Greene County, Indiana

History

Greene County was formed in 1821. It was named for Gen. Nathanael Greene, who commanded the southern theater in the Revolutionary War, eventually forcing the British army under Charles Cornwallis to retreat to Yorktown. There it was forced to surrender, ensuring American independence.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Bloomfield have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −21 °F (−29 °C) was recorded in January 1963 and a record high of 106 °F (41 °C) was recorded in June 1953. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.20 inches (56 mm) in January to 5.00 inches (127 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 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.

Greene County is part of Indiana's 8th congressional district; Indiana Senate districts 39 and 48; and Indiana House of Representatives districts 45, 60 and 62.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 545.92 square miles (1,413.9 km²), of which 542.50 square miles (1,405.1 km²) (or 99.37%) is land and 3.42 square miles (8.9 km²) (or 0.63%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated places

Economy

The Greene County Economic Development Corporation (GCEDC) currently serves to develop new businesses and support current businesses in Greene County, Indiana.

The business friendly county government enhances the commercial and industrial opportunities available in Greene County. Reasonable land prices and taxes create an excellent “cost of doing business ratio”.

The Greene County Economic Development Corporation has a trained staff available to help put a project together in a timely and efficient manner. Coupled with The Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Greene County has developed a complete incentive portfolio to assist potential new employers.

The county has been designated a Labor Surplus Area and an SBA HUB Zone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone) which provide county business with unique advantages in government contract bidding and eligibility for federal and state assistance. Employee location and screening services are offered by WorkOne Linton, the local branch of the Indiana State Workforce Development office. Greene County offers an outstanding educated, affordable and available work force. Worker training programs are available on site and at the Greene County Community Learning Center which serves as a local access site or "front door" for area colleges and universities.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 33,165 people, 13,487 households, and 9,276 families residing in the county. The population density was 61.1 inhabitants per square mile (23.6/km²). There were 15,211 housing units at an average density of 28.0 per square mile (10.8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.5% were German, 16.8% were Irish, 12.9% were American, and 11.2% were English.

Of the 13,487 households, 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.2% were non-families, and 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 41.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $50,740. Males had a median income of $41,524 versus $31,890 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,676. About 10.0% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.7% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.