| Rushville, Indiana | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Motto: | Leading the Way in Rural Indiana |
| Mapsize: | 250x200px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Indiana |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Rush |
| Subdivision Type3: | Township |
| Subdivision Name3: | Rushville |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Mike Pavey (R) |
| Established Date: | 1822 |
| Established Date2: | 1840 |
| Established Date3: | 1883 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 3.31 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 3.31 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Area Water Percent: | 0 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 6208 |
| Population Density Km2: | 725.04 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1877.80 |
| Timezone: | EST |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Coordinates: | 39.6256°N -85.4458°W |
| Elevation Ft: | 981 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 46173 |
| Website: | http://www.cityofrushville.in.gov/ |
| Area Code: | 765 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 18-66438[1] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2396452 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Area Total Km2: | 8.56 |
| Area Land Km2: | 8.56 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
Rushville is a city in Rushville Township, Rush County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,185 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Rush County.[3] It, like the county, was named in honor of Dr. Benjamin Rush, who signed the Declaration of Independence.[4]
Rush County was formed from the unorganized Delaware County April 1, 1822. On July 29 town lots were sold and the town started to form. A school had already been started in 1821 by Dr. W.B. Laughlin, who was a member of the Legislature when the county was formed, and is considered the founding father of the town. A jail was built, Charles Veeder, was the first postmaster in 1822, and a courthouse was built in 1823. The Dog Fennel Gazette was published in 1823. The railroad was built in 1850 and after that a bank, factories, mills, and grain elevators sprang up.[5]
The Rushville post office has been in operation since 1822.[6]
Rushville was the campaign headquarters for Wendell Willkie's 1940 presidential campaign against Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Willkie is buried in the city's East Hill Cemetery.
The Durbin Hotel, John K. Gowdy House, Melodeon Hall, Rush County Courthouse, Rushville Commercial Historic District, St. Paul Methodist Episcopal Church, Booker T. Washington School, and Wendell Lewis Willkie House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Rushville is located along the Flatrock River.[7]
According to the 2010 census, Rushville has a total area of 3.09sqmi, all land.[8]
As of the census of 2020, there were 6185 people, 2527 households, and 1,552 families residing in the city. The population density was 2668.8sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 2,597 housing units at an average density of 1156.1sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 94.5% White, 1.5% Black, 0.20% Indian, 0.85% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.
There were 2,434 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,233, and the median income for a family was $36,646. Males had a median income of $30,127 versus $22,440 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,072. About 8.1% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.
The town has a lending library, the Rushville Public Library.[9]