Posey County, Indiana

Posey County, Indiana
Posey County Courthouse in Mount Vernon, Indiana

Location in the state of Indiana

Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded November 11, 1814
Named for Revolutionary War General Thomas Posey.
Seat Mount Vernon
Largest city Mount Vernon
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

419.32 sq mi (1,086 km²)
409.57 sq mi (1,061 km²)
9.75 sq mi (25 km²), 2.33%
Population
 - (2010)
 - Density

25,910
63/sq mi (24.49/km²)
Congressional district 8th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Footnotes:  
  • Indiana county number 65
  • Southernmost county in Indiana
  • Westernmost county in Indiana
  • Southern point of the longest straightline distance in Indiana

Posey County is a county located in the south and western extremes of the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 25,910.[1] The county seat is Mount Vernon[2].

Posey County is part of the Evansville, INKY Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Contents

History

Posey County was formed on November 11, 1814 from Gibson and Warrick counties. It was named for Revolutionary War Gen. Thomas Posey, who was then serving as Governor of the Indiana Territory.[3] Mount Vernon became the county seat in 1825.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 419.32 square miles (1,086.0 km2), of which 409.57 square miles (1,060.8 km2) (or 97.67%) is land and 9.75 square miles (25.3 km2) (or 2.33%) is water.[4] The lowest point in the state of Indiana is located on the Ohio River in Posey County, where it flows out of Indiana and into Illinois and Kentucky.

Adjacent Counties

Cities and towns

Townships

Unincorporated towns and places

  • Barrett
  • Blairsville
  • Bufkin
  • Bugtown
  • Caborn
  • Dead Mans Crossing
  • Erwin
  • Farmersville
  • Grafton
  • Hepburn
  • Heusler
  • Hovey
  • Lippe
  • Marrs Center
  • New Baltimore
  • Oak Grove
  • Oliver
  • Parkers Settlement
  • Philip Station
  • Prairie
  • Rapture
  • Savah
  • Solitude
  • Springfield
  • St. Philip
  • St. Wendel
  • Stewartsville
  • Upton
  • Wadesville
  • Welborn Switch
  • West Franklin

Transportation

Major highways

Railroads

River Ports

Climate and weather

Mount Vernon, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
3.4
 
38
23
 
 
3.2
 
44
26
 
 
4.6
 
54
35
 
 
4.4
 
65
45
 
 
5.4
 
75
55
 
 
4
 
84
64
 
 
4.1
 
87
68
 
 
3
 
86
65
 
 
2.7
 
80
58
 
 
2.9
 
69
46
 
 
4.4
 
55
37
 
 
3.7
 
43
27
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[5]

In recent years, average temperatures in Mount Vernon have ranged from a low of 23 °F (−5 °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 1912 and a record high of 109 °F (43 °C) was recorded in July 1901. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.65 inches (67 mm) in September to 5.38 inches (137 mm) in May.[5]

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.[6][7]

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.[6][7]

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.[7]

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.[7]

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1820 4,061
1830 6,549 61.3%
1840 9,683 47.9%
1850 12,549 29.6%
1860 16,167 28.8%
1870 19,185 18.7%
1880 20,857 8.7%
1890 21,529 3.2%
1900 22,333 3.7%
1910 21,670 −3.0%
1920 19,334 −10.8%
1930 17,853 −7.7%
1940 19,183 7.4%
1950 19,818 3.3%
1960 19,214 −3.0%
1970 21,740 13.1%
1980 26,414 21.5%
1990 25,968 −1.7%
2000 27,061 4.2%
2010 25,910 −4.3%
Sources: United States Department of Commerce,
Bureau of the Census, Population Division[8]
Census Quickfacts[1]

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 27,061 people, 10,205 households, and 7,612 families residing in the county. The population density was 66 people per square mile (26/km²). There were 11,076 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.97% White, 0.86% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 0.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 44.2% were of German, 19.2% American, 10.8% English and 7.0% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 10,205 households out of which 36.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.50% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.40% were non-families. 22.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.30% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,209, and the median income for a family was $53,737. Males had a median income of $39,084 versus $23,996 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,516. About 6.00% of families and 7.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.50% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Tourism & Recreation

References

  1. ^ a b "Posey County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/18129.html. Retrieved 2011-09-25. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  3. ^ De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & co.. pp. 570. http://books.google.com/books?id=YDIUAAAAYAAJ. 
  4. ^ "Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_counties_national.txt. Retrieved 2011-10-10. 
  5. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Mount Vernon, Indiana". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIN0450. Retrieved 2011-01-27. 
  6. ^ a b Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar2/ch3.html. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 
  7. ^ a b c d Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2". IN.gov. http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 
  8. ^ 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. pp. 50–53. ISBN 0-934213-48-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=Z12v1lrkv2IC&lpg=PA50&pg=PA50#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  9. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

See also