West Baden Springs, Indiana

West Baden Springs is a town in French Lick Township, Orange County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.[6] The population was 574 at the 2010 census. It is famous for its vast majority of hotels and resorts and for being the birthplace of Larry Bird.

West Baden Springs, Indiana
Town
Location of West Baden Springs in Orange County, Indiana.
West Baden Springs
Location of West Baden Springs
West Baden Springs
West Baden Springs (the United States)
Coordinates: 38°34′1″N 86°36′42″W
Country United States
State Indiana
CountyOrange
TownshipFrench Lick
Area
 • Total1.10 sq mi (2.84 km2)
 • Land1.09 sq mi (2.82 km2)
 • Water0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation479 ft (146 m)
Population
 • Total574
 • Estimate 
(2018)[4]
559
 • Density509.64/sq mi (196.82/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
47469
Area code(s)812, 930
FIPS code18-82376[5]
GNIS feature ID451617

History

West Baden Springs is located in the vicinity of several mineral springs.[7] The town was founded in the 1850s, and named after the spa towns of Wiesbaden or Baden-Baden, in Germany.[8] A post office has been in operation at West Baden Springs since 1861.[9]

Dixie Garage, First Baptist Church, Homestead Hotel, Oxford Hotel, West Baden National Bank, and West Baden Springs Hotel are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[10]

Geography

West Baden Springs is located at 38°34′1″N 86°36′42″W (38.567018, −86.611601).[11]

According to the 2010 census, West Baden Springs has a total area of 1.098 square miles (2.84 km2), of which 1.09 square miles (2.82 km2) (or 99.27%) is land and 0.008 square miles (0.02 km2) (or 0.73%) is water.[12]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1910746—
192083211.5%
19301,17441.1%
1940949−19.2%
19501,04710.3%
1960879−16.0%
19709305.8%
1980796−14.4%
1990675−15.2%
2000618−8.4%
2010574−7.1%
Est. 2018559[4]−2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]

2010 census

As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 574 people, 251 households, and 149 families residing in the town. The population density was 526.6 inhabitants per square mile (203.3/km2). There were 303 housing units at an average density of 278.0 per square mile (107.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 93.4% White, 3.1% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.

There were 251 households of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.6% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.94.

The median age in the town was 40.4 years. 24% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 618 people, 263 households, and 175 families residing in the town. The population density was 577.8 people per square mile (223.0/km²). There were 292 housing units at an average density of 273.0 per square mile (105.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.50% White, 2.10% African American, 0.81% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 1.13% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.07% of the population.

There were 263 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the town, the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,750, and the median income for a family was $40,357. Males had a median income of $29,444 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,532. About 10.3% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.

West Baden Springs Hotel
Main article: West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Dome

The historic, 243-room luxury hotel is part of the French Lick Resort Casino complex that also includes the French Lick Springs Hotel and its adjacent casino.[14] A gala event on June 23, 2007, celebrated the reopening of the restored West Baden Springs Hotel.[15] (The renovated French Lick Springs hotel and new casino opened on November 3, 2006.[16])

Built in 1902, the West Baden Springs Hotel became known for the 200-foot (61 m) dome covering its atrium.[17][18] Prior to the completion of the Assembly Hall at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1963, the building had the largest free-spanning dome in the United States and was the largest in the world from 1902-1913. The hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and became a National Historic Landmark in 1987.[19] It is also designated as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.[20]

References
  1. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jul 28, 2017.
  2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  4. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  5. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  6. "West Baden Springs, Indiana". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  7. History of Lawrence, Orange, and Washington Counties, Indiana: From the Earliest Time to the Present. Higginson Book Company. 1884. p. 365.
  8. Baker, Ronald L. (October 1995). From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier Place Names in Folklore and History. Indiana University Press. p. 342. ISBN 978-0-253-32866-3. ...naming it West Baden for the famous spa in Germany.
  9. "Orange County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  10. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  11. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  12. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
  13. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  14. Bunting, Christina R. (2012). "Mineral Springs: The French Lick Springs Hotel in Orange County, Indiana". THG: Connections. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society. 52 (2): 46.
  15. Hammel, Bob. The Bill Cook Story: Ready, Fire, Aim!. p. 369.
  16. "Hotel History". French Lick Resort. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  17. O'Malley, John W. (December 1958). "The Story of the West Baden Springs Hotel". Indiana Magazine of History. Bloomington: Indiana University. 54 (4): 370–72. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  18. Rhodes, A. J. (1904). The Pedigree of West Baden (PDF). French Lick and West Baden, History and Story, From 1810 to 1904. pp. 8–9.
  19. Charleton, James H. (June 1985). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: West Baden Springs Hotel". National Park Service.
  20. "West Baden Springs Hotel". American Society of Civil Engineers. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
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