hall, iconic combat fighter pilot and U.S. Army Air Corps Officer with the

Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Fighter Group, 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of th ...

* Jimmy Hoffa, labor union leader * Judy Ledgerwood, Abstract painter and educator * Gayle Porter Hoskins, illustrator * Stuart Randall, actor who played Sheriff Mort Corey on '' Laramie'' * Orville Redenbacher, popcorn tycoon * Ralph Francis Stearley, 2-star Air Force general in Gen. Eisenhower's Cabinet * Henry Lee Summer, 1980s pop singer

Climate

Climate is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

subtype for this climate is "CFA" (

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Clay County, Indiana Cities in Indiana County seats in Indiana National Road Terre Haute metropolitan area 1866 establishments in Indiana Populated places established in 1866