Jackson County, Indiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jackson County, Indiana | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Indiana |
|
 Indiana's location in the U.S. |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1816 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Brownstown |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
514 sq mi (1,331 km²) 509 sq mi (1,319 km²) 4 sq mi (12 km²), 0.86% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
41,335 81/sq mi (31/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Congressional district | 9th |
| Named for: Andrew Jackson | |
Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 41,335. The county seat is Brownstown[1].
Contents |
[edit] History
Jackson County was formed in 1816. It was named for Andrew Jackson, who defeated the British in 1815 at the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812, and later became President.
Jackson County is home to the second longest covered bridge in the United States. However, due to decades of neglect the bridge is on the verge of collapse and has been closed to pedestrian traffic. Another long neglected covered bridge, the Bells Ford Bridge, which was the last remaining Post Truss bridge in the world, succumbed to similar neglect, collapsing into the White River on January 2, 2006.
Because the Bell's Ford Bridge used a metal truss it was able to be largely salvaged, however, the Commissioner President Gary Darlage has been quoted as saying: "There is nothing left of the Bell Ford Bridge and I will not spend another tax dollar on it. Ninety percent of the people in this county think it is asinine to even consider rebuilding that bridge. By asking for any amount of money to be used on it, you are asking me to do something I don’t believe is right." Although it has been brought to Darlage's attention that federal funds could be used to restore the Bell's Ford Bridge, Darlage has refused to request federal funds, saying, "I guess I’m just not a historic person. The average taxpayer sees it as their tax money, even if it is federal money."[citation needed]
[edit] Government
The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code.
County Council: The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes.[2][3]
Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, the collection of revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.[2][3]
Court: The county maintains a small claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to terms of four years. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.[3]
County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Each of these elected officers serve terms of four years and oversee different parts of the county government. Members elected to any county government position are required to declare a party affiliation and be a resident of the county.[3]
Jackson County is part of Indiana's 9th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Democrat Baron Hill.[4]
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 514 square miles (1,331 km²), of which 509 square miles (1,319 km²) is land and 4 square miles (12 km²) (0.86%) is water.
[edit] Cities and towns
[edit] Townships
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Brown County (north [1])
- Bartholomew County (north [2])
- Jennings County (east)
- Scott County (southeast)
- Washington County (south)
- Lawrence County (west)
- Monroe County (northwest)
[edit] Major highways
Sources: National Atlas[5], U.S. Census Bureau[6]
[edit] National protected areas
- Hoosier National Forest (part)
- Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge (part)
[edit] Demographics
| Jackson County Population by year |
|
|
2000 41,335 |
|
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 41,335 people, 16,052 households, and 11,573 families residing in the county. The population density was 81 people per square mile (31/km²). There were 17,137 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.13% White, 0.55% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.54% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 2.69% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 33.7% were of American, 30.6% German, 8.1% English and 7.9% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 16,052 households out of which 33.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.90% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.50% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,401, and the median income for a family was $45,210. Males had a median income of $31,505 versus $22,301 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,400. About 6.50% of families and 8.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.70% of those under age 18 and 9.00% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Forstall, Richard L. (editor) (1996). Population of states and counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990 : from the twenty-one decennial censuses. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division. ISBN 0-934213-48-8.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ a b Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar2/ch3.html. Retrieved on 2008-09-16.
- ^ a b c d Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2". IN.gov. http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-09-16.
- ^ "Conressman Baron Hill". House.Gov. http://baronhill.house.gov/district.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-09-12.
- ^ National Atlas
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau TIGER shape files
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
 |
Monroe County | Brown County and Bartholomew County |
|
||||
| Lawrence County |  |
Jennings County | |||||
 Jackson County, Indiana  |
|||||||
 |
|||||||
| Washington County | Scott County |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
