State Line City, Indiana Facts for Kids

"State Line, Indiana" redirects here. For the community in St. Joseph County, see State Line, St. Joseph County, Indiana.

Quick facts for kids State Line City, Indiana
Town
A freight train passing State Line's grain elevators
State Line City, Indiana Location in Warren County, Indiana Show map of Warren County, Indiana State Line City, Indiana Location in Indiana Show map of Indiana State Line City, Indiana Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Warren
Township	Kent
Founded	1857
Area
• Total	0.14 sq mi (0.36 km²)
• Land	0.14 sq mi (0.36 km²)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Elevation	719 ft (219 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	120
• Density	863.31/sq mi (332.94/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	47982
Area code(s)	765
FIPS code	18-72764
GNIS feature ID	2397679

State Line City is a small town in Warren County, Indiana, United States. It is right on the border between the states of Indiana and Illinois. In 2020, about 120 people lived there.

History of State Line City
Geography and Location
- Railroad Lines
Population Information
Images for kids
See also

History of State Line City

State Line City was founded on June 29, 1857. It was started by Robert Casement. The town grew because two big railway lines met there. One railway, the Toledo, Wabash and Western Railway, came from the east. The other, the Great Western Railroad, came from the west.

The town became a busy place because of all the railroad workers. It grew quickly, reaching about 550 people within 10 years.

Abraham Lincoln's Visit

A very important event happened in State Line City on February 11, 1861. Abraham Lincoln stopped in the town. He was on his way from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C., to become president.

Lincoln ate at a place called the Frazier Eating House. After his meal, he gave a short speech to a crowd in the town square. A special marker in the town remembers this moment and shares the words he spoke:

Gentlemen of Indiana: I am happy to meet you on this occasion, and enter again the state of my early life, and almost of my maturity. I am under many obligations to you for your kind reception and to Indiana for the aid she rendered our cause which, I think, a just one. Gentlemen, I shall address you at greater length at Indianapolis, but not much greater. Again, gentlemen, I thank you for your warm-hearted reception.

Town Businesses and Services

State Line City has had a post office since July 1857. Robert Casement was the first postmaster. The post office is still open today in a newer building.

Grain elevators were built in 1857. These are tall buildings used to store grain. They have been destroyed by fires three times (in 1900, 1932, and 1984) but were rebuilt each time. Today, a company called Archer Daniels Midland runs them. They are very busy during harvest season.

Another big business in town is a fertilizer and farm sales center. It was built in 1975 and helps local farmers.

The Kent Township Fire Department was started in 1978 to protect the town. Later, it joined with the West Lebanon Fire Department. The fire station in State Line is still used. For some years, the fire department also held a fun town festival called State Line Fun Days.

Churches in State Line

As of 2007, State Line has one active church, the State Line Christian Church. It was built in 1868. Other churches, like the Church of the Nazarene and the Methodist Church, closed in the 1990s because not enough people attended. These old church buildings have since been turned into homes.

Geography and Location

State Line City is in the southwestern part of Warren County, Indiana. It is surrounded by open farmland. The town is located right on the border with Illinois. It is about five miles northeast of Danville, Illinois.

The town covers a total area of about 0.14 square miles (0.36 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

Railroad Lines

The Norfolk Southern Railway runs through State Line City. For many years, a famous train called the Wabash Cannonball used this line. It traveled through the town twice a day on its way between St. Louis, Missouri and Detroit, Michigan. The railway company changed names over the years, and the Wabash name is no longer used.

The part of the community that is west of the state line, in Illinois, is called Illiana.

Population Information

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	268	—
1890	201	−25.0%
1900	174	−13.4%
1910	194	11.5%
1920	178	−8.2%
1930	165	−7.3%
1940	157	−4.8%
1950	152	−3.2%
1960	171	12.5%
1970	176	2.9%
1980	233	32.4%
1990	182	−21.9%
2000	141	−22.5%
2010	143	1.4%
2020	120	−16.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2010, there were 143 people living in State Line City. Most of the people were white (98.6%). A small number were Black or African American (0.7%) or from two or more races (0.7%). About 0.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino background.

The average age of people in State Line City in 2010 was about 46 years old. Most households were made up of married couples. The average household had about 2.38 people.

The median income for a household was $48,750. This means half of the households earned more than this, and half earned less. About 17.2% of the population lived below the poverty line.