Ferdinand is a town in Ferdinand Township, Dubois County, in the U.S. state of

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. The population was 2,157 at the 2020 census.

History

Ferdinand was founded in 1840 by Fr. Joseph Kundek, OSB and was named after the Emperor

Ferdinand I of Austria Ferdinand I ( 19 April 1793 – 29 June 1875) was Emperor of Austria from March 1835 until his abdication in December 1848. He was also King of Hungary, King of Croatia, Croatia and King of Bohemia, Bohemia (as Ferdinand V), King of Lombardy– ...

. The town was settled by mostly German-speaking people from central Europe. At one time Ferdinand was known as the wooden shoe village. At the end of the 19th century, Ferdinand contained many businesses, including a machine works, a brick works, brewery, several taverns, and a dairy. The Ferdinand post office has been in operation since 1850. In 1867, the Monastery of Immaculate Conception was founded in Ferdinand. Ferdinand was incorporated as a town in 1905. In 1906, the ''Ferdinand News'' was established as the local newspaper. Just prior to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...

created the Ferdinand State Forest. The Monastery Immaculate Conception and Dr. Alois Wollenmann House 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

Ferdinand is located at (38.225392, -86.860996). According to the 2010 census, Ferdinand has a total area of , of which (or 98.27%) is land and (or 1.73%) is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 2,157 people, 823 households, and 566 families residing in the town. 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 866 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.2%

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 ...

, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.0% from 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 1.6% of the population. There were 823 households, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.2% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% 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 2.89. The median age in the town was 45.1 years. 21% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 25% were from 45 to 64; and 25.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 44.5% male and 55.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,277 people, 808 households, and 569 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 845 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.03%

, 0.04%

, 0.09% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.09%

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 ...

, 0.31% from other races, and 0.26% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.61% of the population. There were 808 households, out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% 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 3.09. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 78.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,326, and the median income for a family was $52,065. Males had a median income of $34,205 versus $23,646 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 town was $18,335. About 3.4% of families and 9.9% 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 4.2% of those under age 18 and 16.1% of those age 65 or over.

Attractions

Monastery of Immaculate Conception closeup

Attractions in Ferdinand include: * Monastery Immaculate Conception, the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

of The Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand * Ferdinand State Forest

Education

* Forest Park Jr./Sr. High School * Ferdinand Elementary School * Cedar Crest Intermediate School The town has a public library, a branch of the Jasper-Dubois County Public Library.

Churches

* St. Ferdinand Catholic Church

References

External links

Town of Ferdinand, Indiana, website

Monastery Immaculate Conception

{{authority control Towns in Dubois County, Indiana Towns in Indiana Communities of Southwestern Indiana Jasper, Indiana micropolitan area Populated places established in 1840 1840 establishments in Indiana