Madison,_Indiana

Madison, Indiana

Madison is a city in Jefferson County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 12,004 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. In 2006, the majority of Madison's downtown area was designated one of the largest national historic landmarks in the United States; an astounding 133 blocks of the downtown area is on the National Register of Historic Places. On August 25, 2006, a blaze severely damaged two historic downtown buildings, the Madison Elks Lodge and a former city hall building that was occupied by an insurance company.

Town history

Settlers populated Madison beginning as early as 1806, and the town officially incorporated on April 1, 1809. It had flush early years due to heavy river traffic and its position as an entry point into the Indiana Territory along the historic Old Michigan Road.

Indiana's first railroad, the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad, was built there between 1836 and 1847. Chartered in 1832 by the Indiana State Legislature as the Madison Indianapolis & Lafayette Railroad, and construction begun September 16, 1836, the railroad was transferred to private ownership on January 31, 1843, as the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad. Successful for more than a decade, the railroad went into decline and was sold at foreclosure in 1862, renamed the Indianapolis & Madison Railroad, and after a series of corporate transfers, became part of the massive Pennsylvania Railroad system in 1921.

Madison's days as a leading Indiana city were numbered, however, when river traffic declined and new railroads built between Louisville, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati tapped into Madison's trade network. ("River to Rail," a history of steamboats and railroads in Madison) As a result, Madison went into an economic and growth decline. As an unexpected benefit, today the town's previous misfortune leaves for us an extensive preserved collection of early 19th century architecture in the Federal and Greek Revival styles.

Subject of Hollywood films

Two Hollywood films have been shot in Madison, Indiana. In the fall of 1958 it was selected as the location for Some Came Running, and in 2001 was the subject and location of Madison.

Madison recounts the story of the city's hosting and winning the penultimate hydroplane racing event of 1971, echoing the movie Hoosiers.

For Some Came Running, director Vincente Minnelli selected Madison in 1958 to play the role of the fictional "Parkman, Indiana" in filming the James Jones novel. On September 3, 1999, the community held an organized celebration to mark the 40th anniversary of the making of the film, which itself became the subject of a film documentary by Turner Classic Movies. (RoundAbout Madison, community newspaper account)

Powerboat racing

Madison has a powerboat racing tradition since at least 1911 and in 1929 began holding an annual race, later called the Madison Regatta beginning in 1948. Since 1954, the Madison Regatta has held a high points Unlimited [race] annually in early July. Although Madison has a population of only 12,000, the Regatta maintains its place in Unlimited Hydroplane racing with the American Boat Racing Association, whose other races are in Detroit, Seattle, San Diego, Evansville, and Tri-Cities, Washington. The Madison Regatta draws about 70,000-100,000 people annually and is held on the 4th of July weekend. A week-long riverfront festival also surrounds this racing event. Visitors can experience the thrill of unlimited hydroplane racing while enjoying fine foods, arts, music and street dancing, all celebrated with the "now-seldom-seen" small town community spirit that made America strong.

A source of community pride is that Madison has the world's only community owned unlimited hydroplane racer, Miss Madison, which began Unlimited class racing in 1961. That boat, which has been known by various corporate sponsor names but is officially called U-6, has traditionally finished near the bottom of the circuit. Before Anheuser-Busch dropped its sponsorship of hydroplane racing after the 2004 season, U-6 had won just six races using a variety of hulls. One of those wins was an upset in the 1971 Regatta, which is the basis for the movie Madison, when the APBA Gold Cup was held in Madison for the first time. Madison hosted the APBA Gold Cup Race again in 1979 and 1980. Under the aegis of the new American Boat Racing Association (ABRA), the City of Madison team driver, Steve David, finished first in the ABRA national point drivers standings in both 2005 and 2006 driving U-6, now in the colors of sponsor Oh Boy! Oberto.

Geography

Madison is located at (38.750089, -85.395394).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.9 square miles (23.0 km²), of which, 8.6 square miles (22.2 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²) of it (3.72%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,004 people, 5,092 households, and 3,085 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,402.9 people per square mile (541.4/km²). There were 5,597 housing units at an average density of 654.1/sq mi (252.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.61% White, 2.43% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.

There were 5,092 households out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,092, and the median income for a family was $46,241. Males had a median income of $32,800 versus $22,039 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,923. About 10.2% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Madison Consolidated Schools

Madison Consolidated High School

Southwestern Schools

Southwestern Junior and Senior High School

Prince of Peace Catholic Schools

Shawe Memorial High School,
Pope John XXIII Elementary School

Notable residents

Jeremiah C. Sullivan, Madison-born attorney and American Civil War general in the Union Army.
Tommy Thevenow - Major league baseball player from 1924-1938
Irene Dunne - nominated 5 times for the Academy Award best actress award