Decatur County, Indiana

History

Decatur County was formed in 1822. It was named for Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., naval officer in the First and Second Barbary Wars, and in the War of 1812. Decatur was mortally wounded in a duel in 1820. Greensburg, the county seat, was selected as the location of the Honda assembly plant.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 373.32 square miles (966.9 km²), of which 372.57 square miles (965.0 km²) (or 99.80%) is land and 0.76 square miles (2.0 km²) (or 0.20%) is water.

City

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated places

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Greensburg have ranged from a low of 19 °F (−7 °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 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.42 inches (61 mm) in February to 5.03 inches (128 mm) in May.

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 oversee different parts of the county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare a party affiliation and to be residents of the county.

Decatur County is part of Indiana's 6th congressional district; Indiana Senate district 42; and Indiana House of Representatives district 67.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 25,740 people, 9,977 households, and 6,995 families residing in the county. The population density was 69.1 inhabitants per square mile (26.7/km²). There were 11,209 housing units at an average density of 30.1 per square mile (11.6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.3% white, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.6% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, In terms of ancestry, 35.5% were of English ancestry, 35.1% were of German, and 9.0% were of Irish ancestry according to 2010 American Community Survey.

Of the 9,977 households, 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.9% were non-families, and 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.02. 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 $52,308. Males had a median income of $41,143 versus $30,226 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,719. About 8.3% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.