Peru

City of Peru
—  City  —
Peru downtown
Nickname(s): Circus Capital of the World
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates: 40°45′28″N 86°4′4″W / 40.75778°N 86.06778°W / 40.75778; -86.06778
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Miami
Founded	1834
Founder	William N. Hood
Government
- Mayor	Jim R. Walker (R)
Area
- Total	4.7 sq mi (12.1 km2)
- Land	4.6 sq mi (12.0 km2)
- Water	0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2)  0.86%
Elevation	650 ft (198 m)
Population (2006)
- Total	12,719
- Density	2,815.5/sq mi (1,085.9/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	46970-46971
Area code(s)	765
FIPS code	18-59328[1]
GNIS feature ID	0441047[2]
Website	http://www.cityofperu.org/

Peru is a city in, and the county seat of, Miami County, Indiana, United States. The population was 12,994 at the 2000 census, making it the most populous city in Miami County^[3].

Residents usually pronounce the name of Peru like the name of the South American nation of Peru. Elderly Hoosiers commonly use the archaic pronunciation of /ˈpɪəruː/ PEER-oo

History

Peru was founded in 1834 by William N. Hood.^[4] Early in the 20th Century, Peru was home to a pioneering automobile maker, Model Automobile Company;^[5] like most others, Model did not survive.

Geography

Peru is located at 40°45′28″N 86°4′4″W / 40.75778°N 86.06778°W / 40.75778; -86.06778 (40.757690, -86.067791)^[6].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12.1 km²), of which, 4.6 square miles (12.0 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.86%) is water. Peru is the largest town or city in Miami County.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 12,994 people, 5,410 households, and 3,397 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,815.5 people per square mile (1,085.9/km²). There were 5,943 housing units at an average density of 1,287.7/sq mi (496.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.71% White, 2.95% African American, 1.52% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.32% of the population.

There were 5,410 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,668, and the median income for a family was $39,440. Males had a median income of $31,631 versus $20,440 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,497. About 9.5% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Miami County courthouse.

Peru High School.

Notable residents

• Cole Porter, songwriter; Porter was born in Peru, and buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery
• Kyle Macy, former NBA player, former Morehead State University head coach; Macy was raised in Peru and graduated from Peru High School
• Ole Olsen, comedian
• Carol Lou Woodward, pianist

Other facts

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (August 2008)

• Peru is the home of the world's only remaining manufacturer of steam calliopes.
• The asteroid 32570 Peruindiana, discovered August 21, 2001, is named for Peru.
• Peru was the winter headquarters for several famous circuses, including Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey, Wallace and others. (Peru shared the notoriety of winter headquarters for some of these circuses with Baraboo, Wisconsin.) The International Circus Hall of Fame is located in Peru, Indiana. Annually during the third weekend of July, the Peru Amateur Circus holds performances for the whole week, ending with a Circus City Festival and Parade. All of the performers are amateurs, ranging in age from 7 to 21 years.
• Peru is the site of the tribal headquarters of the Miami Nation.
• Several people who worked with Groucho Marx during his film career recall that, during script conferences, he made frequent references to "the barber in Peru (Indiana)". This was his term for a "typical" member of the Marx Brothers' movie audience. If Groucho deemed a joke to be too intellectual or too esoteric for "the barber in Peru", he would insist that it be removed from the script.
• The movie "The Little Big Top"(2006) was filmed entirely in Peru.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ Stephens, John H. (1896). "Peru". History of Miami County. Peru, Indiana: The John H. Stephens Publishing House. 
5. ^ Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925 (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950), p.57.
6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Peru, Indiana is at coordinates 40°45′28″N 86°04′04″W / 40.75769°N 86.067791°W / 40.75769; -86.067791 (Peru, Indiana)Coordinates: 40°45′28″N 86°04′04″W / 40.75769°N 86.067791°W / 40.75769; -86.067791 (Peru, Indiana)
• City of Peru, Indiana website

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Miami County, Indiana County seat: Peru Cities and towns Amboy | Bunker Hill | Converse‡ | Denver | Macy | Peru Townships Allen | Butler | Clay | Deer Creek | Erie | Harrison | Jackson | Jefferson | Perry | Peru | Pipe Creek | Richland | Union | Washington Unincorporated communities Birmingham | Chili | Courter | Deedsville | Doyle | Erie | Flora | Gilead | Grissom JARB‡ | Loree | McGrawsville | Mexico | Miami | Nead | New Santa Fe | North Grove | Park View Heights | Peoria | Perrysburg | Pettysville | Santa Fe | South Peru | Wawpecong | Wells Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties