Clinton, Indiana

History

The city was established in 1829 and is named after DeWitt Clinton, who served as governor of New York from 1817 to 1823. Many of Clinton's original settlers were immigrants working in coal mines. Most of the immigrants were Italians trying to earn a living coal mining. According to Vermillion County naturalization records, "...from 1856 to 1952... Vermillion County received almost 3,550 new citizens of foreign birth, the largest number coming during the first twelve years of [the 20th] century. Italians accounted for one-third, or 1,178, of the total number who filed Declarations, with Austrians the next largest group (675) and then Scots. At least 77 percent of the Italians were from the northern regions of Italy." This was in contrast to the majority of Italian immigrants to America during this same time period that hailed from southern Italy. Over time, the coal mining industry in Clinton died down but many of the Italian settlers stayed at Clinton.

The Clinton post office has been in operation since 1823.

In 2016, a satirical news website posted a fake news story about the town, claiming that the mayor was changing the town's name to avoid referencing Bill and Hillary Clinton.

The Clinton Paving and Building Brick Company was established in 1893, at which time it was producing 40,000 bricks per day.

The Clinton Downtown Historic District and Hill Crest Community Center are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Clinton is located in the southern part of the county along the Wabash River, near the intersection of State Road 63 (which passes just west of the city) and State Road 163 (which passes through the city). U.S. Route 41 lies just to the east of the city, across the river in neighboring Parke County. The smaller town of Fairview Park is adjacent to Clinton on the north side of the city.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Clinton has a total area of 2.259 square miles (5.85 km²), of which 2.24 square miles (5.80 km²) (or 99.16%) is land and 0.019 square miles (0.05 km²) (or 0.84%) is water.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,893 people, 1,988 households, and 1,232 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,184.4 inhabitants per square mile (843.4/km²). There were 2,332 housing units at an average density of 1,041.1 per square mile (402.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.5% White, 0.2% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 1,988 households of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.0% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.96.

The median age in the city was 38.8 years. 24.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.2% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,126 people, 2,124 households, and 1,319 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,284.5 people per square mile (883.6/km²). There were 2,379 housing units at an average density of 1,060.3 per square mile (410.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.15% White, 0.35% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population.

There were 2,124 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% 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 2.93.

In the city, the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 83.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,330, and the median income for a family was $36,692. Males had a median income of $28,294 versus $22,927 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,601. About 7.4% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 20.0% of those age 65 or over.

Location

Situated along the Wabash River and between Interstate 70 and Interstate 74, Clinton offers a wide variety of resources and transportation options for companies looking for new locations. Two-thirds of the U.S. population can be reached within a one-day drive from Clinton.

Companies

The two largest and most visible companies in Clinton are Elanco, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, who produces animal health and food safety drugs, and White Construction Inc., a subsidiary of Infrastructure & Energy Alternatives (IEA) specializing in building energy infrastructure throughout North America. Both parent companies are headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Other local employers include Duke Energy, MSI Construction INC, International Paper and National Gypsum Company which are located to the north of the city. The launch of the Vermillion Rise Mega Park is creating new opportunities for business expansion at the former site of the Newport Chemical Depot.

Health Care

The city is served by Union Hospital - Clinton.

Law and government

Clinton city government consists of a mayor and a city council.

The current mayor is Jack Gilfoy Jr.

Police

Billy J. MacLaren is the current Chief of Police.

Fire protection

The fire department is a combination career/volunteer organization. Its current chief is Chris Strohm.

Education

Clinton, Indiana has three primary elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. The three elementary schools are Central Elementary School, Van Duyn Elementary School and Ernie Pyle Elementary School. Glendale Elementary and Matthew's South Elementary schools, which were both located in Clinton City limits, consolidated with Central Elementary in the mid 1980s. Clinton's residents could fit into one main elementary school, but because of all the rural area around Clinton it makes more sense to group all the students into three smaller schools. The middle school and high school are neighboring each other. The middle being South Vermillion Middle School, and the high being South Vermilion. The high school was formerly known as Clinton High School before the current school was constructed in 1977. However, the mascot has remained the same, the Wildcat.

Post-secondary education is served through Indiana State University, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana in nearby Terre Haute.

Special events

Clinton hosts the annual Little Italy Festival, a four-day Labor Day Weekend celebration of the area’s Italian and coal mining heritage. Founded in 1966, the event draws over 75,000 visitors annually, featuring Italian and carnival-style food, grapevine-roofed wine garden, grape stomping, tours and more. The festival also provides free stage entertainment, flea market and the largest Italian-theme parade in the Midwest. The festival is also host to the Indiana Bocce Ball championship, boasts one of the few coal mining museums in the nation, and owns one of fewer than 400 genuine gondolas in the United States. The 2016 Queen of Grapes for the Little Italy Festival is Madison Michalic. The Re and Regina for 2016 are Mr. & Mrs. Ernie & Adele Fossi.

Notable people