Fortville is a town in Vernon Township, Hancock County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 4,784 at the 2020 census.

Geography

Fortville is located in the northwest corner of

Hancock County, Indiana Hancock County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Indiana. The 2020 United States census recorded a population of 79,840. The county seat is Greenfield, Indiana, Greenfield. Hancock County is included in the Indianapolis- ...

, immediately adjacent to neighboring Hamilton County, which forms the town's northwest boundary and Madison County, which borders to the north. It is approximately northeast of Downtown

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, and is a part of the

Indianapolis metropolitan area The Indianapolis metropolitan area is an 11-county metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Indiana. Its principal cities are Indianapolis, Carmel, Indiana, Carmel, Greenwood, Indiana, Greenwood, and Anderson, Indiana, Anderson. Other primary cit ...

. According to the 2010 census, Fortville has a total area of , of which (or 99.67%) is land and (or 0.33%) is water.

History

When settlers first arrived in the area, the

Miami people The Miami ( Miami–Illinois: ''Myaamiaki'') are a Native American nation originally speaking the Miami–Illinois language, one of the Algonquian languages. Among the peoples known as the Great Lakes tribes, they occupied territory that is no ...

s and possibly

Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...

inhabited the area that is now Fortville. One of the most influential early settlers was Francis Kincade, he owned 24 lots right where the Greenfield- Noblesville Pike (Old SR 238/Southeastern Parkway/Merrill Street) and Main Street. (Now

US 36 U.S. Route 36 (US 36) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that travels approximately from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado to Uhrichsville, Ohio. The highway's western terminus is at Deer Ridge Junction, an inte ...

/ Sate Road 67) There were well established roads on his property as early as 1826. The settlement that became Fortville was originally named Phoebe Fort before it was changed to Walpole after a Greenfield politician named Thomas D. Walpole. Under the latter name was laid out and

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 Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1849. It was named for Cephas Fort, the original owner of the town site. Fortville was incorporated as a town in 1865. The historic

Browne-Rafert House Browne-Rafert House, also known as the Rafert-Anderson House and Browne House, is a historic home located in Fortville, Hancock County, Indiana. It was built in 1914, and is a two-story, Arts and Crafts movement inspired dwelling constructed o ...

on Merrill Street was 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 ...

in 2015.

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 3,929 people, 1,553 households, and 1,060 families living 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 1,705 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.2%

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 ...

, 1.3%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.3% 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 2.3% of the population. There were 1,553 households, of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% 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, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.7% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age in the town was 35.7 years. 28.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.1% were from 45 to 64; and 11.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,444 people, 1,394 households, and 950 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 1,454 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.14%

, 0.06%

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 ...

, 0.06% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.73% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.74% of the population. There were 1,394 households, out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were

living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 27.8% 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 2.46 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% 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 85.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $42,642, and the median income for a family was $49,010. Males had a median income of $37,723 versus $25,951 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 $17,745. About 4.3% of families and 6.5% 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 9.8% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Parks

Landmark Park is located at Staat Street and Veteran's Court, just east of Main Street. The entrance to Memorial Park is located just west of Church and McCarty streets.

Education

The town houses schools for the Mt. Vernon Community Schools Corporation. The district houses three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The schools regularly receive an "A+" score from the State of Indiana. The town has a lending library, the Vernon Township Public Library.

Economy

Fortville's historic downtown is home to local retailers, restaurants, and service providers. The downtown is also an attraction for arts and culture.

References

External links

Town websiteFortville/McCordsville Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Towns in Hancock County, Indiana