Rensselaer, Indiana | |
|---|---|
 Jasper County Courthouse | |
 Seal | |
 Location of Rensselaer in Jasper County, Indiana | |
| Coordinates:40°56′15″N87°10′06″W / 40.93750°N 87.16833°W /40.93750; -87.16833[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Jasper |
| Townships | Marion,Newton |
| Platted | June 12, 1839 |
| Incorporated | December 8, 1858 |
| Named after | James Van Rensselaer |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jeff Phillips (R) |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.73 sq mi (17.44 km2) |
| • Land | 6.73 sq mi (17.43 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0039 sq mi (0.01 km2) |
| Elevation | 659 ft (201 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 5,733 |
| • Density | 852.1/sq mi (328.99/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 47978 |
| Area code | 219 |
| FIPS code | 18-63792[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2396349[1] |
| Website | cityofrensselaerin |
Rensselaer is a city located along theIroquois River inMarion Township,Jasper County,Indiana, United States. The population was 5,733 at the2020 census, down slightly from 5,859 at the2010 census.[4] The city is thecounty seat of Jasper County.[5]Saint Joseph's College is located just south of the city limits.
This settlement, first platted on June 12, 1839, was originally named "Newton" and was established at the rapids of theIroquois River. By 1844, it had been renamed "Rensselaer", after James Van Rensselaer, a merchant fromUtica, New York, who came to the area after his business failed in thePanic of 1837. He took over the land from Joseph D. Yeoman, who had established a farm some years earlier and had begun to plan the village.[6]
St. Joseph Indian Normal School was established in 1888 bySt. Katherine Drexel, an heiress fromPhiladelphia, who donated $50,000 for the education ofCatholic American Indian boys. The school trained 60 boys annually until 1896. The school was operated by theBureau of Catholic Indian Missions.
In addition to St. Joseph Indian Normal School, theJasper County Courthouse,Oren F. and Adelia Parker House,Rensselaer Carnegie Library, andRensselaer Courthouse Square Historic District are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[7][8][9]
Rensselaer is located southwest of the center of Jasper County.[10] It is bordered to the south by the unincorporated community ofCollegeville, home to Saint Joseph's College. TheIroquois River, a tributary of theKankakee River, hence part of theIllinois River watershed, flows from east to west through the southern part of the city.
U.S. Route 231 andIndiana State Road 114 intersect in the downtown area. US-231 leads north 20 miles (32 km) toDeMotte and south 12 miles (19 km) toRemington, while State Road 114 leads east 13 miles (21 km) toU.S. Route 421 and west 3.5 miles (5.6 km) toInterstate 65. Via I-65, Rensselaer is 42 miles (68 km) north ofLafayette and 54 miles (87 km) south ofGary.
According to the 2010 census, Rensselaer has a total area of 3.86 square miles (10.00 km2), of which 3.8 square miles (9.84 km2) (or 98.45%) is land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km2) (or 1.55%) is water.[11]
Humid continental climate is a climatic classification typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is relatively well distributed year-round in many areas with this climate, while others may see a marked reduction in wintry precipitation and even a wintertime drought. TheKöppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Dfa". (Hot Summer Continental Climate).[12]
| Climate data for Rensselaer, Indiana (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 32.0 (0.0) | 36.5 (2.5) | 48.1 (8.9) | 61.1 (16.2) | 72.3 (22.4) | 81.4 (27.4) | 83.9 (28.8) | 82.5 (28.1) | 77.2 (25.1) | 64.1 (17.8) | 49.1 (9.5) | 37.0 (2.8) | 60.4 (15.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 24.0 (−4.4) | 27.9 (−2.3) | 38.4 (3.6) | 50.0 (10.0) | 61.5 (16.4) | 70.9 (21.6) | 73.6 (23.1) | 71.8 (22.1) | 65.2 (18.4) | 52.7 (11.5) | 40.2 (4.6) | 29.5 (−1.4) | 50.5 (10.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 16.1 (−8.8) | 19.3 (−7.1) | 28.7 (−1.8) | 38.9 (3.8) | 50.6 (10.3) | 60.4 (15.8) | 63.4 (17.4) | 61.2 (16.2) | 53.2 (11.8) | 41.3 (5.2) | 31.3 (−0.4) | 21.9 (−5.6) | 40.5 (4.7) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.58 (66) | 2.04 (52) | 2.71 (69) | 3.88 (99) | 4.34 (110) | 4.78 (121) | 4.49 (114) | 4.01 (102) | 3.24 (82) | 3.18 (81) | 2.59 (66) | 2.25 (57) | 40.09 (1,019) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 8.2 (21) | 8.8 (22) | 3.5 (8.9) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.5 (1.3) | 4.2 (11) | 25.3 (64.45) |
| Source: NOAA[13] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 241 | — | |
| 1860 | 535 | 122.0% | |
| 1870 | 617 | 15.3% | |
| 1880 | 968 | 56.9% | |
| 1890 | 1,455 | 50.3% | |
| 1900 | 2,255 | 55.0% | |
| 1910 | 2,393 | 6.1% | |
| 1920 | 2,912 | 21.7% | |
| 1930 | 2,798 | −3.9% | |
| 1940 | 3,214 | 14.9% | |
| 1950 | 4,072 | 26.7% | |
| 1960 | 4,740 | 16.4% | |
| 1970 | 4,688 | −1.1% | |
| 1980 | 4,944 | 5.5% | |
| 1990 | 5,045 | 2.0% | |
| 2000 | 5,294 | 4.9% | |
| 2010 | 5,859 | 10.7% | |
| 2020 | 5,733 | −2.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[14] | |||
At the2010 census there were 5,859 people, 2,336 households, and 1,517 families living in the city. The population density was 1,541.8 inhabitants per square mile (595.3/km2). There were 2,556 housing units at an average density of 672.6 per square mile (259.7/km2). Theracial makup of the city was 95.4% White, 0.7% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.8% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.4%.[15]
Of the 2,336 households 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.1% were non-families. 29.5% of households were one person and 12.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.96.
The median age was 36.6 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.6% were from 25 to 44; 23.7% were from 45 to 64; and 16.4% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.
At the2000 census there were 5,294 people, 2,158 households, and 1,404 families living in the city. The population density was 1,824.8 inhabitants per square mile (704.6/km2). There were 2,296 housing units at an average density of 791.4 per square mile (305.6/km2). Theracial makup of the city was 97.94% White, 0.32% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.66% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.53%.[3]
Of the 2,158 households 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 31.1% of households were one person and 15.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.98.
The age distribution was 25.3% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.
The median household income was $34,821 and the median family income was $43,313. Males had a median income of $33,971 versus $24,016 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,872. About 6.6% of families and 10.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.
It is within theRensselaer Central School Corporation (K-12 school district).[16]
Rensselaer has a public library, a branch of the Jasper County Public Library.[17]
Saint Joseph's College is in Rensselaer.
Rensselaer is served by Amtrak'sCardinal, which runs three days per week, stopping at theRensselaer Amtrak station.
Municipalities and communities ofJasper County, Indiana,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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