Cass County, Indiana

History

Cass County was formed in 1828. It is named for Gen. Lewis Cass, 2nd Territorial Governor of Michigan and afterward U.S. Secretary of War.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 414.85 square miles (1,074.5 km²) of which 412.16 square miles (1,067.5 km²) (or 99.35%) is land and 2.69 square miles (7.0 km²) (or 0.65%) is water. The Wabash River flows through the county, mostly from east to west, and is joined by the Eel River in Logansport.

Adjacent counties

City

Towns

Census-designated place

Extinct towns

Railroads

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Logansport have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −24 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.53 inches (39 mm) in February to 3.89 inches (99 mm) in June.

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.

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 a party affiliation and to be residents of the county.

Cass County is part of Indiana's 2nd congressional district and in 2008 was represented by Joe Donnelly in the United States Congress. It is also part of Indiana Senate district 18 and Indiana House of Representatives districts 16 and 24.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 38,966 people, 14,858 households, and 10,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 94.5 inhabitants per square mile (36.5/km²). There were 16,474 housing units at an average density of 40.0 per square mile (15.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.2% white, 1.5% black or African American, 1.1% Asian, 0.5% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 7.0% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 12.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.0% were German, 15.0% were American, 11.8% were Irish, and 9.0% were English.

Of the 14,858 households, 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.7% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age was 38.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $49,873. Males had a median income of $37,823 versus $26,938 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,562. About 9.8% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.7% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Education

Public schools in Cass County are administered by the Logansport Community School Corporation, the Pioneer Regional School Corporation and the Southeastern School Corporation.

High Schools and Middle Schools

Elementary Schools