St. Joseph County, Indiana

Not to be confused with Saint Joseph, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, commonly referred to as "St. Joseph County".

Saint Joseph County, Indiana
St. Joseph County courthouse in South Bend, Indiana
Seal
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	1830
Seat	South Bend
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	461.38 sq mi (1,195 km²) 457.85 sq mi (1,186 km²) 3.54 sq mi (9 km²), 0.77%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	266,931 580/sq mi (224/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.stjosephcountyindiana.com
Footnotes:   Indiana county number 71 Fourth most populous county in Indiana as of 2005

St. Joseph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. Census 2010 put the population at 266,931. Formed in 1830, it was named for the St. Joseph River which flows through it toward Lake Michigan. The county seat is South Bend.

St. Joseph County is part of the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 461.38 square miles (1,195.0 km²), of which 457.85 square miles (1,185.8 km²) (or 99.23%) is land and 3.54 square miles (9.2 km²) (or 0.77%) is water.

Cities and towns

• Indian Village
• Lakeville
• Mishawaka
• New Carlisle
• North Liberty
• Osceola
• Roseland
• South Bend
• Walkerton
• Granger, Indiana

Townships

• Centre
• Clay
• German
• Greene
• Harris
• Liberty
• Lincoln
• Madison
• Olive
• Penn
• Portage
• Union
• Warren

St. Joseph River, flowing into St. Joseph County from Elkhart County (top) through Mishawaka.

Adjacent counties

• Berrien County, Michigan (north)
• Cass County, Michigan (northeast)
• Elkhart County (east)
• Marshall County (south)
• Starke County (southwest)
• LaPorte County (west)

Major highways

• Ind. Toll Rd.
• I-80
• I-90
• US 6
• US 20
• US 31
• SR 2
• SR 4
• SR 23
• SR 104
• SR 331
• SR 933

Climate and weather

South Bend, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.3   31 16     2   36 19     2.9   47 28     3.6   59 38     3.5   71 48     4.2   80 58     3.7   83 63     4   81 61     3.8   74 53     3.3   62 42     3.4   48 33     3.1   36 22 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     58   -1 -9     50   2 -7     73   8 -2     92   15 3     89   22 9     106   27 14     95   28 17     101   27 16     96   23 12     83   17 6     86   9 1     78   2 -6 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in South Bend have ranged from a low of 16 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 83 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of −22 °F (−30 °C) was recorded in January 1943 and a record high of 109 °F (43 °C) was recorded in July 1934. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.98 inches (50 mm) in February to 4.19 inches (106 mm) in June.

Government

See also: Government of Indiana

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.

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, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.

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 a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.

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 serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.

St. Joseph County is part of Indiana's 2nd congressional district and in 2008 was represented by Joe Donnelly in the United States Congress.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	287		—
1840	6,425		2,138.7%
1850	10,954		70.5%
1860	18,455		68.5%
1870	25,322		37.2%
1880	33,178		31.0%
1890	42,457		28.0%
1900	58,881		38.7%
1910	84,312		43.2%
1920	103,304		22.5%
1930	160,033		54.9%
1940	161,823		1.1%
1950	205,058		26.7%
1960	238,614		16.4%
1970	245,045		2.7%
1980	241,617		−1.4%
1990	247,052		2.2%
2000	265,559		7.5%
2010	266,931		0.5%
Sources: United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division Census Quickfacts

As of the census of 2000, there were 265,559 people, 100,743 households, and 66,792 families residing in the county. The population density was 581 people per square mile (224/km²). There were 107,013 housing units at an average density of 234 per square mile (90/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.36% White, 11.46% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 1.34% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.48% from other races, and 1.97% from two or more races. 4.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 21.1% were of German, 11.5% Polish, 10.5% Irish, 6.5% American and 5.7% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 100,743 households out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.00% were married couples living together, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.70% under the age of 18, 11.80% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 20.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,420, and the median income for a family was $49,653. Males had a median income of $37,076 versus $25,310 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,756. About 7.60% of families and 10.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.70% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.

Education

School districts

John Glenn School Corporation

• North Liberty Elementary
• Walkerton Elementary
• Urey Middle School
• John Glenn High School

New Prairie United School Corporation

• Olive Township Elementary
• New Prairie Middle School
• New Prairie High School

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation

• Bittersweet Elementary
• Elm Road Elementary
• Elise Rogers Elementary
• Horizon Elementary
• Madison Elementary
• Mary Frank Elementary
• Meadow's Edge Elementary
• Moran Elementary
• Northpoint Elementary
• Prairie Vista Elementary
• Walt Disney Elementary
• Discovery Middle School
• Grissom Middle School
• Schmucker Middle School
• Penn High School

School City of Mishawaka

• Battell Elementary
• Beiger Elementary
• Emmons Elementary
• Hums Elementary
• LaSalle Elementary
• Liberty Elementary
• Twin Branch Elementary
• John Young Middle School
• Mishawaka High School
• Bingham Elementary School (closed)

South Bend Community School Corporation

High schools

• John Adams High School Bird's Eye
• Clay High School Bird's Eye
• James Whitcomb Riley High School Bird's Eye
• Washington High School Bird's Eye

Intermediate Centers

• Brown Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
• Clay Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
• Dickinson Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
• Edison Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
• Greene Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
• Jackson Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
• Jefferson Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
• Lasalle Academy Bird's Eye
• Marshall Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
• Navarre Intermediate Center Bird's Eye

Primary centers

• Coquillard Primary Center Bird's Eye
• Darden Primary Center Bird's Eye
• Hamilton Primary Center Bird's Eye
• Harrison Primary Center Bird's Eye
• Hay Primary Center Bird's Eye
• Kennedy Academy Bird's Eye
• Lafayette Early Childhood Center Bird's Eye
• Lincoln Primary Center Bird's Eye
• Madison Primary Center Bird's Eye
• Marquette Primary Center Bird's Eye
• McKinley Primary Center Bird's Eye
• Monroe Primary Center Bird's Eye
• Muessel Primary Center Bird's Eye
• Nuner Primary Center Bird's Eye
• Perley Primary Center Bird's Eye
• Swanson Primary Center Bird's Eye
• Tarkington Traditional Primary Center Bird's Eye
• Warren Primary Center Bird's Eye
• Wilson Primary Center Bird's Eye

Union-North United School Corporation

• LaVille Elementary
• LaVille Junior-Senior High School

Private Schools

• Christ the King [Grades K-8]
• Corpus Christi [Grades K-8]
• Covenant Christian School [Grades K-8]
• Granger Christian School [Grades K-12]
• Holy Cross Elementary [Grades K-8]
• Holy Family Elementary [Grades K-8]
• Ironwood Christian School [Grades K-12]
• Michiana Christian School [Grades K-5]
• Mishawaka First Baptist School [Grades K-12]
• Marian High School [Grades 9-12]
• North Liberty Christian School [Grades K-5]
• Our Lady of Hungary [Grades K-8]
• Queen of Peace School [Grades K-6]
• Resurrection Lutheran Academy [Grades Pre K-8]
• St. Adalbert Elementary [Grades K-8]
• St. Anthony de Padua School [Grades K-8]
• St. Bavo Elementary [Grades K-8]
• St. John the Baptist Elementary [Grades K-8]
• St. Joseph Elementary [Grades K-8]
• St. Joseph Grade School [Grades K-8]
• St. Jude Elementary [Grades K-8]
• St. Mary of the Assumption School [Grades K-8]
• St. Matthew Elementary [Grades K-8]
• St. Monica Elementary [Grades K-8]
• St. Patrick School [Grades K-6]
• St. Pius X School [Grades Pre K-8] (Opens August 27, 2008)
• South Bend Christian Center [Grades K-12]
• South Bend Junior Academy [Grades 2-8]
• South Bend St. Joseph's High School [Grades 9-12]
• South Bend Trinity School [Grades 7-12]
• Stanley Clark School [Grades K-8]

Colleges & universities

• Bethel College
• Brown Mackie College
• Holy Cross College
• Ivy Tech North Central
• Indiana University - South Bend
• St. Mary's College
• University of Notre Dame

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in St. Joseph County, Indiana

External links

• St. Joseph County Public Library
• St. Joseph County Website