South Whitley, Indiana

South Whitley, Indiana
Town
South Whitley, State Street and water tower
Located in the state of Indiana
Coordinates: 41°5′9″N 85°37′38″W / 41.08583°N 85.62722°WCoordinates: 41°5′9″N 85°37′38″W / 41.08583°N 85.62722°W
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Whitley
Township	Cleveland
Area[1]
• Total	0.91 sq mi (2.36 km^2)
• Land	0.91 sq mi (2.36 km^2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km^2)
Elevation[2]	801 ft (244 m)
Population (2010)[3]
• Total	1,751
• Estimate (2012[4])	1,734
• Density	1,924.2/sq mi (742.9/km^2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	46787
Area code(s)	260
FIPS code	18-71612[5]
GNIS feature ID	443869

Railroad depot in South Whitley, 1910s

South Whitley is a town in Cleveland Township, Whitley County, Indiana, United States.^[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.

History

The South Whitley post office has been in operation since 1842.^[7]

Geography

According to the 2010 census, South Whitley has a total area of 0.91 square miles (2.36 km²), all land.^[1]

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. 2015	1,743	[8]	−0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]

2010 census

As of the census^[3] of 2010, there were 1,751 people, 729 households, and 482 families residing 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 residing 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 High School.

Notable people

• Janie Fricke, country music artist, was born in South Whitley in 1947.
• Will Cuppy (1884–1949), humorist and journalist, spent summers when he was a boy at the farm of his grandmother, Sarah Collins Cuppy, near South Whitley. Sarah Collins Cuppy on the other hand, with her husband, ran a station on the underground railroad. The house still exits today on St. Rd. 5 through the main strip of South Whitley. Many secret passages and hidden rooms exist within the walls of the old house. The doors of the home are not open to the public and the home is privately owned. ^[10]
• Hugo Fox (born February 2, 1897 in South Whitley; died December 29, 1969 in South Whitley) was the principal bassoonist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1922 to 1949. He was a member of the faculty of Northwestern University from 1936 to 1950. In 1949, he founded the Fox Products Corporation in South Whitley.^[11]

Note of interest

• Trivial Pursuit, the game introduced in 1982, had a question concerning this small town and its annual festival, in particular the bed races. Gripco, a nut and bolt factory that employed many of the townspeople, sponsored most of the events in the Fall Festival, culminating in the bed races in which four people push a bed on wheels down the main street of town with one person riding on the bed. The game cited South Whitley as the bed race capitol of the United States.
• The Whitko High School basketball team of 1990–1991 advanced to the final four of the state tournament, losing in the semifinal game.^[12] This feat was accomplished when the state tournament was one class, before class basketball began (1997-98 school year).
• The Whitko High School football team of 1986 advanced to the class 2A state finals, where they defeated Tell City 26 to 0 to win the state championship. The victory is, as of present, Whitko's only team state championship.
• In 1989 Matthew Koontz with a record of 35-0 won the wrestling individual state championship at 112 lbs. in overtime 7-5. That year he also received the Ward E. Brown Mental Attitude Award.

Media

• WIOE 101.1 is licensed to South Whitley, but is located in nearby Warsaw.^[13][14]

References

1. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
3. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
4. "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
5. "American FactFinder". 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. "Whitley County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
8. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
10. George Morrison Fleck, The Cuppy House, South Whitley, IN: Fleck Press, 1954.
11. 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.)
12. http://www.ihsaa.org/b-basketball_frame.htm IHSAA State Finals Scores
13. "WIOE Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
14. "Contact WIOE - Oldies 101 WIOE-FM". Brian R. Walsh/WIOE. Retrieved August 20, 2015.