Morgan County, Indiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 66,689. The county seat is Martinsville6. Morgan is one of seven counties contiguous to Marion County, and is located between Indianapolis, in Marion County, and Bloomington, located in Monroe County. Two state highways, State Roads 37 and 67, carry large numbers of daily commuters between the two larger communities.
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,060 km² (409 mi²). 1,053 km² (406 mi²) of it is land and 8 km² (3 mi²) of it (0.71%) is water. Morgan County is bisected by the White River Valley; the county also is home to large sections that were not glaciated during the last ice age. The river valley and contributing watersheds, along with the non-glaciated hills, results in a topography unlike the rest of the metropolitan Indianapolis area. County residents are proud of the scenic terrain, and in recent years have established a county park system and a bike/pedestrian trail system plan to provide protection and access to the amenities. An annual five mile run ("Run to the Future", June 10, 2006) is held as a fundraiser for the path system endowment.
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Hendricks County (north)
- Marion County (northeast)
- Johnson County (east)
- Brown County (southeast)
- Monroe County (south)
- Owen County (southwest)
- Putnam County (northwest)
[edit] History
Morgan County was formed in 1822. It was named for Gen. Daniel Morgan, who defeated the British at the Battle of Cowpens in the Revolutionary War. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, mineral springs in Martinsville gave rise to several spas, and the nickname of the Martinsville High School atheletic teams has subsequently been the Artesians. Settlers in Morgan County in the early nineteenth century came predominantly from southern states. The Mooresville area and surrounding communities received large numbers of southern Quakers, driven to migrate because of their opposition to slavery. Paul Hadley, a Mooresville resident, was the designer of the current Indiana flag, as well as a locally prominent water color artist in the early twentieth century. The county courthouse, built in the 1850's, is the oldest in central Indiana.
[edit] Demographics
| Morgan County Population by year |
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2000 66,689 |
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As of the census² of 2000, there were 66,689 people, 24,437 households, and 19,036 families residing in the county. The population density was 63/km² (164/mi²). There were 25,908 housing units at an average density of 25/km² (64/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.59% White, 0.07% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 24,437 households out of which 36.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.20% were married couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.10% were non-families. 18.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.20% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,739, and the median income for a family was $52,851. Males had a median income of $39,701 versus $26,311 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,657. About 5.30% of families and 6.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.30% of those under age 18 and 9.90% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Cities and towns
[edit] References
- Forstall, Richard L. (editor) (1996). Population of states and counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990 : from the twenty-one decennial censuses. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division. ISBN 0934213488.
