Jamestown established in 1830, and was platted in 1832. The town was named for its founder, James Mattock. The town served as the original county seat of Boone County until 1831 when the legislature required that the county seat be moved towards the center of the district. In 1869, the Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western Railway came through the center of town on what was then Washington Street. The railroad remains today as the CSX Crawfordsville Sub and is the mainline from Indianapolis and Avon to Chicago. Additionally, Terre Haute, Indianapolis and Eastern Traction Company operated interurban service through Jamestown beginning in 1912 until its demise adjacent to the Big Four railroad, the remnants still being visible north of the railroad right of way to this day.
Geography
Jamestown is located at . According to the 2010 census, Jamestown has a total area of, all land.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 958 people, 394 households, and 261 families living in the town. The population density was. There were 418 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the town was 98.9% White, 0.5% Asian, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population. There were 394 households, of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couplesliving together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.8% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the town was 36.5 years. 26.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 11.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 886 people, 361 households, and 254 families living in the town. The population density was 1,717.6 people per square mile. There were 382 housing units at an average density of 740.5 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 99.55% White, 0.23% African American, 0.11% from other races, and 0.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population. There were 361 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $46,250, and the median income for a family was $53,611. Males had a median income of $37,431 versus $24,271 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,821. About 7.3% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The town is managed by a three-member elected town council and an elected Clerk-Treasurer. The town provides police and fire service through two full-time Marshals and a volunteer fire department. Jamestown Municipal Utilities provide water, sewer, and power service.
Education
The town has a lending library, the Tri-Area Library. The town is served by both the Western Boone Community School Corporation and the Northwest Hendricks School Corporation.
