Oolitic, Indiana

Oolitic, Indiana
—  Town  —
Location of Oolitic in the state of Indiana
Coordinates: 38°53′44″N 86°31′29″W / 38.89556°N 86.52472°W / 38.89556; -86.52472Coordinates: 38°53′44″N 86°31′29″W / 38.89556°N 86.52472°W / 38.89556; -86.52472
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Lawrence
Township	Indian Creek, Shawswick
Area
– Total	0.8 sq mi (2.1 km2)
– Land	0.8 sq mi (2.1 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	600 ft (183 m)
Population (2010)
– Total	1,184
– Density	1,431.1/sq mi (552.5/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	47451
Area code(s)	812
FIPS code	18-56682[1]
GNIS feature ID	0451301[2]

Oolitic is a town in Indian Creek and Shawswick townships, Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,184 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Oolitic is located at 38°53′44″N 86°31′29″W / 38.89556°N 86.52472°W / 38.89556; -86.52472 (38.895513, -86.524696)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all of it land.

Geology

The town is built upon oolitic limestone, which gives the town's name. The town was founded for the purpose of quarrying this material, for building purposes.

Oolitic was originally platted as "Limestone" on September 26, 1888. In 1896, the name was sent to Washington, D.C., to allow a post office to be established. The request was refused because of a town already named Limestone, Indiana. Doctor R. B. Short suggested using "Oolitic", and Oolitic became incorporated on November 4, 1901. The word Oolitic was used as an adjective for Oolitic limestone (derived from the Greek word oolite, meaning eggs and stone). Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed of calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate and quartz, along with the small shells and eggs left behind when this area was covered by an inland sea. Found immediately north of Oolitic are some of the largest Limestone quarries in the world, many of them in continuous operation since the 1830s. Many famous buildings are built of Oolitic Limestone. Probably the most famous is the Empire State Building. Visitors can see the "Empire Hole," about 1/2 mile north of Oolitic

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,152 people, 507 households, and 337 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,431.1 people per square mile (556.0/km²). There were 563 housing units at an average density of 699.4 per square mile (271.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.78% White, 0.17% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.35% of the population.

There were 507 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,250, and the median income for a family was $37,279. Males had a median income of $30,758 versus $21,650 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,889. About 13.4% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.9% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.

Points of interest

Oolitic is home to a statue of Joe Palooka, an American comic-strip character popular in the 1930s and 40s. The link between Oolitic and Joe Palooka is unclear, although some believe the character was chosen because "Palooka" rhymes with "limestone" in Japanese.

References

Source Needed

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 

External links

• Oolitic Fire Department