Rockport, Indiana

Rockport, Indiana
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Website	Rockport, Indiana

Rockport is a city in

(the westernmost city).

History

Lots were first sold in Rockport in 1818.[5] The town received its name from rock outcroppings on the Ohio River.^[6]

Three locations in Rockport are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the Spencer County Courthouse, the Mathias Sharp House, and the Lincoln Pioneer Village.^[7]

The Rockport post office has been in operation since 1823.^[8]

Cleveland-Cliffs Rockport Works is located on the Ohio River near Rockport. The facility has an 80” wide galvanizing line which is the widest in the United States. The hot-dip galvanizing and galvannealing line incorporates revolutionary proprietary technologies, including induction transition heating, which provides rapid, accurate annealing temperature control.^[9] Rockport Works is one of the largest employers in Spencer County.^[10]

In 2013, while under the previous ownership of AK Steel, Rockport Works was reported by the EPA as the source for 70% of the pollution in the Ohio River, the nation's most polluted waterway.^[11]

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Rockport has a total area of 1.604 square miles (4.15 km²), of which 1.57 square miles (4.07 km²) (or 97.88%) is land and 0.034 square miles (0.09 km²) (or 2.12%) is water.^[12]

Rockport is nestled on the

.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	412		—
1860	834		102.4%
1870	1,720		106.2%
1880	2,382		38.5%
1890	2,314		−2.9%
1900	2,882		24.5%
1910	2,736		−5.1%
1920	2,581		−5.7%
1930	2,396		−7.2%
1940	2,421		1.0%
1950	2,493		3.0%
1960	2,474		−0.8%
1970	2,565		3.7%
1980	2,590		1.0%
1990	2,315		−10.6%
2000	2,160		−6.7%
2010	2,270		5.1%
2020	1,984		−12.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]

2010 census

As of the

of any race were 2.6% of the population. There were 908 households, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.9% were non-families. 33.8% 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 2.37 and the average family size was 3.05.

The median age in the city was 39.1 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of any race were 1.25% of the population.

There were 891 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% 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 2.99.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,275, and the median income for a family was $37,554. Males had a median income of $30,278 versus $20,263 for females. The

, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Rockport has a public library, a branch of Spencer County Public Library.^[15]

There is one public elementary school, and one private school ^[16][17]

Arts and culture

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Lincoln Pioneer Village, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located in Rockport City Park. Designed by Indiana sculptor George Honig, the first phase of the Village was completed in 1935, with an addition completed the following year. The project was undertaken through grants from the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and Works Progress Administration, both programs of the "New Deal".

Historically accurate replicas of a number of Spencer County cabins and businesses from Abraham Lincoln's time are the main attraction of the Village, giving visitors the opportunity to see what it was like to live in Indiana during Lincoln's formative years. The Village was so well known throughout the United States in its early years that it was chosen as the setting for portions of the 1955 Burt Lancaster film The Kentuckian.

Notable people

• Parrish Casebier, collegiate & professional basketball player; was raised and attended school in Rockport.
• Florence Henderson, actress, was raised and attended school in Rockport.
• Allen J. Payton (ca. 1861-62 – 1917), farmer and politician
• Thomas G. Pitcher, Union general in the Civil War born in Rockport
• Kate Milner Rabb, Indiana journalist and author; lived in Rockport in 1866. Attended High School in Rockport.
• James C. Veatch, Indiana state legislator and Union general during the Civil War; lived in Rockport at the time of his death.

See also

• List of cities and towns along the Ohio River

References

External links