Wells County, Indiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wells County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 27,600. The county seat is Bluffton6.
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 959 km² (370 mi²). 958 km² (370 mi²) of it is land and 1 km² (0 mi²) of it (0.12%) is water.
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Allen County (north)
- Adams County (east)
- Jay County (southeast)
- Blackford County (south)
- Grant County (west)
- Huntington County (northwest)
[edit] History
Wells County was formed in 1837. It was named for Capt. William A. Wells. Wells was captured by Native Americans as a young boy, and adopted by the Miami Chief, Little Turtle. He eventually became a scout for Gen. "Mad Anthony" Wayne. Capt. Wells was killed by Potawatomi allied with the British at the Fort Dearborn Massacre at the outbreak of the War of 1812. The Potawatomi ate Capt. Wells' heart to gain part of his courage.
[edit] Demographics
| Wells County Population by year |
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2000 27,600 |
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As of the census² of 2000, there were 27,600 people, 10,402 households, and 7,624 families residing in the county. The population density was 29/km² (75/mi²). There were 10,970 housing units at an average density of 11/km² (30/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.32% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 1.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 10,402 households out of which 35.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.90% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.30% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,934, and the median income for a family was $51,517. Males had a median income of $35,830 versus $22,442 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,158. About 4.20% of families and 5.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.00% of those under age 18 and 6.90% 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.
