Rensselaer is a city located along the Iroquois River in Marion Township, Jasper County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,294 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jasper County[3]. Rensselaer is home to Saint Joseph's College of Indiana.
Geography
Rensselaer is located at 40°56′17″N 87°9′5″W / 40.93806°N 87.15139°W / 40.93806; -87.15139 (40.938051, -87.151341)[4]. U.S. Route 231 and Indiana State Road 114 intersect in the downtown area. The Iroquois River flows through the south part of the city.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.7 km²), of which, 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (2.03%) is water.
History
St. Joseph's College (church)
This settlement, first platted on June 12, 1839, was originally named Newton and was established at the rapids of the Iroquois River. By 1844 it had been renamed to Rensselaer after James Van Rensselaer, a merchant from Utica, New York, who came to the area after his business failed in the Panic of 1837. He took over the land from Joseph D. Yeoman, who had established a farm some years earlier and had begun to plan the village.[5]
St. Joseph's Indian Normal School was established in 1888 and trained 60 Indiana Boys annually until 1896. The school was operated by the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 5,294 people, 2,158 households, and 1,404 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,824.8 people per square mile (704.8/km²). There were 2,296 housing units at an average density of 791.4/sq mi (305.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.94% White, 0.32% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.66% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.53% of the population.
There were 2,158 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,821, and the median income for a family was $43,313. Males had a median income of $33,971 versus $24,016 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,872. About 6.6% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.
Rail Transportation
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Rensselaer.
Amtrak Train 51, the westbound Cardinal, is scheduled to depart Rensselaer at 8:20am on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday; Amtrak Train 851, the westbound Hoosier State, is scheduled to depart Rensselaer at 8:20am on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Both trains go to Dyer and Chicago Union Station to connect with other trains.
Amtrak Train 50, the eastbound Cardinal, is scheduled to depart Dyer at 8:57pm on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday with service to Lafayette, Crawfordsville, Indianapolis, Connersville, Cincinnati, Maysville, South Portsmouth, Ashland, Huntington, Charleston, Montgomery, Thurmond, Prince, Hinton, Alderson, White Sulphur Springs, Clifton Forge, Staunton, Charlottesville, Culpeper, Manassas, Alexandria, and Washington, DC and continuing on to New York City.
Amtrak Train 850, the eastbound Hoosier State, is scheduled to depart Rensselaer at 9:41pm on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with service to Lafayette, Crawfordsville, and Indianapolis.
Famous Residents
- Thomas Dudley Harmon, 1940 Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Michigan, played football professionally with the New York Americans and the Los Angeles Rams, Actor, Radio and Television Sports Broadcaster. As a pilot in the Army Air Corps during World War II, he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Silver Star for his actions.
- Steve Buyer, U.S. House of Representatives for Indiana's 4th Congressional District.
- Sherman Alexie, Native American writer and recipient of 18 writing awards, has relatives in Rensselaer
- Charles A. Halleck, Republican leader of the United States House of Representatives from the Second District of Indiana. He served as the House Majority Leader after the elections of 1946 and 1952; was the House Minority Leader 1959-1964.
- James Frederick "Jimmy" Hanley, American songwriter, best remembered for the hit songs "Indiana" (1917), "Second Hand Rose" (1921) and "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" (1934).
- Nellie Donegan, Actress, Ziegfeld Girl, Artistic Roller Skating Vaudeville Performer & International Speed Roller Skater.
- Augustus Phillips, Actor during the silent film era, appeared in 134 films between 1910 and 1921.
- Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson, Author, Journalist and Teacher, she is best known for her 1912 novel Greyfriars Bobby.
- Edison Marshall, nationally known author and adventurer. Won the prestigious O. Henry Award for "The Heart of Little Shikara."
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Battle, J. H. (1883). "History of Jasper County". Counties of Warren, Benton, Jasper, and Newton, Indiana. Chicago, Illinois: F. A. Battey and Company. pp. 508–514.
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