Oldenburg, Indiana

Oldenburg, Indiana
—  Town  —
Fly-over view of Oldenburg
Location of Oldenburg in the state of Indiana
Coordinates: 39°20′22″N 85°12′17″W / 39.33944°N 85.20472°W / 39.33944; -85.20472Coordinates: 39°20′22″N 85°12′17″W / 39.33944°N 85.20472°W / 39.33944; -85.20472
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Franklin
Township	Ray
Area
– Total	0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
– Land	0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	889 ft (271 m)
Population (2010)
– Total	674
– Density	1,554.2/sq mi (600.1/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	47036
Area code(s)	812
FIPS code	18-56286[1]
GNIS feature ID	0449704[2]

Oldenburg is a town in Ray Township, Franklin County, Indiana, United States. The population was 674 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Oldenburg is located at 39°20′22″N 85°12′17″W / 39.33944°N 85.20472°W / 39.33944; -85.20472 (39.339474, -85.204640)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²), all of it land.

History

Oldenburg was founded in the late 1830s by a group of German Settlers. Incorporated in 1869, Oldenburg is called the "Village of Spires" because of its churches and religious educational institutions. The town proudly preserves its religious, cultural, and architectural heritage. The old stone and brick structures, clapboard houses, tin facades and cornices, bilingual street signs, and the combination of shops and residences attest to the Old World influence. The settlement rapidly took on a German flavor with the immigration of German Catholics from Cincinnati.

Freudenfest

The city is also very proud of its annual "Freudenfest" or "festival of fun" that is held each July in the town. It includes German food, beer, music, games, and homemade ice cream. Games at the Freudenfest include the Mug Slide and the Stein Holding contest. The Mug Slide which is run by Dusty Tekulve and Jarrod Dobson has the best prizes. However, the Stein Holding contest run by Ryan Paul and Kyle Tekulve is the most popular. There is also an annual 'Lauf' held in the evening on the Saturday of the Freudenfest. The winner from 2004-2007 has been Walker Yane, a 2007 graduate of Earlham College. On July 19, 2008, Indiana State Sycamore runner Jeremiah Vaughan set a course record on the new Lauf course in a time of 16:52. In 2006, the festival set a new Freudenfest record for the amount of beer sold. Ron Koch has been attending this festival for the past 30 years. He has coined the phrase that has become famous in July at Oldenburg "Another Freudenfest Miracle"!

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 647 people, 215 households, and 135 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,554.2 people per square mile (594.8/km²). There were 228 housing units at an average density of 547.7 per square mile (209.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.92% White, 0.46% Asian, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.15% of the population.

There were 215 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the town the population was spread out with 17.3% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 34.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 63.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 55.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $42,292, and the median income for a family was $56,042. Males had a median income of $36,635 versus $28,571 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,620. About 2.3% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.8% of those under age 18 and 41.6% of those age 65 or over.

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. ^ "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. 

External links

• Official Freudenfest Website