Earl Park, Indiana
Encyclopedia
Earl Park is a town in Richland Township
, Benton County
, Indiana
, United States
. The population was 348 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lafayette, Indiana
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
to Kankakee
. It consisted of 217 lots, the public sale of which on August 8 attracted some 2,000 people. Free lunch and free transportation on a special train of freight cars from Lafayette was provided. The town's first building was a grain elevator, the second the railway station. Elias Wees opened the first general store, providing residents with groceries and provisions.
Earl Park's first school, a one-story frame building, was erected around 1874 and expanded to a second story around 1878. The town gained a Catholic church in 1880, and a Methodist one in 1881, each costing about $2,500 to build and furnish.
Every year, Earl Park holds the Earl Park Fall Festival, which attracts thousands of people from all over the United States. It features a carnival, tractor pull, flea market, demolition derby, and several other attractions.
Earl Park is home to the Benton County Wind Farm
, the first large wind farm
in Indiana, established in 2008.
skirts around the northeast edge of town, and the Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad
along the southwest. The Upper Sugar Creek flows to the town's north and west.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 485 people, 168 households, and 111 families residing in the town. The population density
was 514.5 people per square mile (199.2/km²). There were 177 housing units at an average density of 187.8 per square mile (72.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.97% White, 0.21% African American, 0.82% from other races
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population.
There were 168 households out of which 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were married couples
living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,981, and the median income for a family was $37,188. Males had a median income of $26,667 versus $22,875 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $14,369. About 8.7% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Richland Township, Benton County, Indiana
Richland Township is one of eleven townships in Benton County, Indiana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 709. Its name is a "reference to the rich land within its borders."-Geography:...
, Benton County
Benton County, Indiana
Benton County is located along in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Indiana, along the border with Illinois. As of 2010, the county's population was 8,854. It contains six incorporated towns as well as several small unincorporated settlements; it is also divided into 11 townships which...
, 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 348 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Lafayette, Indiana metropolitan area
The Lafayette, 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 Lafayette...
.
History
Earl Park was laid out July 31, 1872, by Adams D. Raub and named for his uncle, Adams Earl, one of the promoters of the Big Four railway from LafayetteLafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
to Kankakee
Kankakee, Illinois
Kankakee is a city in Kankakee County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 25,561, and 26,840 as of a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Kankakee County...
. It consisted of 217 lots, the public sale of which on August 8 attracted some 2,000 people. Free lunch and free transportation on a special train of freight cars from Lafayette was provided. The town's first building was a grain elevator, the second the railway station. Elias Wees opened the first general store, providing residents with groceries and provisions.
Earl Park's first school, a one-story frame building, was erected around 1874 and expanded to a second story around 1878. The town gained a Catholic church in 1880, and a Methodist one in 1881, each costing about $2,500 to build and furnish.
Every year, Earl Park holds the Earl Park Fall Festival, which attracts thousands of people from all over the United States. It features a carnival, tractor pull, flea market, demolition derby, and several other attractions.
Earl Park is home to the Benton County Wind Farm
Benton County Wind Farm
The Benton County Wind Farm consists of 87 model sl/sle Gen4 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines near Earl Park, Indiana in northern Benton County, Indiana. The farm's nameplate capacity is 130.5 MW. It began commercial operation in April 2008. At the time of its construction, it was Indiana's only...
, the first large wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
in Indiana, established in 2008.
Geography
Earl Park is located at 40°41′4"N 87°24′57"W (40.684428, -87.415872) in Richland Township. U.S. Route 52U.S. Route 52
U.S. Route 52 is a United States highway that runs across the northern, eastern and southeastern regions of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S...
skirts around the northeast edge of town, and the Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad
Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad
The Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad Company is a Class III railroad serving agricultural communities in east-central Illinois and west-central Indiana.-History:...
along the southwest. The Upper Sugar Creek flows to the town's north and west.
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 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 485 people, 168 households, and 111 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 514.5 people per square mile (199.2/km²). There were 177 housing units at an average density of 187.8 per square mile (72.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.97% White, 0.21% African American, 0.82% 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...
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population.
There were 168 households out of which 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% 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, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,981, and the median income for a family was $37,188. Males had a median income of $26,667 versus $22,875 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 $14,369. About 8.7% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.