French Lick, Indiana

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This article is about the town in Indiana. See History of Nashville, Tennessee for the site upon which Fort Nashborough was built.

Coordinates: 38°32′49″N, 86°37′8″W
Town of French Lick, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
County	Orange
Area
- City	4.2 km² (1.6 sq mi)
- Land	4.2 km² (1.6 sq mi)
- Water	0.0 km² (0 sq mi)
Population (2000)
- City	1,941
- Density	462.6/km² (1,198.1/sq mi)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EST (UTC-5)

French Lick is a town in Orange County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,941 at the 2000 census.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Trivia
5 External links

[edit] History

French Lick was originally a French trading post. The town was founded in 1811.

The sulfur springs were commercially exploited for medical benefits starting in 1840. By the later half of the 19th century, French Lick was famous in the United States as a spa town. In the early 20th century it also featured casinos attracting celebrities like boxer Joe Louis, composer Irving Berlin and gangster Al Capone. The French Lick Springs Resort was the focal point of most of the entertainment; the hotel remained open well after the casinos were closed down and the heydey of the town was well past. The resort closed for renovation in November 2005 and reopened a year later as part of the new French Lick Resort Casino, the state's tenth casino in the modern legalized era.

Pluto Water, a best selling laxative of the first half of the 20th century, was bottled here.

Franklin Roosevelt won his nomination for his run for president inside the French Lick Springs Hotel.

In recent years, the town is best known for being the hometown of NBA great Larry Bird.

[edit] Geography

French Lick is located at 38°32′49″N, 86°37′8″W (38.546872, -86.618939)^GR1. The area has rich mineral sources ("The Lick").

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.2 km² (1.6 mi²). 4.2 km² (1.6 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,941 people, 849 households, and 513 families residing in the town. The population density was 462.6/km² (1,196.3/mi²). There were 948 housing units at an average density of 225.9/km² (584.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.18% White, 3.66% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.46% of the population.

"Pluto Spring", French Lick, 1903

There were 849 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% 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 2.81.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,197, and the median income for a family was $36,583. Males had a median income of $26,046 versus $17,346 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,113. About 11.8% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.7% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Trivia

The town was mentioned in an episode of Home Improvement when son Brad joked that it was the only good thing in the state of Indiana. The Taylor family was considering moving to the state after Tim quit "Tool Time" and Jill was recommended for a job at an adolescent psychology center in nearby Bloomington, Indiana.