Oolitic, Indiana Facts for Kids

Oolitic is a small town located in Lawrence County, Indiana, in the United States. It sits within both Indian Creek and Shawswick townships. In 2020, about 1,137 people lived there.

History of Oolitic
Geography and Climate
- Oolitic's Climate
Geology and Limestone Quarries
Population and People
- 2010 Census Information
See also

History of Oolitic

Oolitic was officially planned out on March 23, 1896. This was done by the Bedford Quarries Company. The town became an official town in 1900. By 1914, its population had grown to about 2,000 people. The town is named after a special type of rock called Oolite, which is a kind of limestone found in Indiana.

A cool fact about Oolitic is that it's home to a limestone statue of the comic-strip boxer Joe Palooka. This statue was moved to Oolitic from a nearby town in 1984. Also, if you've seen the movie Hoosiers, Oolitic was the opposing basketball team in the film's first game!

Geography and Climate

According to the 2010 census, Oolitic covers an area of about 0.78 square miles (1.73 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

Oolitic's Climate

The weather in Oolitic has hot and humid summers. Winters are usually mild to cool. This type of weather is known as a humid subtropical climate. On climate maps, it's often shown as "Cfa".

Geology and Limestone Quarries

The town of Oolitic is built on a type of rock called oolitic limestone. This special rock is why the town got its name. The town was first started to dig up this limestone for building materials.

Oolitic was first planned in 1888 and called "Limestone." But in 1896, when they tried to open a post office, the name was rejected. There was already another town in Indiana called Limestone. So, a doctor named R. B. Short suggested "Oolitic." The town officially became Oolitic on November 4, 1901.

The word "Oolitic" describes the limestone. It comes from the Greek word oolite, which means "egg stone." This is because the limestone is made of tiny, egg-shaped grains. Limestone is a type of rock formed from calcium carbonate and other minerals. It also contains small shells and "eggs" from when this area was covered by an ancient sea.

Just north of Oolitic, you can find some of the biggest limestone quarries in the world. Many of these quarries have been digging up stone since the 1830s. This local oolitic limestone has been used to build many famous buildings. One of the most well-known is the Empire State Building in New York City. Visitors can even see the "Empire Hole" near Oolitic. This is where a huge amount of limestone (over 35 million pounds!) was taken out in 1931 for the 102-story building. The same hole also provided stone for the Empire State Building's updates in 2001.

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	1,079	—
1920	883	−18.2%
1930	1,210	37.0%
1940	1,186	−2.0%
1950	1,125	−5.1%
1960	1,140	1.3%
1970	1,155	1.3%
1980	1,495	29.4%
1990	1,424	−4.7%
2000	1,152	−19.1%
2010	1,184	2.8%
2020	1,137	−4.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 Census Information

In 2010, there were 1,184 people living in Oolitic. There were 534 homes and 334 families. The population density was about 1,518 people per square mile. This means that many people live in a small area.

Most of the people in Oolitic (98.7%) were White. A small number were African American or Asian. About 1% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 29% of homes had children under 18 living there. Many homes (45.3%) were married couples living together. The average home had 2.22 people, and the average family had 2.80 people.

The average age of people in Oolitic was 41 years old. About 22% of residents were under 18. About 17% were 65 years old or older. The town had a nearly equal number of males and females.

Oolitic, Indiana facts for kids

Contents