Bedford, Indiana
Encyclopedia
As of the census
of 2000, there were 13,768 people, 6,054 households, and 3,644 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,157.1 people per square mile (446.7/km2). There were 6,618 housing units at an average density of 556.2 per square mile (214.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.87% 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.
The Bedford North Lawrence High School is known for its basketball
and golf
programs. The boys' basketball team, captained by Damon Bailey
, won a state title in 1990, Also Indiana All Star Cole Sinclair 2001, is the only other Indiana All Star from Bedford . The girls won state titles in 1983 and 1991. The boys' golf ranks third in Indiana in sectional championships with 20, and second in regionals with 7, having produced dozens of college players including PGA Tour Pro Craig Bowden
. They have appeared in state finals many times and have numerous top five finishes. The BNL Boys Golf team holds the IHSAA
record in all sports for most Finals trips without a championship with 27.
Bedford is known as the limestone
capital of the world, and is surrounded by limestone quarries, many of which are dangerously used by the residents for swimming. A common name for the light gray Indiana limestone
quarried in south central Indiana is "Bedford limestone", or "Bedford Oolitic limestone". Much of the limestone used in the construction of various Washington, D.C.
, monuments was quarried in the Bedford area, and Bedford received $500,000 in grants from the federal government
to build a ten-story replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza
out of local limestone; however, the work was never completed, despite a further $125,000 being allocated to finish it. An 800-foot limestone replica of the Great Wall of China
was also built. Construction took place in 1981 and cost $200,000. Limestone from a nearby quarry, called the "Empire Quarry", was used to build the Empire State Building in New York City.
Bedford is also home to an automotive plant run by General Motors.
School of Adult and Extended Learning http://www.oak.edu/aboutsael.shtm
Bedford was also originally offered to have Indiana University, instead of Bloomington. However, the city declined this offer to further the limestone industry.
special entitled Our Town: Bedford, first aired in May 2006. It was produced by PBS affiliate WTIU
in Bloomington, Indiana
.
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 13,768 people, 6,054 households, and 3,644 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,157.1 people per square mile (446.7/km2). There were 6,618 housing units at an average density of 556.2 per square mile (214.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.87% White, 0.79% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.70% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 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
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
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
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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.
Government
Bedford is governed by a city council and a mayor. The city council is known as the Common Council, which consists of seven members. Five of the members are elected from individual districts while two are elected at-large. The Mayor and Clerk-Treasurer are elected in a citywide vote.Sports teams and history
- Bedford Stonecutters (High School) 1890-1973
- Bedford North Lawrence Stars 1974-present
The Bedford North Lawrence High School is known for its basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
programs. The boys' basketball team, captained by Damon Bailey
Damon Bailey
Damon Bailey is a retired American basketball player, who then-Indiana University head coach Bob Knight called a "hot prospect" while recruiting him when Bailey was in eighth grade, as mentioned in author John Feinstein's bestselling book A Season on the Brink.- High school career :Bailey was...
, won a state title in 1990, Also Indiana All Star Cole Sinclair 2001, is the only other Indiana All Star from Bedford . The girls won state titles in 1983 and 1991. The boys' golf ranks third in Indiana in sectional championships with 20, and second in regionals with 7, having produced dozens of college players including PGA Tour Pro Craig Bowden
Craig Bowden
Craig David Bowden is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.Bowden has gone back and forth between the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour during his career. He is currently a member of the PGA Tour after finishing in the top 25 on the 2009...
. They have appeared in state finals many times and have numerous top five finishes. The BNL Boys Golf team holds the IHSAA
Indiana High School Athletic Association
The Indiana High School Athletic Association is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public and private high schools in the State of Indiana. It monitors a system that divides athletically-competing high schools in Indiana based on the school's enrollment. The divisions, known as...
record in all sports for most Finals trips without a championship with 27.
Notable residents
- U.S. Senator William JennerWilliam E. JennerWilliam Ezra Jenner was a U.S. Republican Indiana State and U.S. Senator.Jenner was born in Marengo, Crawford County, Indiana. He graduated with a Law degree from Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington in 1930, and set up practice in Paoli, Indiana...
- Indiana Lieutenant Governor Becky SkillmanBecky SkillmanRebecca S. "Becky" Skillman is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of the State of Indiana. She is a member of the Republican Party. She was sworn in on January 10, 2005.-Early life and career:...
. - Actor Claude AkinsClaude AkinsClaude Marion Akins was an American actor with a long career on stage, screen and television.Powerful in appearance and voice, Akins could be counted on to play the clever tough guy, on the side of good or bad, in movies and television. He is best remembered as Sheriff Lobo in the 1970s TV series...
was raised in Bedford, although he was born in Nelson, GeorgiaNelson, GeorgiaNelson is a city partly in Pickens and mostly in Cherokee counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 1314.City of Nelson - Pickens County...
. - BNLBedford North Lawrence High SchoolBedford North Lawrence High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in the eastern part of Bedford, Indiana and is accredited by the Indiana State Department of Public Instruction and the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools...
and IU basketball star Damon BaileyDamon BaileyDamon Bailey is a retired American basketball player, who then-Indiana University head coach Bob Knight called a "hot prospect" while recruiting him when Bailey was in eighth grade, as mentioned in author John Feinstein's bestselling book A Season on the Brink.- High school career :Bailey was...
. - Astronaut Charles Walker
- Astronaut Kenneth Bowersox
- NHL tough guy Donald BrashearDonald BrashearDonald Brashear is an American-Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who is currently a member of the Rivière-du-Loup CIMT in the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey . He previously played for five organizations in the National Hockey League . His main role is that of an enforcer. He was...
- Sociologist James Samuel Coleman
- Former PGA TourPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
player Fred WamplerFred Wampler (golfer)Frederick Wampler was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour.Wampler was born in Bedford, Indiana. He played on the Purdue University golf team from 1948 to 1950... - PGA TourPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
player Craig BowdenCraig BowdenCraig David Bowden is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.Bowden has gone back and forth between the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour during his career. He is currently a member of the PGA Tour after finishing in the top 25 on the 2009... - Artist William T. WileyWilliam T. WileyWilliam T. Wiley is a contemporary American artist. His practice spans a broad range of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, film, performance, and pinball. At least some of Wiley's work has been referred to as Funk art....
- PhD Chemist Emily Pentzer
- Abraham Reynolds 1797-1875 One of the first residents of Lawrence County, (1820) Farmer and one of the founders of the New Union Church
Economy
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
capital of the world, and is surrounded by limestone quarries, many of which are dangerously used by the residents for swimming. A common name for the light gray Indiana limestone
Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone, also known as Bedford Limestone is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford....
quarried in south central Indiana is "Bedford limestone", or "Bedford Oolitic limestone". Much of the limestone used in the construction of various Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, monuments was quarried in the Bedford area, and Bedford received $500,000 in grants from the federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
to build a ten-story replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza
Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact...
out of local limestone; however, the work was never completed, despite a further $125,000 being allocated to finish it. An 800-foot limestone replica of the Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...
was also built. Construction took place in 1981 and cost $200,000. Limestone from a nearby quarry, called the "Empire Quarry", was used to build the Empire State Building in New York City.
Bedford is also home to an automotive plant run by General Motors.
Transportation
- No Interstate highways are nearby; the closest is Interstate 65Interstate 65Interstate 65 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States. The southern terminus is located at an intersection with Interstate 10 in Mobile, Alabama, and its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 , U.S. Route 12, and U.S...
, approximately 35 miles (56 km) east. - U.S. Highway 50 goes through the heart of the city, connecting Bedford with SeymourSeymour, IndianaSeymour was the site of the World's First Train Robbery, committed by the local Reno Gang, on October 6, 1866 just east of town. The gang was put into prison for the robbery, and later hanged at Hangman's Crossing outside of town....
to the east, and VincennesVincennes, IndianaVincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census...
to the west. Travel through Southern Indiana is often somewhat inconvenient, however, due to the hilly nature of the area. - State Road 37 connects Bedford to BloomingtonBloomington, IndianaBloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
to the north and MitchellMitchell, IndianaMitchell is a city in Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,567 as of the 2000 census.It is the birthplace of astronaut Gus Grissom, who flew on Liberty Bell 7, Gemini 3, and died in a launch pad fire at Kennedy Space Center in 1967....
to the south. - Bedford is served by one railroad: Indiana RailroadIndiana RailroadThis article is for the electric interurban railroad of 1930-1941. For the currently operating freight railroad Indiana Rail Road see Indiana Rail Road....
, via the former Monon RailroadMonon RailroadThe Monon Railroad , also known as the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway from 1897–1956, operated almost entirely within the state of Indiana...
line to Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, KentuckyLouisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, and on the Canadian Pacific Railway's former Milwaukee Road line to Terre Haute, IndianaTerre Haute, IndianaTerre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
with connections to ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. (The Canadian Pacific line was sold to the Indiana Rail RoadIndiana Rail RoadThe Indiana Rail Road is a United States Class II railroad, originally operating over former Illinois Central Railroad trackage from Newton, Illinois to Indianapolis, Indiana, a distance of 155 miles...
, on July 1, 2006.)
Education
Bedford is the home of Oakland City UniversityOakland City University
Oakland City University, abbreviated as OCU, is a coeducational, small-town, urban, private university in Oakland City in eastern Gibson County, about north and slightly east of Evansville in Southwestern Indiana. Oakland City University is the only General Baptist Church-affiliated college in the...
School of Adult and Extended Learning http://www.oak.edu/aboutsael.shtm
Bedford was also originally offered to have Indiana University, instead of Bloomington. However, the city declined this offer to further the limestone industry.
Profiles of Bedford
Bedford, Indiana was featured as the subject of an hour-long PBSPublic Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
special entitled Our Town: Bedford, first aired in May 2006. It was produced by PBS affiliate WTIU
WTIU
WTIU channel 30 is the local Public Broadcasting Service member public television station for Bloomington, Indiana, United States, and surrounding areas. Its studios are located on the campus of Indiana University...
in Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
.
Nearby points of interest
- Nashville, IndianaNashville, IndianaNashville is a town in Washington Township, Brown County, Indiana, United States. The population was 803 at the 2010 census. The town is the county seat of Brown County and is the county's only incorporated town...
- Bluespring CavernsBluespring CavernsBluespring Caverns is a cave system located in Lawrence County, Indiana, approximately 80 miles south of Indianapolis. The cave system is a karst and river type cave formation and drains a 15 miles² sinkhole plain...
- Spring Mill State ParkSpring Mill State ParkSpring Mill State Park is a state park in the state of Indiana. The park is located to the south of Bloomington, about east of the town of Mitchell on Indiana Highway 60....
- West Baden Springs HotelWest Baden Springs HotelThe West Baden Springs Hotel is a historic landmark hotel in the town of West Baden Springs in Orange County, Indiana, United States, known for its vast domed atrium. It is currently part of the French Lick Resort...
External links
- City website
- Official Website for "Our Town: Bedford"
- Community website
- The Times-Mail
- “A Glimpse of the Celebrated Stone Quarries at Bedford, Indiana,” booklet by the Bedford Stone Quarries Co., Inc., circa late 1800s, on Stone Quarries and Beyond.
- The unfinished pyramid is located at 38°54′59.08"N 86°31′43.64"W