Colfax is a town in Perry Township,

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, United States. The population was 691 at the 2010 census. The town was originally known as Midway since it was a half-way point on the IC&L Railroad between Chicago & Louisville. Railways intersected North/South & East/West making Colfax a popular transfer destination. The town was renamed to honor Vice President

Schuyler Colfax Schuyler Colfax Jr. ( ; March 23, 1823January 13, 1885) was an American journalist, businessman, and politician who served as the 17th vice president of the United States from 1869 to 1873, and prior to that as the 25th Speaker of the United Sta ...

in 1857.

History

Colfax was laid out in 1849 by Montgomery Stroud. It was originally named Midway for its position between Chicago and Louisville along the IC&L railroad. In 1853 the town gained a post office named Colfax, and in December 1857 the name of the town itself became Colfax, by petition of the residents. By 1861 the town had two churches, two general stores, a hotel, a saw mill and approximately 200 residents. An incorporation election held December 25, 1869, resulted in 24 yeas and 1 no. The town had 187 residents in 1870, but with the construction of the Vandalia railroad through town in 1870-71 it grew quickly and by 1880 had a population of 638. The Colfax Carnegie Library and Rosenberger Building are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

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

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 691 people, 268 households, and 194 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 322 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.4%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population. There were 268 households, of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.6% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age in the town was 40.1 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.1% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 15.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 768 people, 286 households, and 205 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 305 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.87%

and 0.13% Asian.

or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population. There were 286 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were

living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.18. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.3% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $42,688, and the median income for a family was $44,514. Males had a median income of $31,792 versus $28,000 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $14,482. About 6.7% of families and 7.8% 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 ...

, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The town has a free lending library, the Colfax-Perry Township Public Library.

References

{{authority control Schuyler Colfax Towns in Clinton County, Indiana Towns in Indiana Populated places established in 1849 1849 establishments in Indiana