| City of Jasper, Indiana | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Dubois |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | William J. Schmitt (D) |
| Area | |
| - Total | 9.3 sq mi (24.0 km²) |
| - Land | 9.2 sq mi (23.9 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km²) |
| Elevation | 466 ft (142 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 12,100 |
| - Density | 1,312.3/sq mi (506.7/km²) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 47546, 47547, 47549 |
| Area code(s) | 812 |
| FIPS code | 18-37782GR2 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0436944GR3 |
| Website: Jasperin.org | |
Jasper is a city in Dubois County, Indiana, United States. The population was 12,100 at the 2000 census. The city has been the county seat of Dubois CountyGR6, since 1830, succeeding Portersville. In 1970 the school system of Ireland, a hamlet west of Jasper along State Route 56, was consolidated into that of Jasper [1]. On November 4, 2007, Dubois County returned to the Eastern Time Zone, after having moved to the Central Time Zone the previous year. Supercentenarian Minnie Kearby, once the oldest resident of Indiana, was perhaps one of Jasper's best-known residents; born in Ireland, Indiana on April 14, 1893, she moved to a Jasper care facility in November 2004. She died the following winter. It is also the hometown of Major League Baseball player Scott Rolen of the St. Louis Cardinals. The current Catholic Archbishop of Indianapolis, Daniel M. Buechlein, O.S.B., also hails from Jasper. The town of Jasper is a regional center in southwestern Indiana. It is noted for its heavily German Catholic ancestral roots. Jasper has often been dubbed the "Wood Capital of the World", boasting a very large number of furniture companies. In a town with only 12,000 people, its daytime population can reach 50,000. It has an unemployment rate that hovers around 2.5 percent, making it one of the lowest in the state. Furthermore, despite its location in the southern hills and lowlands region, Dubois County is first in the state in terms of agriculture output including hogs and corn. Jasper is also home to the Southern Indiana Education Service Center (SIEC) and to a lovely campus of Vincennes University. In 2005, Jasper was ranked in the top ten best places to live in the US, by Relocate America, a national realty relocation firm, which consults and helps clients find desirable places across the country to live. Jasper was previously ranked in the top 25 in Norman Crampton's 1992 book 100 Best Small Towns in America.
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Strassenfest
The Jasper Strassenfest is a four day event held annually during the first weekend in August. The "Fest", as it is referred to, is a celebration between Jasper and its German sister-city Pfaffenweiler, a small village in southwest Germany. Many citizens of Pfaffenweiler travel to Jasper around this time of year. The street festival encompasses the entire city square complete with countless food stands, rides and a very large Beergarten. Over 1,300 pounds of Bratwursts are consumed during the four day event. The city paper is "The Herald"(since 1895). The Strassenfest culminates in a Sunday parade and evening fireworks. The festival also incorporates a golf tournament, beauty pageant (Miss Strassenfest), fishing tournament, and a network of German "Polka Masses" at the three main Catholic parishes, St. Joseph's, Holy Family, and Precious Blood.
Geography
Jasper is located at (38.395306, -86.932706)GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.3 square miles (24.0 km²), of which, 9.2 square miles (23.9 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.43%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 12,100 people, 4,875 households, and 3,188 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,311.8 people per square mile (506.7/km²). There were 5,107 housing units at an average density of 553.7/sq mi (213.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.00% White, 0.25% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.54% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.37% of the population. There were 4,875 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.01. In the city the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $42,051, and the median income for a family was $52,634. Males had a median income of $36,415 versus $22,484 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,547. About 3.3% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Sister Cities
Jasper participates in the sister cities program, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI)[1]. Its sister city is
- Pfaffenweiler, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Schools
Jasper High School Jasper Middle School Tenth Street Elementary School Fifth Street Elementary School Ireland Elementary School Holy Family Elementary School Precious Blood Elementary School Jasper Christian Academy Vincennes University Jasper Campus
References
- ^ Sister Cities International. Retrieved on 2006-11-20.
External links
- City of Jasper
- Jasper Official Website
- Jasper German Club
- Jasper Strassenfest
- Jasper, Indiana is at coordinates Coordinates:
Municipalities and communities of Dubois County, Indiana | ||
|---|---|---|
| County seat: Jasper | ||
| Cities and towns | Birdseye | Ferdinand | Holland | Huntingburg | Jasper |  |
| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | Bretzville | Celestine | Crystal | Cuzco | Dubois | Dubois Crossroads | Duff | Ellsworth | Haysville | Hillham | Ireland | Johnsburg | Kellerville | Kyana | Maltersville | Mentor | Millersport | Portersville | Saint Anthony | Saint Henry | Saint Marks | Schnellville | Thales | |
