Mount Vernon, Indiana
Mount Vernon is a city in
Posey County,
Indiana, along the
Ohio River. The population was 7,478 at the 2000 census. The city is the
county seat of
Posey County.
Mount Vernon is located at (37.936766, -87.898780).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.6
km² (2.5
mi²). 6.4 km² (2.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (2.77%) is water.
Mt. Vernon was named for
George Washington's plantation at
Mt. Vernon. That name derives from
Edward Vernon, a British naval hero, under whom Washington's half-brother served, and in whose honor
Rule Britannia was written. The "Mount" is a play on
mons veneris.
Mt. Vernon is the seat of Posey County, named for Gen.
Thomas Posey, Governor of the
Indiana Territory, who had the distinction of growing up next door to George Washington at the original Mt. Vernon, and who was widely rumoured to be Washington's illegitimate son. Under these circumstances, it is not clear whether naming the county seat "Mt. Vernon" was intended as an honor or an insult to Gen. Posey.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 7,478 people, 3,027 households, and 2,058 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,173.7/km² (3,036.0/mi²). There were 3,312 housing units at an average density of 519.8/km² (1,344.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.85%
White, 2.65%
African American, 0.16%
Native American, 0.23%
Asian, 0.25% from
other races, and 0.86% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population.
There were 3,027 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were
married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 28.5% 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 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,543, and the median income for a family was $49,432. Males had a median income of $40,045 versus $22,790 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $19,264. About 10.5% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.
*
William Harrow, (
1822-
1871), Union general in the
Civil War, lived in Mount Vernon and is buried in the Bellefontaine Cemetery just north of there.
*
Alvin P. Hovey, (
1821-
1891), Union general in the
Civil War and
Governor of Indiana, was born in Mount Vernon and is buried in the Bellefontaine Cemetery.
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List of cities and towns along the Ohio River
