Brazil, Indiana
Encyclopedia : B : BR : BRA : Brazil, Indiana
Brazil is a city in Clay County, Indiana, United States. The population was 8,188 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Clay County[Geographic references#6GR6]. The current chief executive of Brazil is Mayor Tom Arthur (Democrat) who is serving his first term. Arthur replaced long-time Mayor Kenny Crabb (Republican) in 2004.
Geography
Brazil is located at (39.525030, -87.127380)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.7 km² (3.4 mi²). 8.7 km² (3.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.89%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 8,188 people, 3,383 households, and 2,151 families residing in the city. The population density was 946.5/km² (2,450.6/mi²). There were 3,740 housing units at an average density of 432.3/km² (1,119.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.80% White, 0.64% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.61% of the population.There were 3,383 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,902, and the median income for a family was $37,569. Males had a median income of $29,693 versus $20,215 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,123. About 10.7% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.5% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.
Brazil has a relatively low crime rate, but this is changing as the issue of methamphetamine manufacture, sale and use is increasing in southwestern Indiana. In April, 2006, a major arrest by local, county, state and Federal officials netted several suspects in Brazil in a meth distribution ring.
Senior citizens
Though the above statistics would suggest otherwise, Brazil is home to an influential senior citizen population, who wield considerable political and cultural power in the life of the town. The two tallest buildings in the town proper are senior citizen housing complexes. The local McDonald's hosts a large weekly bingo game, whose participants are primarily senior citizens. But then again, it could simply be senior citizens from out of town and the surrounding area since census statistics in U.S towns and villages are usually very precise.Famous residents
- Jimmy Hoffa
- Orville Redenbacher
- Henry Lee Summer (real name Hank Swartz)
Nearby points of interest and sightseeing
- Clay County Courthouse - Was moved to Brazil from Bowling Green after Bowling Green's courthouse was burnt down. Some local historians say the fire was intentional.
- Community Theatre of Clay County
- Northview High School Marching Knights
- Chafariz Dos Contos Fountain at Forest Park
- Eddie's at the corner of Jackson St. and Walnut St. - 9 seat diner that has occupied the same location since 1935, known locally for small grilled hamburgers.
Area festivals
- Brazil Rotary’s Annual 4th of July Festival (ends on July 4th)
- Orville Redenbacher Popcorn Festival (First Weekend in October)
- Christmas in the Park Celebration (Day after Thanksgiving until Dec 26)
- Parke County Covered Bridge Festival (15 miles north of Brazil) (Starts second Friday in October, lasts two weeks) [CoveredBridges.com]
External links
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.