Monon

Monon, Indiana

Monon is a town in Monon Township, White County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,733 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Monon is located at (40.863648, -86.879716).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²), all of it lava and cats.

History

The town of Monon was platted by James Brooks in 1853 as "New Bradford". This act by the president of the New Albany and Salem Railroad (predecessor of the Monon Railroad) foretold the story of the town. The town would grow as the train company prospered, but once "The Monon" declined, so would the town's economy.

The town's name is derived from the names of two creeks nearby, the Big Monon and the Little Monon. The spelling of the name of the creeks was formerly Monong, a Potawatomi word which one authority says meant "swift-running". In the 1940s, the town's name was used as a nickname for the railroad company, and in 1956 the company formally adopted it as its corporate name. The first post office was established in 1838 under the name Monon, , and when the town was incorporated in 1879, it legally adopted the post office's name as the town's name.

The town of Monon is situated on an important junction of different branches of the Monon trains. The northern division came into Monon and turned ninety degrees heading south to Lafayette and Louisville, Kentucky. Another line comes from Indianapolis and turned east. Another line headed north to Michigan City.

In its heyday, the Monon Railroad had two train yards in Monon. The main yard was 11 tracks wide with a capacity for 270 cars. The South Yard was narrower, 5 tracks wide, but longer and had a 278-car capacity.

However, today, all passenger train services have closed, as has the line to Indianapolis and most of the line to Michigan City. The only trains through Monon now is a CSX Transportation line from Maynard, Indiana to Lafayette and another on a portion of the old Michigan City line.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,733 people, 642 households, and 437 families residing in the town. The population density was 3,083.9 people per square mile (1,194.8/km²). There were 678 housing units at an average density of 1,206.5/sq mi (467.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 84.54% White, 0.75% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 12.46% from other races, and 1.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.25% of the population.

There were 642 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,235, and the median income for a family was $36,759. Males had a median income of $26,188 versus $20,405 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,567. About 9.9% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The North White School Corporation (which also serves Buffalo and Reynolds) govern the three public schools in Monon: Monon Elementary, North White Middle School and North White High School.

Notable Sports History

North White High School "Vikings" football coach Jim Davis led the Vikings to an undefeated 14-0 season and class 1A football state championship in 1994. The Vikings were class 1A football state runner-up in 1998 under Davis.

Transportation

Monon was once a growing railroad town with a convergence of several railway lines carrying cargo and passengers throughout major parts of Indiana. The old 11-track yard is now just overgrown foundation.

The town is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 421 and state road 16. US Highway 421 runs north to Michigan City and south to Indianapolis.