Bedford, Indiana
Encyclopedia : B : BE : BED : Bedford, Indiana
Bedford is a city in Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,768 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Lawrence County[Geographic references#6GR6].
Geography
Bedford is located at (38.862728, -86.492329)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.8 km² (11.9 mi²), all land.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 13,768 people, 6,054 households, and 3,644 families residing in the city. The population density was 446.7/km² (1,157.1/mi²). There were 6,618 housing units at an average density of 214.7/km² (556.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.87% White, 0.79% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.70% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.26% of the population.There were 6,054 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,022, and the median income for a family was $39,462. Males had a median income of $31,956 versus $22,578 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,649. About 7.4% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Bedford is known as the limestone capital of the world, and is surrounded by limestone quarries, many of which are used for swimming in the summers. A common name for the light gray Indiana limestone quarried in south central Indiana is "Bedford limestone". Much of the limestone used in the construction of various Washington, D.C. monuments was quarried in the Bedford area. Bedford received $700,000 in grants from the federal government to build an eight-story replica of the Great Pyramid out of local limestone. The work was never completed.[link]Bedford is also home to automotive plants run by General Motors and Visteon.
Bedford is experiencing economic growth due to the Wal-Mart Supercenter and Starbucks store which are currently being constructed. The technology leadership of IWU MED 302 will cause this community to become a technology powerhouse.
Transportation
No Interstate highways are nearby; the closest is Interstate 65, approximately 35 miles (56 km) east. U.S. Highway 50 goes through the heart of the city. Bedford is served by two railroads: CSX Transportation, via its former Monon Railroad line to Louisville, Kentucky; and the Canadian Pacific Railway, on its former Milwaukee Road line to Terre Haute, Indiana with connections to Chicago. (The Canadian Pacific line is being sold to the Indiana Rail Road, effective July 1, 2006.)Education
Bedford is the home of Oakland City University School of Adult and Extended Learning[link] and Oakland City University[link].Profiles of Bedford
Recently, Bedford, Indiana was featured as the subject of an hour-long PBS special entitled , first aired in May 2006. It was produced by PBS affiliate WTIU in Bloomington, Indiana.
Nearby points of interest
- Nashville, Indiana
- Bluespring Caverns
- Spring Mill State Park
- West Baden Springs Hotel
External links
http://www.indiana.edu/~radiotv/wtiu/banners/bedford.html Official Website for "Our Town: Bedford" on PBS: WTIU's website.
http://www.bedfordonline.com Community Website for Bedford, Indiana
http://www.tmnews.com The Times-Mail -- Bedford's local newspaper
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