Jackson County, Indiana

History

Jackson County was formed in 1816. It was named for Andrew Jackson, who defeated the British in 1815 at the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812, and afterward elected President of the United States.

Jackson County was the site of the first recorded train robbery of a moving train in the United States. On October 6, 1866 the Reno Gang robbed an Ohio and Mississippi Railway train making off with over $10,000.They were nicknamed: "The Jackson Theives" later on.

Jackson County is home to the longest 3-span covered bridge in the world; The Medora Covered Bridge. After a recent project to completely refurbish the Medora Covered Bridge the nearby town of Medora now has an annual event using the bridge as the focal point. The bridge is open for pedestrian traffic and site-seers. Another long neglected covered bridge, the Bells Ford Bridge, which is believed the last remaining Post Truss bridge in the world, succumbed to similar neglect, collapsing into the White River on January 2, 2006.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 513.91 square miles (1,331.0 km²), of which 509.31 square miles (1,319.1 km²) (or 99.10%) is land and 4.60 square miles (11.9 km²) (or 0.90%) is water.

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated places

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Sources: National Atlas, U.S. Census Bureau

National protected areas

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Brownstown 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 −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of 106 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.84 inches (72 mm) in February to 5.01 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 fiscal body of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. The 7 representatives are elected from 4 county districts and 3 at-large positions. 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 six 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.

Jackson County is part of Indiana's 9th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Republican Todd Young. It is also part of Indiana Senate districts 44 and 45 and Indiana House of Representatives districts 65, 66 and 73.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 42,376 people, 16,501 households, and 11,629 families residing in the county. The population density was 83.2 inhabitants per square mile (32.1/km²). There were 18,202 housing units at an average density of 35.7 per square mile (13.8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.5% white, 0.8% Asian, 0.7% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.4% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.8% were German, 13.1% were American, 12.8% were Irish, and 9.2% were English.

Of the 16,501 households, 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.5% were non-families, and 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.98. 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 $53,534. Males had a median income of $38,608 versus $30,030 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,498. About 7.6% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.