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Vanderburgh County, Indiana

Coordinates: 38°01′N 87°35′W / 38.02°N 87.58°W / 38.02; -87.58
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Vanderburgh County
The Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse
Official seal of Vanderburgh County
Map of Indiana highlighting Vanderburgh County
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Map of the United States highlighting Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°01′N 87°35′W / 38.02°N 87.58°W / 38.02; -87.58
Country United States
State Indiana
FoundedJanuary 7, 1818
Named forHenry Vanderburgh
SeatEvansville
Largest cityEvansville
Area
 • Total236.33 sq mi (612.1 km2)
 • Land233.48 sq mi (604.7 km2)
 • Water2.86 sq mi (7.4 km2)  1.21%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total180,136
 • Estimate 
(2023)
179,810 Decrease
 • Density760/sq mi (290/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district8th
Websitewww.vanderburghgov.org
[1]
  • Indiana county number 82
  • Eighth-largest county in Indiana by population as of 2020
  • Eighth-smallest county in Indiana by area

Vanderburgh County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 180,136.[2] The county seat is in Evansville.[3] While Vanderburgh County was the eighth-largest county in 2020 population in Indiana, it is also the eighth-smallest county in area and the smallest in southwestern Indiana, covering only 236 square miles (610 km2). Vanderburgh County forms the core of the Evansville metropolitan statistical area.

History

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Vanderburgh County was formed on January 7, 1818, from Gibson, Posey, and Warrick counties. It was named for Captain Henry Vanderburgh, Revolutionary War veteran and judge for the Indiana Territory.

Geography

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According to the 2010 census, the county has an area of 236.33 square miles (612.1 km2), of which 233.48 square miles (604.7 km2) (or 98.79%) is land and 2.86 square miles (7.4 km2) (or 1.21%) is water.[4]

Regional

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Adjacent counties

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Cities and towns

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Census-designated places

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Unincorporated towns

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Townships

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(2000 population)

Major highways

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Climate and weather

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Evansville, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[5]
Metric conversion
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Evansville have ranged from a low of 25 °F (−4 °C) in January to a high of 91 °F (33 °C) in July, although a record low of −17 °F (−27 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 109 °F (43 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.96 inches (75 mm) in October to 4.78 inches (121 mm) in May.[5]

Government

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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 fiscal branch of the county government that has the legislative responsibilities for the spending and revenue collection in the county. Four representatives are elected from county districts and three are elected at-large by the entire county. 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.[6][7]

Board of commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide but must live within the district of the seat they hold, 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.[6][7]

Court: The county has eight state trial courts of original jurisdiction. One circuit court and seven superior courts. The judges offices are non-partisan with terms of six years. A judge must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judges are assisted by magistrates that are appointed. circuit court.[7]

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.[7]

United States presidential election results for Vanderburgh County, Indiana[8]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 41,844 53.88% 34,415 44.31% 1,403 1.81%
2016 40,496 55.19% 28,530 38.88% 4,349 5.93%
2012 39,389 54.26% 31,725 43.71% 1,474 2.03%
2008 37,512 48.15% 39,423 50.60% 978 1.26%
2004 41,463 58.68% 28,767 40.72% 424 0.60%
2000 35,846 54.13% 29,222 44.13% 1,153 1.74%
1996 28,509 43.22% 30,934 46.90% 6,518 9.88%
1992 30,271 39.39% 33,799 43.99% 12,770 16.62%
1988 38,928 55.25% 31,270 44.38% 255 0.36%
1984 40,994 56.68% 31,049 42.93% 287 0.40%
1980 36,248 51.07% 29,930 42.17% 4,804 6.77%
1976 37,975 51.87% 34,911 47.69% 325 0.44%
1972 48,806 68.32% 22,163 31.02% 468 0.66%
1968 38,231 49.28% 31,326 40.38% 8,020 10.34%
1964 27,231 37.10% 45,796 62.39% 380 0.52%
1960 41,068 52.90% 36,330 46.80% 237 0.31%
1956 42,462 57.68% 30,860 41.92% 297 0.40%
1952 42,010 58.20% 29,718 41.17% 459 0.64%
1948 27,584 45.25% 32,640 53.55% 732 1.20%
1944 30,684 46.87% 34,440 52.61% 338 0.52%
1940 28,417 42.25% 38,567 57.33% 283 0.42%
1936 14,725 25.79% 41,490 72.68% 870 1.52%
1932 16,873 33.91% 31,828 63.97% 1,051 2.11%
1928 29,067 59.44% 19,646 40.17% 192 0.39%
1924 25,907 55.29% 17,186 36.68% 3,763 8.03%
1920 19,357 52.39% 13,904 37.63% 3,685 9.97%
1916 9,966 47.52% 10,028 47.81% 979 4.67%
1912 4,839 27.37% 7,219 40.83% 5,624 31.81%
1908 9,116 49.43% 8,033 43.56% 1,294 7.02%
1904 8,624 51.65% 5,885 35.25% 2,187 13.10%
1900 8,228 51.59% 7,178 45.00% 544 3.41%
1896 8,068 52.74% 7,132 46.62% 97 0.63%
1892 6,175 48.52% 6,166 48.45% 386 3.03%
1888 6,027 50.23% 5,889 49.08% 82 0.68%

Vanderburgh County is generally a Republican-leaning swing county in presidential elections. Only two Democratic candidates - George McGovern in 1972 and Hillary Clinton in 2016 - have failed to win 40 percent of the county's vote since 1928. The city of Evansville itself is a swing city; it voted for Donald Trump in 2016 by 4 points, and four years later for Joe Biden, also by 4 points.[9] In 2020, former Evansville mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel (a Democrat) carried the county in his bid for the office of Attorney General but lost statewide.

The county is located in the 8th congressional district, which was notoriously dubbed "The Bloody Eighth" because of its tendency to oust incumbents from both parties - since 1933, no Congressman has represented the district longer than 12 years in a row.[10]

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18201,798
18302,61145.2%
18406,250139.4%
185011,41482.6%
186020,55280.1%
187033,14561.3%
188042,19327.3%
189059,80941.8%
190071,76920.0%
191077,4387.9%
192092,29319.2%
1930113,32022.8%
1940130,78315.4%
1950160,42222.7%
1960165,7943.3%
1970168,7721.8%
1980167,515−0.7%
1990165,058−1.5%
2000171,9224.2%
2010179,7034.5%
2020180,1360.2%
2023 (est.)179,810[11]−0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
1790–1960[13] 1900–1990[14]
1990–2000[15] 2010[16]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 179,703 people, 74,454 households, and 45,118 families residing in the county.[17] The population density was 769.7 inhabitants per square mile (297.2/km2). There were 83,003 housing units at an average density of 355.5 per square mile (137.3/km2).[4] The racial makeup of the county was 86.2% white, 9.1% black or African American, 1.1% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.0% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.2% of the population.[17] In terms of ancestry, 32.3% were German, 18.3% were American, 11.7% were Irish, and 9.4% were English.[18]

Of the 74,454 households, 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.4% were non-families, and 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 37.5 years.[17]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $57,076. Males had a median income of $42,663 versus $31,037 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,945. About 10.7% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.4% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.[19]

Education

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The entire county is in the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation.[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Vanderburgh County, Indiana; Evansville city, Indiana". Census.gov. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "Vanderburgh County, Indiana". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Evansville, Indiana". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  6. ^ a b Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  7. ^ a b c d Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 27, 2004. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  8. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  9. ^ Bloch, Matthew; Buchanan, Larry; Katz, Josh; Quealy, Kevin (July 25, 2018). "An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2016 Presidential Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  10. ^ Johnson, Dirk (October 10, 2000). "THE 2000 CAMPAIGN: AN INDIANA RACE; Conservatives Face Off in Quirky Populist District". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  11. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  12. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  13. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  14. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  15. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  16. ^ "Vanderburgh County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  17. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  18. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  19. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  20. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Vanderburgh County, IN" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022. - Text list
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38°01′N 87°35′W / 38.02°N 87.58°W / 38.02; -87.58