Nashville, Indiana

Nashville, Indiana
—  Town  —
Location of Nashville in the state of Indiana
Coordinates: 39°12′11″N 86°14′18″W / 39.20306°N 86.23833°W / 39.20306; -86.23833Coordinates: 39°12′11″N 86°14′18″W / 39.20306°N 86.23833°W / 39.20306; -86.23833
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Brown
Township	Washington
Area
– Total	1.0 sq mi (2.5 km2)
– Land	0.9 sq mi (2.5 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	594 ft (181 m)
Population (2010)
– Total	803
– Density	868.6/sq mi (335.4/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	47448
Area code(s)	812
FIPS code	18-52038[1]
GNIS feature ID	0439943[2]
Website	http://townofnashville.org/

Nashville is a town in Washington Township, Brown County, Indiana, United States. The population was 803 at the 2010 census. The town is the county seat of Brown County and is the county's only incorporated town.^[3] The town is best known as the center of the Brown County Art Colony and as a tourist destination.

History

Settlement of land in and around Nashville began with the acquisition of land from native populations under the 1809 Treaty of Fort Wayne. This was expanded with more acquisitions under the 1818 Treaty of St. Mary's. Founded in 1836 by county agent Banner C. Brummet, it was first named Jacksonburg.^[4] The population of the entire county was estimated to be 150 in 1830. The first Nashville courthouse was constructed in 1837 and a jail was added in the same year. By 1840, area population had grown to 2,364. The town was officially incorporated in 1872.^[4] By the turn of the century, heavy logging in the area had caused significant deforestation which resulted in dramatic erosion problems. The population shrunk over the span of several decades and did not recover to 1890 levels until 90 years later in 1980.^{[citation needed]}

Entrance to a shop in the Bartley House

In the early twentieth century, a number of artists settled in the area, most notably T. C. Steele, the American Impressionist painter. These artists were the basis for the Brown County Art Colony, which continues to this day as the Brown County Art Guild.^[5]

Tourism

Today, Nashville boasts a thriving tourist industry based upon the original works of resident artists and upon the area's natural beauty. Brown County State Park is nearby. Art, antique, and specialty shops, as well as galleries, restaurants, and entertainment venues, make up downtown Nashville, and many inns, rented cottages, and bed and breakfast establishments serve visitors.

Van Buren St. in Nashville, Indiana showing some shops and the historic Nashville House

Geography

Nashville is located at 39°12′11″N 86°14′18″W / 39.20306°N 86.23833°W / 39.20306; -86.23833 (39.203025, -86.238236)^[6].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²), of which, 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) is land and 1.04% is water.

Nashville's rolling hills, ridges, and valleys are a story of the north fork of Salt Creek. The surrounding hills are made of sandstone, siltstone, shale. These sedimentary rocks were laid down in an ancient river delta named the Borden delta, similar to the current Mississippi River delta.^[7] Salt Creek (south), Greasy Creek (east), and Jackson Branch Creek (west) have cut down through the surrounding terrain to give Nashville its rolling hills. Lake Monroe, the largest lake in Indiana, was constructed by damming Salt Creek south of Bloomington.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 825 people, 375 households, and 181 families residing in the town. The population density was 868.6 people per square mile (335.3/km²). There were 412 housing units at an average density of 433.8 per square mile (167.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.09% White, 0.85% African American, 0.85% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.61% of the population.

Nashville courthouse

There were 375 households out of which 16.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.5% were non-families. 45.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.86 and the average family size was 2.58.

Previous Nashville jail, now a museum

In the town the population was spread out with 13.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 31.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females there were 77.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,330, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,723. About 14.3% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.

Trivia

Ramp Creek Bridge

• There are two covered bridges in the Nashville area. The Ramp Creek Bridge which is located south of town at the North Entrance of the state park, and the Bean Blossom Bridge which is 10 minutes north on Covered Bridge Road.
• There are 26 restaurants in and around the town, only three of which are restaurant chains—Pizza King, McDonald's and Subway.
• Brown County only has three intersections with traffic lights, all located in Nashville.
• The town hosted Reptile Kingdom Serpentarium from 1978-1993. The Cornerstone Inn now stands on the site.

Nearby points of interest

• Brown County Tourism Information
• Bloomington, Indiana
• Brown County State Park
• Columbus, Indiana
• CYO Camp Rancho Framasa in Brown County
• Hoosier National Forest
• Story, Indiana
• Lake Lemon
• Lake Monroe
• Yellowwood State Forest
• T.C. Steele State Historic Site

References

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. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Blanchard, Charles. Counties of Morgan, Monroe and Brown, Indiana: Historical and Biographical. Chicago: F.A. Battey & Co. http://books.google.com/books?id=vyqC5iVmYtYC&dq=counties%20of%20morgan%2C%20monroe%20and%20brown&pg=PA3#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
5. ^ "Brown County Art Guild". http://www.bcartguild.com/. Retrieved 30 August 2010. 
6. ^ "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. 
7. ^ Hill, J.R., 1981, Geologic story of Brown County State Park: Indiana Geological Survey State Park Guide 9

External links

• Town of Nashville, Indiana website
• Brown County, Indiana Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Brown County Mountain Biking Information
• Motorcycle Classics article on riding through Nashville
• Back Roads of Brown County Studio Tour (October 2010)
• Brown County Studio Tours 2010