Otterbein, Indiana

Otterbein
Town
The view north along Main Street.
Location of Otterbein, Indiana
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Counties	Benton, Tippecanoe
Townships	Bolivar, Shelby
Area
• Total	0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2)
• Land	0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	705 ft (215 m)
Population  (2006)
• Total	1,255
• Density	2,291.9/sq mi (888.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	47970
Area code	765
FIPS code	18-57258Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	0440751Template:GR

Otterbein is a town in Bolivar Township, Benton County and Shelby Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, named for William Otterbein Brown who donated land for the town. The population was 1,255 at the 2006 census. It is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Originally a site known as Pond Grove, Otterbein's first 60 lots were laid out by John living and his wife on October 25, 1872, with an addition by Mary A. Clancey on April 24, 1883. The first home was built by Dr. John K. Thompson and the first business, a general store, by Henry H. Moore. William Otterbein Brown, the farmer and stock-dealer for whom the town was named, held the office of postmaster until his death on February 18, 1879.

Geography

Otterbein is located at 40°29′20″N 87°5′43″W (40.488919, -87.095355)Template:GR. It occupies mostly flat, open farm land on the eastern border of Benton County in Bolivar Township, with eastern sections of the community extending into Tippecanoe County. U.S. Route 52 passes along its north side and the Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad cuts through town to the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

The Otterbein water tower.

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 1,312 people, 498 households, and 359 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,291.9 people per square mile (888.7/km²). There were 518 housing units at an average density of 904.9/sq mi (350.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.02% White, 0.23% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.61% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population.

There were 498 households out of which 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the town the population was spread out with 30.8% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,524, and the median income for a family was $45,341. Males had a median income of $31,000 versus $20,944 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,128. About 4.8% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable natives

• Neal Musser, professional baseball player

Further reading

• Mossman, Ed (1883), "History of Benton County: Past Events -- Present Condition" in Counties of Warren, Benton, Jasper and Newton, Indiana: Historical and Biographical, Chicago: F. A. Battey & Co.