Winchester, Indiana

Winchester is a city in White River Township, Randolph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,935 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Randolph County. It is the home of Winchester Speedway.

Geography
Winchester is located at 40.17306°N, -84.9775°W (40.173165, -84.977435).

According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of 3.34 sqmi, of which 3.33 sqmi (or 99.70%) is land and 0.01 sqmi (or 0.30%) is water.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 4,935 people, 2,051 households, and 1,281 families residing in the city. The population density was 1482.0 PD/sqmi. There were 2,349 housing units at an average density of 705.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.1% White, 0.5% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population.

There were 2,051 households of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.5% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.89.

The median age in the city was 40.2 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 18.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,037 people, 2,171 households, and 1,350 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,623.8 people per square mile (627.4/km²). There were 2,377 housing units at an average density of 766.3 per square mile (296.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.31% White, 0.24% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.41% of the population.

There were 2,171 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,500, and the median income for a family was $37,607. Males had a median income of $28,947 versus $22,226 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,753. About 10.9% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * James P. Goodrich, Governor of Indiana, 1917–1921, born in Winchester and buried in Fountain Park Cemetery
 * Randy Jo Hobbs, born in Winchester, bassist and founding member of The McCoys; later worked extensively with Johnny Winter and also played with Jimi Hendrix. Buried at St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Union City, Indiana.
 * James Eli Watson, U. S. Senator
 * Robert Wise, Hollywood director, born in Winchester
 * Greg Leffler Indy car driver
 * Troy Puckett, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1911, born in Winchester and buried in Fountain Park Cemetery
 * I. Marlene King, creator of the ABC Family original series Pretty Little Liars

Commerce
Winchester is home to several manufacturing plants including Anchor Glass Container Corp. and Indiana Marujun.

Also located in Winchester are businesses catering to special interests which draw visitors from a wide area:
 * Winchester Speedway - a nationally known 1/2 mile asphalt auto racetrack,
 * Mrs. Wicks Pies - a 60 year old pie factory and restaurant,
 * Silvertowne - retail and wholesale dealer specializing in precious metals, gold, silver bullion, assays and appraisals,
 * Rich Farm Garden Supply - a national mailorder plant nursery and garden center.

For more information on Winchester area businesses and attractions, see Tourism and Community Development Randolph County Indiana

Trivia
The movie Now and Then (film), written by I. Marlene King, was based on the Gaslight Addition in Winchester, Indiana. The city was called Shelby, Indiana in the movie because the city council and many city leaders felt the movie may have had an adverse impact on the city. However recently, local residents have embraced the movie, going to such lengths as to even restore the old gravesite which plays a main part of the movie, and place a memorial to "Dear Johnny".