Founded 1821 Congressional district 6th Website www.co.shelby.in.us Population 44,729 (2013) Largest city Shelbyville | Named for Isaac Shelby Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4 Area 1,069 km² County seat Shelbyville Unemployment rate 4.2% (Apr 2015) | |
 | ||
Cities Shelbyville, Fairland, Morristown, Shelby Township Points of interest Indiana Grand Racing, Blue River Memorial Park, Kennedy Park, Grover Museum, Meltzer Woods | ||
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 44,436. The county seat is Shelbyville.
Contents
- Map of Shelby County IN USA
- History
- Geography
- City
- Towns
- Census designated place
- Adjacent counties
- Climate and weather
- Government
- Current elected officials
- Demographics
- Born in Shelby County
- References
Map of Shelby County, IN, USA
History
Shelby County was organized in 1821. It was named for Gen. Isaac Shelby, who defeated the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain in the Revolutionary War. Shelby then became the first Governor of Kentucky. During the War of 1812, he led the army of Kentucky into Canada, and defeated the British at the decisive Battle of the Thames in 1813.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 412.76 square miles (1,069.0 km2), of which 411.15 square miles (1,064.9 km2) (or 99.61%) is land and 1.61 square miles (4.2 km2) (or 0.39%) is water.
City
Towns
Census-designated place
Adjacent counties
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in Shelbyville have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.38 inches (60 mm) in January to 4.47 inches (114 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 party affiliations and to be residents of the county.
Current elected officials
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 44,436 people, 17,302 households, and 12,221 families residing in the county. The population density was 108.1 inhabitants per square mile (41.7/km2). There were 19,080 housing units at an average density of 46.4 per square mile (17.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.4% white, 1.0% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.5% were German, 13.1% were American, 12.2% were Irish, and 9.0% were English.
Of the 17,302 households, 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.4% were non-families, and 24.5% 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 39.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $60,824. Males had a median income of $46,325 versus $32,416 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,398. About 7.4% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.