Bloomfield, Indiana
Encyclopedia
Bloomfield is a town in Richland Township
, Greene County
, Indiana
, United States
. The population was 2,405 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat
of Greene County
.
Bloomfield is part of the Bloomington, Indiana
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
, Kickapoo, Piankeshaw
and Wea
. A settlement of Paleo-Indians have been excavated by Indiana University
and Ball State University
research teams near the confluence of Richland Creek and the White River
north of Bloomfield. http://www.gbl.indiana.edu/abstracts/IHS/bib.htmlhttp://www.gbl.indiana.edu/abstracts/87/tankersley_87.html.
The town of Bloomfield was created in 1824 when Greene County needed a new county seat due to the lack of a reliable water source for the town of Burlington. Burlington was located north of Bloomfield near present-day Worthington, IN.
The town's first structure was the Greene County Courthouse, a log structure, in the center of town. The current courthouse, a brick structure built in the late 19th century, stands at the same location. An expansion and renovation project was completed in 2008.
In 1824, Peter Cornelius Van Slyke donated land to Greene County for the purpose of establishing a new county seat http://www.countyhistory.com/greene/more.htm. Van Slyke was born on the Mohawk River
in Schenectady County, New York
, on April 5, 1766. He migrated to southern Indiana in 1816. Van Slyke was a veteran of the War of 1812
and died on September 25, 1834.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), all of it land.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 2,542 people, 1,180 households, and 665 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,841.1 people per square mile (711.2/km²). There were 1,315 housing units at an average density of 952.4 per square mile (367.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.31% White, 0.20% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.31% from other races
, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.10% of the population.
There were 1,180 households out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples
living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.6% were non-families. 40.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.76.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,224, and the median income for a family was $42,656. Males had a median income of $31,864 versus $23,879 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $18,045. About 12.0% of families and 16.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.
Richland Township, Greene County, Indiana
Richland Township is one of fifteen townships in Greene County, Indiana, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 5,008.-Geography:Richland Township covers an area of ; of this, or 1 percent is water...
, Greene County
Greene County, Indiana
Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana, and determined by the U.S. Census Bureau to include the mean center of U.S. population in 1930. As of 2010, the population was 33,165. The county seat is Bloomfield....
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,405 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Greene County
Greene County, Indiana
Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana, and determined by the U.S. Census Bureau to include the mean center of U.S. population in 1930. As of 2010, the population was 33,165. The county seat is Bloomfield....
.
Bloomfield is part of the Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Bloomington, Indiana metropolitan area
The Bloomington, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in Indiana, anchored by the city of Bloomington...
.
History
The area where Bloomfield is located has been inhabited by Native Americans since prehistory. Tribes that have lived in the area include the Miami tribeMiami tribe
The Miami are a Native American nation originally found in what is now Indiana, southwest Michigan, and western Ohio. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is the only federally recognized tribe of Miami Indians in the United States...
, Kickapoo, Piankeshaw
Piankeshaw
The Piankeshaw Indians were Native Americans, and members of the Miami Indians who lived apart from the rest of the Miami nation. They lived in an area that now includes western Indiana and Ohio, and were closely allied with the Wea Indians...
and Wea
Wea
The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking tribe originally located in western Indiana, closely related to the Miami. The name Wea is used today as the a shortened version of their many recorded names...
. A settlement of Paleo-Indians have been excavated by Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
and Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
research teams near the confluence of Richland Creek and the White River
White River (Indiana)
The White River is a two-forked river that flows through central and southern Indiana and is the main tributary to the Wabash River. Via the west fork, considered to be the main stem of the river by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, the White River is long.-West Fork:The West Fork, long, is...
north of Bloomfield. http://www.gbl.indiana.edu/abstracts/IHS/bib.htmlhttp://www.gbl.indiana.edu/abstracts/87/tankersley_87.html.
The town of Bloomfield was created in 1824 when Greene County needed a new county seat due to the lack of a reliable water source for the town of Burlington. Burlington was located north of Bloomfield near present-day Worthington, IN.
The town's first structure was the Greene County Courthouse, a log structure, in the center of town. The current courthouse, a brick structure built in the late 19th century, stands at the same location. An expansion and renovation project was completed in 2008.
In 1824, Peter Cornelius Van Slyke donated land to Greene County for the purpose of establishing a new county seat http://www.countyhistory.com/greene/more.htm. Van Slyke was born on the Mohawk River
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
in Schenectady County, New York
Schenectady County, New York
Schenectady County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 154,727. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Schenectady. The name is from a Mohawk Indian word meaning "on the other side of the...
, on April 5, 1766. He migrated to southern Indiana in 1816. Van Slyke was a veteran of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
and died on September 25, 1834.
Geography
Bloomfield is located at 39°1′29"N 86°56′25"W (39.024634, -86.940307).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
| Bloomfield, IN Population by year |
2010 2,405 2000 2,542 1990 2,592 1980 2,705 1970 2,565 1960 2,224 1950 2,086 1940 2,270 1930 2,298 1920 1,872 1910 2,069 1900 1,588 |
As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,542 people, 1,180 households, and 665 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,841.1 people per square mile (711.2/km²). There were 1,315 housing units at an average density of 952.4 per square mile (367.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.31% White, 0.20% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.31% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.10% of the population.
There were 1,180 households out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.6% were non-families. 40.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.76.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,224, and the median income for a family was $42,656. Males had a median income of $31,864 versus $23,879 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $18,045. About 12.0% of families and 16.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.
Local landmarks and attractions
- One of the best preserved covered bridges in the state is Bloomfield's Richland-Plummer Creek Bridge, built by A.M. Kennedy and Sons in 1883. It is located approximately 1 3/4 miles south of town.
- Near Bloomfield is the Tulip ViaductTulip ViaductThe Tulip Viaduct is a long railroad bridge in Greene County, Indiana that spans Richland Creek between Solsberry and Tulip...
http://www.bloomingpedia.org/wiki/Greene_County_Viaduct.http://www.bloombank.com/dept/pr/community/viaduct.html - Bloomfield is the home of the Shawnee Summer Theater Indiana's oldest continuously running professional summer theatre. Shawnee has operated, uninterrupted, since 1960 http://www.shawneetheatre.org/.
- The man who owned the land where Bloomfield was built (Peter Cornelius Van Slyke) is buried in Bloomfield in the Van Slyke cemetery on the west end of town (behind the old woolen mill).
- Shawnee FieldShawnee FieldShawnee Field is a public use airport in Greene County, Indiana, United States. It is owned by Shawnee Field Inc. and is located three nautical miles west of the central business district of Bloomfield, Indiana.Although most U.S...
is approximately 5 miles west of town. - Just east of Bloomfield is the source for Walnut Grove premium Spring Water.
Festivals
- Annual Apple Festival and Parade held typically on the first full weekend of October.
- Fireworks held on the 4th of JulyIndependence Day (United States)Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
. - Annual Town-Wide Yard Sales (the largest in the county) are the Saturday before Father's Day in June.