New Castle is a city in Henry County,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, east-northeast of Indianapolis, on the Big Blue River. The city is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Henry County. New Castle is home to

New Castle Fieldhouse New Castle High School is a public high school in New Castle, Indiana whose name is commonly abbreviated to NCHS. It is part of the New Castle Community School Corporation and has an enrollment of approximately 1,200 students. NCHS is the large ...

, the largest high school gymnasium in the world. The city is surrounded by agricultural land. In the past, it was a manufacturing center for the production of sheet iron and steel, automobiles, caskets, clothing, scales, bridges, pianos, furniture, handles, shovels, lathes, bricks, and flour. Starting in the early 20th century, it was known as the Rose City, at one point having 100 florists and numerous growers. According to the 2010 census, the population was 17,396. New Castle Correctional Facility, with a capacity of over 3,500 inmates, is located just north of the city.

History

New Castle was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted in 1823, and named after New Castle, Kentucky. A post office was established at New Castle in 1823. The Maxwell automobile factory, later owned and operated by Chrysler Motor Corp. was, at the time of construction (1907), the largest automotive manufacturing plant in the nation. The Chrysler Enclosure, Gen. William Grose House, Henry County Courthouse, and New Castle Commercial Historic District are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Geography

New Castle is located at . According to the 2010 census, New Castle has a total area of , of which (or 99.71%) is land and (or 0.29%) is water.

Government

New Castle is a third class city and has a seven-member city council chaired by the mayor. One council member is elected from each of the city's five districts and two are elected at-large. The clerk-treasurer and city judge are also elected offices. City elections are held every four years in the year preceding presidential elections. The mayor is elected by popular vote and appoints the police chief, fire chief, city attorney, and department heads of the various municipal agencies. * List of mayors of New Castle, Indiana

Demographics

2020 Census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2020, there were 17,396 people, 6,951 households, and 2,701 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 8,606 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 1.8%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.5% Asian, 0.03%

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawa ...

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.2% Native American or Alaska Native, 0.1% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race were 0.3% of the population. There were 6,951 households, 40.5% were married couples living together, 31.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 19.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 8.4% were non-families. 51.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.09. 30.5% of the population had never been married. 43.1% of residents were

married Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

and not separated, 7.2% were

widowed A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can so ...

, 17.7% were divorced, and 1.6% were separated. The median age in the city was 39.2. 5.8% of residents were under the age of 5; 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 76.1% were age 18 or older; and 17.9% were age 65 or older. 9.4% of the population were veterans. The most common language spoken at home was English with 98.8% speaking it at home, 0.6% spoke

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

at home, 0.5% spoke other

Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutc ...

languages, 0.1% spoke other languages. 0.3% of the population were foreign born. The median household income in Henry County was $42,803, 23% less than the median average for the state of

. 20.7% of the population were in poverty, including 26.8% of residents under the age of 18. The poverty rate for the town was 7.8% higher than that of the state. 23.3% of the population were

disabled Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...

and 8.5% had no healthcare coverage. 47.6% of the population had attained a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

or equivalent degree, 19.9% had attended

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

but received no degree, 7.5% had attained an

Associate's degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of Tertiary education, post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelo ...

or higher, 8.8% had attained a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

or higher, and 5.4% had a graduate or

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

degree. 10.8% had no degree. 51.6% of New Castle residents were employed, working a mean of 40.4 hours per week. The median gross rent in New Castle was $690 and the homeownership rate was 63.2%. 1,056 housing units were vacant at a density of .

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 18,114 people, 7,769 households, and 4,660 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 9,002 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.1%

, 1.9%

, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.6% from

, and 1.8% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 7,769 households, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.0% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 39.5 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 16.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.7% male and 53.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 17,780 people, 7,462 households, and 4,805 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 8,042 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.37%

, 1.85%

, 0.22% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.02%

, 0.41% from

, and 0.91% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.09% of the population. There were 7,462 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. Some 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.90. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,688, and the median income for a family was $37,463. Males had a median income of $32,624 versus $20,554 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,587. About 10.6% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

* New Castle Community School Corporation
New Castle Career Center

Ivy Tech Community College
The city has a public library, th
New Castle-Henry County Public Library

Other attractions

* Nine of the eleven largest high school gyms in the United States are in Indiana. The largest of these is the

at New Castle High School. The fieldhouse has a capacity of 9,325. The fieldhouse is notable for a 1961 State Sectional Game between New Castle and Lewisville (now part of South Henry School Corporation) in which the fans attending the game were snowed in. The next morning food was delivered to the Fieldhouse by a local bakery and a church service was piped into the gym. The gym has also played host to the 2006 Indiana Class 3A Basketball Champs and the 2007 Class 4A Volleyball Champions. * Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame is located near New Castle High School. * Next to New Castle High School is a Native American mound dated to approximately 2000 BP. This mound contains depressions which align to sunrise/sunset during the

equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator, which is to say, appears directly above the equator, rather than north or south of the equator. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise "due east" and se ...

es as well as aligning with depressions in similar mounds tens of miles away. A mound complex (from between 800 B.C. and A.D 1400) was discovered on Elliott Avenue, and the more extensive "New Castle Site" is north of the city, on the east side of the Blue River * Thornhaven Manor, built in 1845, is advertised as "a curious haunt" and featured on the Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures, Ghost Adventures Aftershocks, and Destination America's Ghost Brothers. Address is 2172 Spiceland Road, New Castle. Built in Italianate architectural style, it was thought to be a stop on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

International relations

The town attended a World Summit of towns called ''Newcastle'' held in Newcastle-under-Lyme in England for six days from 17 June 2006

Notable people

Steve Alford Stephen Todd Alford (born November 23, 1964) is an American men's college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach for the Nevada Wolf Pack of the Mountain West Conference (MWC). Born and raised in Indiana, he was a ...

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

basketball player and coach * Tom Allen, NCAA head football coach * Dakoda Armstrong, automobile racing * Trey Ball, baseball player * Kent Benson, NBA basketball player * Major General

Omar Bundy Major General Omar Bundy (June 17, 1861 – January 20, 1940) was a career United States Army officer who was a veteran of the American Indian Wars, Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, Pancho Villa Expedition, and World War I. A n ...

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

officer who fought in the

Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

, the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

, and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, where he commanded the 2nd Division in 1918 * Trevor Chowning, pop artist and former Hollywood talent agent/producer * Richard Crane, actor * William Grose,

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

general *

Tracy Hines Tracy Lee Hines (born May 1, 1972) is an American professional stunt driver. He was the 2000 USAC Silver Crown Champion and 2002 USAC National Sprint Car Champion. He currently does not have a full-time ride in NASCAR as he competes for Tony Stew ...

, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and

United States Auto Club The United States Auto Club (USAC) is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapol ...

driver *

Vern Huffman Richard Vernon Huffman (December 18, 1914 – March 18, 1995) was an American football and basketball player. He was born in Mooreland, Indiana and was raised in and around New Castle, Indiana. He played basketball for the New Castle High Sc ...

, basketball and football player for

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

* Robert Indiana, artist * Fred Luddy businessman * Peter Malnati, golfer * David Lee Roth, singer

Climate

Climate is designated as Humid continental, and this region typically has large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. The

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

subtype for this climate is " Dfa". (Hot Summer Continental Climate).

References

External links

City of New Castle, Indiana website

News and media

The Courier-Times

WMDH 102.5 FM
{{authority control Cities in Indiana Populated places established in 1822 Cities in Henry County, Indiana Micropolitan areas of Indiana County seats in Indiana 1822 establishments in Indiana