Lebanon, Indiana

For other places with the same name, see Lebanon (disambiguation).

Lebanon, Indiana
City
Boone County Courthouse in Lebanon
Motto: The Friendly City
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Boone
Government
• Mayor	Harold "Huck" Lewis (R)
Area
• Total	15.58 sq mi (40.35 km2)
• Land	15.56 sq mi (40.30 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)  0.13%
Elevation	938 ft (286 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	15,792
• Estimate (2012)	15,715
• Density	1,014.9/sq mi (391.9/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	46052
Area code(s)	765
FIPS code	18-42624
GNIS feature ID	0437719
Website	http://www.cityoflebanon.org/

Lebanon (commonly pronounced "Leba-nen") is a city in and the county seat of Boone County, Indiana, United States. The population was 15,792 at the 2010 census. Lebanon is located in central Indiana, northwest of Indianapolis.

History

Lebanon was founded in 1832. It was so named because a stand of hickory trees on the site reminded a pioneer settler of the Biblical cedars of Lebanon. The first post office at Lebanon was established in 1832.

Historical sites

Lebanon is the home of the Historic Cragun House. Built in 1893, it was once the home of Strange Nathaniel Cragun and his family. The family travelled the world, and their house is now a living history museum full of the pieces they collected from their travels as well as original furniture from the dwelling. This Victorian home is owned and maintained by the Boone County Historical Society and serves as headquarters for the organization. The Cragun House was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Also listed on the National Register of Historic Places are the Boone County Courthouse and Oak Hill Cemetery (Lebanon, Indiana).

Geography

Lebanon is located at (40.052137, -86.471570).

According to the 2010 census, Lebanon has a total area of 15.566 square miles (40.32 km²), of which 15.55 square miles (40.27 km²) (or 99.9%) is land and 0.016 square miles (0.04 km²) (or 0.1%) is water.

Notable architecture

The county courthouse of Lebanon is notable for its single-piece vertical Ionic order limestone columns. They were at one time the largest single-piece limestone columns in the world.

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	892		—
1870	1,572		76.2%
1880	2,625		67.0%
1890	3,682		40.3%
1900	4,465		21.3%
1910	5,474		22.6%
1920	6,257		14.3%
1930	6,445		3.0%
1940	6,529		1.3%
1950	7,631		16.9%
1960	9,523		24.8%
1970	9,766		2.6%
1980	11,456		17.3%
1990	12,059		5.3%
2000	14,222		17.9%
2010	15,792		11.0%
Est. 2014	15,836		0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 15,792 people, 6,433 households, and 4,049 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,014.9 inhabitants per square mile (391.9/km²). There were 7,057 housing units at an average density of 453.5 per square mile (175.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.1% White, 0.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population.

There were 6,433 households of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.1% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% 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 2.97.

The median age in the city was 37.5 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.6% were from 45 to 64; and 14.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,222 people, 5,834 households, and 3,780 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,952.9 people per square mile (754.3/km²). There were 6,202 housing units at an average density of 851.6 per square mile (328.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.67% White, 0.33% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.58% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.61% of the population.

Lebanon circa 1909.

There were 5,834 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,791, and the median income for a family was $47,769. Males had a median income of $35,614 versus $22,791 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,245. About 4.4% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The government consists of a mayor and a city council. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote. The city council consists of seven members, five of whom are elected from individual districts, while two are elected at-large.

Politics

Former Mayor Jim Acton (Democratic Party) did not file to run for a fifth term, which left the 2007 election open to new candidates.

The last mayoral election occurred in November 2007. The candidates were: Republican John Lasley, President of the Lebanon City-Council, Democrat Roger Neal, Lebanon Community School Corporation School Board member and former Lebanon Parks and Recreation Director, and independent candidate George Piper who formerly was an editor at The Lebanon Reporter, which is Boone County's largest newspaper.

Republican City Council President John Lasley won the election with 48% of the vote, to Democrat Roger Neal's 27% and Independent George Piper's 25%.

30% of registered voters cast votes in the 2007 election.

Lasley died on May 2, 2009. He was battling a recurrence of cancer since December. City Council President Dick Robertson assumed the mayoral duties until the Republican Party precinct chairpersons met to choose Harold "Huck" Lewis as his successor.

Despite having recently elected Democratic mayors, Lebanon can be considered to be highly Republican when it comes to national and state politics. In the 2008 election, Boone County (the county in which Lebanon is located) voted 62% for Republican presidential candidate John McCain and more than 80% for Republican gubernatorial candidate Mitch Daniels.

Republican Mayor Matt Gentry was elected and took office in January 2015. Matt Gentry, a 26-year-old Republican, won with about 65 percent of the votes. Democratic opponent Michele Thomas had 33 percent of the vote, and independent Peter Korman had 1 percent of the vote. About 3,300 votes were cast. Matt Gentry has implemented an "open-door" policy in that he removed the door to his office and placed it in the basement of the building.

Schools

Lebanon Community School Corporation has six schools under its jurisdiction: four elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. Lebanon High School has won six education awards in the past ten years.

Economy

Major employers in Lebanon include General Foam Plastics, Hachette Book Group USA, Hendrickson International, the Parkwood Health Care Center and CNH America (Case New Holland), Purity Wholesale Grocers and Witham Health Services.

Transportation

The Boone County Airport is located two nautical miles (2.3 mi, 3.7 km) southeast of Lebanon's central business district.

Notable people

• Rick Mount, 1966 Indiana "Mr. Basketball" award recipient, former Purdue basketball player, member of the 1972 ABA Championship Indiana Pacers team.
• Craig Terrill, former Purdue football player, former defensive tackle for the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL.
• Mel Kenyon, hall of fame midget car driver.
• Doug Jones, former relief pitcher and All-Star in Major League Baseball
• Kent Poole, played the role of "Merle" in the 1986 movie Hoosiers, had a role in the 1988 movie Fresh Horses.
• Uncle Johnny Coons, host of a children's show broadcast from Chicago. The show went national for one season in 1955. He was born in Lebanon in 1916 and attended Lebanon High School.
• Three time Emmy nominated Visual Effects Compositor, Sherry Hitch, known for her work at Industrial Light & Magic in San Francisco, CA. Her credits include Pirates of the Caribbean (2003, 2006), Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), Star Trek (film) (2009), and Avatar (2009 film).
• Sylvia Likens, murder victim. Sylvia was born in Lebanon and was murdered in Indianapolis in 1965 when she was 16 by Gertrude Baniszewski with the help of her children and other neighborhood children.
• Herman B Wells, former President of Indiana University. Wells attended Lebanon High School and worked as a bank teller at his father's bank in Lebanon for several years.
• Drew Powell, actor, is best known for his role as Hoss Cartwright on the PAX series Ponderosa, and for his guest roles on Malcolm in the Middle and Leverage.
• Sylvia Likens (03.01.1949 - 26.10.1965), was an American murder victim

External links

• City website
• History of Lebanon, Indiana