Saint Joseph, affectionately called St. Joe County by locals, is an unincorporated community in German Township

German Township, Vanderburgh County, Indiana

German Township is one of eight townships in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 7,354.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, German Township covers an area of ; of this, is land and is water.-Cities, towns, villages:* Darmstadt * Saint...

, Vanderburgh County

Vanderburgh County, Indiana

As of the census of 2000, there were 171,922 people, 70,623 households, and 44,421 families residing in the county. The population density was 733 people per square mile . There were 76,300 housing units at an average density of 325 per square mile...

, Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and centered around St. Joseph Catholic Church. Along with that of Darmstadt

Darmstadt, Indiana

Darmstadt is a small, German-heritage town in Scott Township, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. It also extends slightly into Armstrong, Center and German townships. The population was 1,313 at the 2000 census...

, its colonization marked the beginning of German-American immigration to southern Indiana. The area was chosen as a settlement for its rich farmland.

Name

The town is named after the church in its center, St. Joseph Catholic Church. The church is named for the Saint Joseph the Carpenter, the father of Jesus

Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...

.

The nickname "St. Joe County" originates from the fact that there are multiple churches by the name of St. Joseph in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Evansville and Vincennes, and different names were needed to distinguish one from the next in conversation and on paperwork. The church is referred to as "St. Joe in the County", referring to the fact that the other St. Joseph Catholic Churches are located in Evansville

Evansville, Indiana

Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...

 ("St. Joe [in the] City") and Jasper

Jasper, Indiana

- Strassenfest :The Jasper Strassenfest is a four-day event held annually during the first weekend in August. The "Fest" is a celebration between Jasper and its German sister-city Pfaffenweiler, a small village in southwest Germany. Many citizens of Pfaffenweiler travel to Jasper around this time...

"St. Joe [in] Jasper"). The name is frequently truncated to "St. Joe County", and members of the diocese have come to know the town as "St. Joe County".