Wolcott, Indiana

Wolcott ( ) is a town in Princeton Township, White County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 950 at the 2020 census.

History

Wolcott was platted in May 1861 when the railroad was extended to that point and is named after its founder, Anson Wolcott. Oliver Wolcott, an ancestor of Anson, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. A post office, which with a zip code of 47995, the highest zip code within Indiana, has been in operation at Wolcott since 1861. Wolcott was first incorporated on May 3, 1873, however the town was dissolved two years later in 1875 due to lack of government funding. Wolcott was reincorporated in 1889.

The Wolcott House was formerly listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Wolcott July 4 Summer Festival has been celebrated every year since 1967 on the grounds of the Wolcott House, except for 2020 due to the Coronavirus outbreak. It is now (as of 2022) celebrated on the weekend prior to the 4th of July.

Major businesses in Wolcott (as of 2020) include Indiana Ribbon (one of the few decorative ribbon manufacturing plants left in the U.S.), Dwyer Instruments, the Bank of Wolcott (with branches in Remington and Monticello), Cives Steel Company, and the Farmers Elevator.

Wolcott aims to become the quietest town in America after passing a new town ordinance in 2022. Town members can be fined for producing any audible sound that can be heard from a neighbor's property line. This could include a dog bark, normal conversations, generators, radios, wind chimes, etc. However, lawn and power tools are permitted.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Wolcott has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,001 people, 385 households, and 272 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 428 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.3% White, 0.3% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population.

There were 385 households, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.4% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.10.

The median age in the town was 39.4 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.6% were from 25 to 44; 27.2% were from 45 to 64; and 17.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census