Thorntown is a town in Sugar Creek Township, Boone County, Indiana. The population was 1,432 at the time of the 2020 census. Thorntown is located in northwestern Boone County, about halfway between Lafayette and Indianapolis.
History
The first permanent settlement at Thorntown was made in 1827 when a man named George Harness established a trading post in the area. Thorntown was officially founded by Cornelius Westfall, who platted the town on April 10, 1830. A post office was established at Thorntown the same year. Thorntown is the English translation for the name of a former Native American village located there.
The Thorntown Public Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, Thorntown has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Thorntown had a population of 1,432. The median age was 40.8 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.1 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 572 households in Thorntown, of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.8% were married-couple households, 15.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 1,520 people, 556 households, and 422 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 622 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.1% White, 0.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population.
There were 556 households, of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.1% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.10.
The median age in the town was 37.5 years. 26% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 27.8% were from 45 to 64; and 13% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.
2000 census
As of the census
Notable people
- William La Follette, member of the United States House of Representatives, was born in Thorntown.
- Paul Hutchens, author known for the Sugar Creek Gang book series
- Anson Mills, general and founder of El Paso, Texas
- William W. Rogers, major general in Marine Corps during World War II