Thorntown is a town in

Sugar Creek Township, Boone County, Indiana Sugar Creek Township is one of twelve Township (United States), townships in Boone County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 2,243 and it contained 919 housing units. Geography According to the 2010 census, the township has a to ...

. The population was 1,432 at the time of the 2020 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 when a man named George Harness established a trading post in the area. Thorntown was officially founded by Cornelius Westfall, who platted the town on April 10, 1830. A post office was established at Thorntown the same year. 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 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 1986.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Thorntown has a total area of , all land.

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 1,520 people, 556 households, and 422 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 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 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% Native American, 0.1% from other races, and 0.5% 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 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 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, 16.9% 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

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 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 $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.

Education

It is in the Western Boone County Community School Corporation.
Text list
/ref>

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 (state), Washington. He represented the Washington's 3rd congressional district, 3rd ...

, member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, was born in Thorntown. * Paul Hutchens, author known for the '' Sugar Creek Gang'' book series * Anson Mills, general and founder of

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

* William W. Rogers, major general in Marine Corps during

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 ...

* Kai Edward Warmoth, author o
Visionary Forms Dramatic

References

External links

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