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Tell City, Indiana
City
City of Tell City
A statue of William Tell and his son sits upon a fountain outside city hall. It is a famous city landmark.
Location of Tell City in Perry County, Indiana.
Coordinates: 37°57′11″N 86°45′21″W / 37.95306°N 86.75583°W / 37.95306; -86.75583
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Perry
Township	Troy
Acquired	July 1857
Founded	August 1858
Government
• Mayor	Chris Cail (D)
Area
• Total	4.65 sq mi (12.04 km)
• Land	4.53 sq mi (11.74 km)
• Water	0.12 sq mi (0.30 km)  2.37%
Elevation	417 ft (127 m)
Population
• Total	7,506
• Density	1,655.49/sq mi (639.22/km)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	47586
Area code	812
FIPS code	18-75248
GNIS feature ID	2396037
Website	tellcity.in.gov

Tell City is a city in Troy Township, Perry County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is located along the Ohio River. The population was 7,506 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Perry County.

History

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Tell City traces its 150+ year old roots to a meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio in November 1856. A group of Swiss-German immigrants met in Cincinnati to organize a society known as the "Swiss Colonization Society." The society's purpose was to obtain affordable homesteads for mechanics, shopkeepers, factory workers, and small farmers in a location where all could live in harmony.

The Society decided to purchase a tract of land three miles (5 km) square to be surveyed as a city plot. The group was sent out to purchase the land and told to keep in mind they should find a healthful climate, fertile soil, good water, ample timber, as well as a location near a navigable river and a railroad, if possible. Purchase of a suitable site was made in July 1857. The tract, containing 4,152 acres (16.80 km), was laid out in 392 town blocks with 7,328 building lots and 294 garden lots.

Before the settlers arrived, a name for the new town was selected. Initially called Helvetia, it was soon renamed Tell City, a name easier to pronounce and remember for English-speaking people. It was named for the legendary Swiss hero and liberator, William Tell.

Indicative of the foresightedness of Tell City's founders are the wide streets. They are named for great persons of the military, arts, letters and science: DeKalb, Watt, Winkelried, Steuben, Payne, Herrman, Reubens, Lafayette, Schiller, Tell, Fulton, Jefferson, Mozart, Franklin, Humboldt, Pestalozzi, Washington, Blum and Gutenberg.

The Tell City post office has been in operation since 1858.

With 100 years of recorded history, the citizens of Tell City held a centennial celebration August 10–17, 1958 in honor of the early settlers and the founding of Tell City. After the success of the Centennial, the Tell City Historical Society decided they would sponsor a festival in 1959 to determine if the community would support it as an annual event. The festival, named Schweizer Fest (Swiss Fest), was a great success. Today, the festival remains one of Indiana's longest-running community festivals.

On March 17, 1960, Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 710, a Lockheed Electra turboprop airliner flying from Chicago to Miami lost a wing due to aerodynamic flutter and crashed in southern Indiana near Tell City. All 63 on board, including the crew, perished. The victims were impacted in a 30-foot-deep (9.1 m) crater, which became their final resting place. A monument with the names of the victims and the date of the tragedy marks the grave.

Steamboat Tell City

The steamboat Tell City was built in 1889 and named after Tell City. It was used to carry passengers and freight on the Ohio River until it sank on April 6, 1917 in Little Hocking, Ohio. The pilothouse survived the sinking and is the oldest remaining steamboat pilothouse, located at the Ohio River Museum in Marietta, Ohio.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Tell City has a total area of 4.635 square miles (12.00 km), of which 4.53 square miles (11.73 km) (or 97.73%) is land and 0.105 square miles (0.27 km) (or 2.27%) is water.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 7,272 people, 3,224 households, and 1,971 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,605.3 inhabitants per square mile (619.8/km). There were 3,574 housing units at an average density of 789.0 per square mile (304.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 97.5% White, 0.3% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 3,224 households, of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.9% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.84.

The median age in the city was 42 years. 22% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.1% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 19.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,845 people, 3,404 households, and 2,161 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,721.4 inhabitants per square mile (664.6/km). There were 3,700 housing units at an average density of 811.9 per square mile (313.5/km). The racial makeup of the city was 98.65% White, 0.27% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.

There were 3,404 households, out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,045, and the median income for a family was $41,300. Males had a median income of $31,908 versus $21,232 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,443. About 8.0% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Tell City is home to the Tell City High School Marksmen. The school is in Class 2A for football, basketball, and baseball. The city is also home to the other school William Tell Elementary.

Tell City has a public library, a branch of the Perry County Public Library.

Notable people

• Krista Blunk - former college basketball star
• Wally Bruner - American journalist and television host
• Ray Eddy - former college basketball coach of the Purdue Boilermakers
• Paul D. Etienne - Sixth Archbishop of Seattle
• Tom Kron - former college (Univ of Kentucky) and professional basketball star
• Bob Lochmueller - former NBA player, college & high school basketball coach
• Edwin D. Patrick - commander of the 6th Infantry Division during World War II
• Bob Polk - former college basketball coach
• Burke Scott - former college basketball player and U.S. Army Officer

See also

• List of cities and towns along the Ohio River

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Tell City, Indiana
3. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "Tell City, Indiana". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
5. Thrasher, M. A.: A History of Tell City Archived 2008-12-07 at the Wayback Machine, Tell City Historical Society, 1989. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
6. "Perry County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
7. "Around Town | Tell City Pilothouse".
8. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
9. "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
10. "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
13. https://wte.tellcity.k12.in.us/
14. "Indiana public library directory" (PDF). Indiana State Library. Retrieved March 14, 2018.

External links

• City website
• Perry County News, local newspaper
• Perry County Chamber of Commerce, local Chamber of Commerce

v t e Municipalities and communities of Perry County, Indiana, United States
County seat: Tell City
Cities	Cannelton Tell City
Town	Troy
Townships	Anderson Clark Leopold Oil Tobin Troy Union
CDP	Leopold
Other communities	Adyeville Apalona Bandon Branchville Bristow Celina Derby Dexter Dodd Doolittle Mills Fosters Ridge Gatchel Gerald Hardingrove Kitterman Corners Lauer Lilly Dale Magnet Mount Pleasant Oriole Ranger Rome St. Croix Sassafras Siberia Terry Tobinsport Uniontown
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• Cities in Indiana
• Populated places established in 1858
• Communities of Southwestern Indiana
• Cities in Perry County, Indiana
• County seats in Indiana
• Swiss-American culture in Indiana
• Indiana populated places on the Ohio River
• 1858 establishments in Indiana
• William Tell