South Whitley, Indiana

South Whitley is a town in Cleveland Township, Whitley County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.[6] The population was 1,751 at the 2010 census. South Whitley is a town in the Midwestern tradition of red brick buildings and tree-lined streets.

South Whitley, Indiana
Town
Town of South Whitley
South Whitley, State Street and water tower
Location of South Whitley in Whitley County, Indiana.
Coordinates: 41°5′9″N 85°37′38″W
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Whitley
Township	Cleveland
Area [1]
• Total	0.87 sq mi (2.25 km^2)
• Land	0.87 sq mi (2.25 km^2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km^2)
Elevation [2]	804 ft (245 m)
Population  (2010)[3]
• Total	1,751
• Estimate  (2019)[4]	1,741
• Density	2,001.15/sq mi (772.25/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	46787
Area code(s)	260
FIPS code	18-71612[5]
GNIS feature ID	443869

History

South Whitley was originally called Springfield, and under the latter name was laid out in 1837. A post office was established that year under the name Whitley.[7] The post office was renamed to South Whitley in 1842, and still operates today.[8]

Geography

According to the 2010 census, South Whitley has a total area of 0.91 square miles (2.36 km²), all land.[9]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	408		—
1890	720		76.5%
1900	1,113		54.6%
1910	1,176		5.7%
1920	1,074		−8.7%
1930	1,102		2.6%
1940	1,118		1.5%
1950	1,299		16.2%
1960	1,325		2.0%
1970	1,362		2.8%
1980	1,575		15.6%
1990	1,482		−5.9%
2000	1,782		20.2%
2010	1,751		−1.7%
Est. 2019	1,741	[4]	−0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]

Railroad depot in South Whitley, 1910s

2010 census

As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 1,751 people, 729 households, and 482 families living in the town. The population density was 1,924.2 inhabitants per square mile (742.9/km²). There were 820 housing units at an average density of 901.1 per square mile (347.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.0% White, 0.2% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population.

There were 729 households, of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.9% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.92.

The median age in the town was 37.6 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 1,782 people, 742 households, and 482 families living in the town. The population density was 2,423.2 people per square mile (929.8/km²). There were 791 housing units at an average density of 1,075.6 per square mile (412.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.16% White, 0.22% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.51% of the population.

There were 742 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,114, and the median income for a family was $42,438. Males had a median income of $34,653 versus $21,221 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,766. About 7.0% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The town is served by Whitko Community School Corporation and contains South Whitley Elementary and Whitko Jr/Sr High School.

The town has a lending library, the South Whitley Community Public Library.[11]

Media

• WIOE-FM 101.1 is licensed to South Whitley, but is located in nearby Warsaw.[12][13]

Notable people

• Janie Fricke, country music singer
• Will Cuppy, humorist and journalist[14]
• Hugo Fox, principal bassoonist in Chicago Symphony Orchestra[15]
• Albert Fredrick Ottomar Germann, scientist and academic
• Jennie Bain Wilson, writer of Christian hymns[16]

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
4. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
5. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
6. "South Whitley, Indiana". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
7. Kaler, Samuel P.; Maring, Richard H. (1907). History of Whitley County, Indiana. B. F. Bowen & Company. pp. 313.
8. "Whitley County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
9. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
11. "Indiana public library directory" (PDF). Indiana State Library. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
12. "WIOE-FM Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
13. "Contact WIOE - Oldies 101 WIOE-FM". Brian R. Walsh/WIOE. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
14. George Morrison Fleck, The Cuppy House, South Whitley, IN: Fleck Press, 1954.
15. On page 47 in the July, 1927, issue of THE SPECIALITY SALESMAN MAGAZINE, a national magazine published in South Whitley, Hugo Fox is praised. Mr Fox was invited to attend a banquet given at the opening of South Whitley's first hotel, The Hicks Tavern, on Wednesday, May 11th. Quote: "There was Mr. Hugo Fox, a former South Whitley boy, who is now playing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and is too modest to say that he is the best bassoon player in the country today."(Fred Fox of South Whitley was the manager of The Hicks Tavern. Fred Fox and Hugo Fox were brothers.)
16. "Jennie Bain Wilson". HymnTime. Retrieved 2019-10-13.