Jasper is a city in and the county seat of Dubois County, Indiana, United States, located along the Patoka River. The population was 16,703 at the 2020 census making it the 48th largest city in Indiana. On November 4, 2007, Dubois County returned to the Eastern Time Zone, after having moved to the Central Time Zone the previous year. Land use in the area is primarily agricultural. The Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame, which honors players and others associated with the national pastime who were born or lived in Indiana, is located in Jasper.
History
Jasper was founded in 1818.[4] The Enlow family were the first settlers of the town.[5] Jasper was originally going to be named "Eleanor" after the wife of early settler Joseph Enlow, but she opted to suggest a name herself, and named the city after a passage in the Bible (Revelation 21:19).[6]
Jasper was not officially platted until 1830.[7] That year, the community became the new county seat of Dubois County, succeeding Portersville.[8]
Jasper was incorporated as a town in 1866, and was incorporated into a city in 1915.[12][13]
Geography
According to the 2010 census, Jasper has a total area of 13.191 square miles (34.16 km2), of which 13.1 square miles (33.93 km2) (or 99.31%) is land and 0.091 square miles (0.24 km2) (or 0.69%) is water.[14]
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Jasper, IN has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
As of the census[17] of 2010, the population of Jasper was 15,038 and there were 5,994 households. The gender makeup of the city is 49.2% male and 50.8% female.
Median age was 39.3 years. For males it was 36.9 years and for females, 41.6 years.
Income
Overall median household income in Jasper is $53,968
Median income for a family is $65,903
Males had a median income of $37,432
Females had a median income of $32,218
The per capita income for the city is $28,540
About 5.7% of families and 7.6% of the population are below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 and over.
Economy
Jasper is a regional center in Southwestern Indiana, with German Catholic ancestral roots.[18] Jasper has been called the "Wood Capital of the World", with furniture companies such as Jasper Group, Kimball International, and Masterbrand Cabinets are located here. Also located in Jasper are Southern Indiana Education Center, Jasper Engines and Transmissions, and a satellite campus of Vincennes University.
In 2022, Jasper won the annual Strong Towns "Strongest Town" competition.[19]
The largest industry sectors by employment in Jasper are manufacturing, retail, and health care and social services.[citation needed]
Arts and culture
Jasper has the only municipally supported Arts Council in Indiana; it is part of city government. The City of Jasper and the Jasper Community Arts Commission won the Governor's Arts Award in 1987 and 2007.[20]
The Jasper Strassenfest is a four-day event held annually during the first weekend in August. The "Fest" is a celebration between Jasper and its German sister-city Pfaffenweiler, a village in southwest Germany, and some citizens of Pfaffenweiler travel to Jasper around this time of year. The street festival encompasses the city square, and features food stands, rides, a beer garden, parade, fireworks, golf tournament, beauty pageant (Miss Strassenfest), fishing tournament, and a network of German "Polka Masses" at the three Roman Catholic parishes. On average, over 1,300 lb (590 kg) of bratwurst are consumed during the event.[citation needed]
In 2021, the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center and public lending library opened.[21]
Sites listed on National Register of Historic Places
The American Eagle, Jasper's first newspaper, operated from 1846 to 1848.
The Democrat (1857), the Times (1865), and another Times (1879–1891).[31]
The Jasper Weekly Courier, a Democratic newspaper, served Dubois County from 1858 to 1921.[32]
The Dubois County Herald, founded in 1895, currently circulates about 10,000 copies per day to residents of Dubois, Spencer, and Pike counties. The Herald is one of only 300 independently owned newspapers in the United States.[33]
