Jasper, Indiana

Jasper is a city in Dubois County, Indiana, United States. The population was 15,038 at the 2010 census. The city has been the county seat of Dubois County since 1830, succeeding Portersville. In 1970, the school system of Ireland, a hamlet west of Jasper along State Route 56, was consolidated into that of Jasper. On November 4, 2007, Dubois County returned to the Eastern Time Zone, after having moved to the Central Time Zone the previous year. The land uses are mainly agriculture.

Jasper was the birthplace and home of Major League Baseball player Scott Rolen of the Cincinnati Reds. Rolen has played in MLB since 1996, and has been selected to MLB All-Star Team as a third baseman seven times. Rolen also won National League Rookie of the Year in 1997 and has won eight National League Gold Gloves at third base; he won a World Series Championship in 2006, with the St. Louis Cardinals. Supercentenarian Minnie Kearby, once the oldest resident of Indiana, was also one of Jasper's best-known residents; born in Ireland, Indiana, on April 14, 1893, she moved to a Jasper care facility in November 2004. She died the following winter. It is also the hometown of William J. Schroeder, who lived the longest on a Jarvik-7: 620 days. The current Roman Catholic Archbishop of Indianapolis, Daniel M. Buechlein, O.S.B., also hails from Jasper.

The town of Jasper is a regional center in southwestern Indiana, noted for its heavily German Catholic ancestral roots. Jasper has often been called the "Wood Capital of the World", boasting a large number of furniture companies, including Kimball International and Masterbrand Cabinets. It has an unemployment rate that hovers around 2.5 percent, making it one of the lowest in the state. Jasper is also home to the Southern Indiana Education Service Center (SIEC), Jasper Engines & Transmissions (largest remanufacturer in the market), and to a satellite campus of Vincennes University.

The Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame, which honors players and others associated with the national pastime who were born or lived in Indiana, is located in Jasper.

In 2005, Jasper was ranked in the ten best places to live in the U.S. by Relocate America, a national realty relocation firm, which consults and helps clients find desirable places across the country to live. Jasper was previously ranked in the top 25 in Norman Crampton's 1992 book 100 Best Small Towns in America. Jasper also boasts the only municipally supported Arts Council in the state of Indiana; it is part of city government and is supported by the city for its citizens in the same vein as its park board or its street department. The city of Jasper and the Jasper Community Arts Commission have won the Governor's Arts Award twice, once in 1987 and again in 2007, and it is the only group to have garnered this award twice.

Strassenfest
The Jasper Strassenfest is a four-day event held annually during the first weekend in August. The "Fest" is a celebration between Jasper and its German sister-city Pfaffenweiler, a small village in southwest Germany. Many citizens of Pfaffenweiler travel to Jasper around this time of year. The street festival encompasses the entire city square, complete with numerous food stands, rides, and a very large Biergarten. On average, over 1,300 pounds of bratwurst are consumed during the four-day event. The Strassenfest culminates in a Sunday parade and evening fireworks. The festival also incorporates a golf tournament, beauty pageant (Miss Strassenfest), fishing tournament, and a network of German "Polka Masses" at the three Roman Catholic parishes: St. Joseph's, Holy Family, and Precious Blood.

Geography
Jasper is located at 38.39528°N, -86.93278°W (38.395306, -86.932706).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.3 square miles (24.0 km²), of which, 9.2 square miles (23.9 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.43%) is water.

Demographics


Jasper is the principal city of the Jasper Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Dubois and Pike counties and had a combined population of 52,511 at the 2000 census.

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,100 people, 4,875 households, and 3,188 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,311.8 people per square mile (506.7/km²). There were 5,107 housing units at an average density of 553.7 per square mile (213.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.00% White, 0.25% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.54% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.37% of the population.

There were 4,875 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,051, and the median income for a family was $52,634. Males had a median income of $36,415 versus $22,484 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,547. About 3.3% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Sister cities
Jasper participates in the sister cities program, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI). Its sister city is 🇩🇪 - Pfaffenweiler, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Notable persons

 * Gilbert R. Tredway, historian
 * Scott Rolen, MLB
 * Michael Lewis, Indiana University basketball all-time assists leader

Schools

 * Jasper High School
 * Vincennes University (Jasper Campus)
 * Holy Family School (Catholic)
 * Precious Blood Elementary School (Catholic)
 * Ireland Elementary School (Public)
 * John Paul the Great High School
 * Fifth Street School
 * Tenth Street School
 * Jasper Middle School