West Baden Springs, IN

West Baden Springs is a town in French Lick Township, Orange County, Indiana, surrounded by the mineral-spring country that made southern Indiana a resort destination. The 2020 census counted 541 residents. The town is known for the West Baden Springs Hotel, whose 200-foot dome covers one of the country’s most recognizable historic hotel atriums. French Lick and its neighboring resort complex sit just across the valley, and Springs Valley Community School Corporation serves local students. The dome remains the town’s defining landmark today.

West Baden was founded in the 1850s and named for the German spa towns of Wiesbaden or Baden-Baden. Mineral springs drew visitors, hotels, rail travel, and investment, eventually making West Baden part of a larger resort economy. The restored hotel reopened in 2007 and now operates within the French Lick Resort complex. West Baden Springs is a small Orange County town with a grand dome, mineral water underfoot, and a resort history that still shapes its streets.