Shelby County, Indiana

Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 44,436.^[1] The county seat is Shelbyville^[2].

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.^[3]

Cities and towns

• Edinburgh
• Fairland
• Morristown
• St. Paul
• Shelbyville

Unincorporated towns

• Blue Ridge
• Boggstown
• Flat Rock
• Fountaintown
• Geneva
• Gwynneville
• Marietta
• Meiks
• Mount Auburn
• Sugar Creek
• Waldron

Townships

• Addison
• Brandywine
• Hanover
• Hendricks
• Jackson
• Liberty
• Marion
• Moral
• Noble
• Shelby
• Sugar Creek
• Union
• Van Buren
• Washington

Adjacent counties

• Hancock County (north)
• Rush County (east)
• Decatur County (southeast)
• Bartholomew County (south)
• Johnson County (west)
• Marion County (northwest)

Major highways

• Interstate 65
• Interstate 74
• U.S. Route 52
• Indiana State Road 9
• Indiana State Road 44
• Indiana State Road 244
• Indiana State Road 252

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.^[4]

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.^[5][6]

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.^[5][6]

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.^[6]

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.^[6]

Current elected officials

• County Commissioners^[7]
  • David Mohr
  • Tony Newton
  • Roger Laird
• County Council
  • Terry Smith
  • Bob Carmony
  • Tom Debaun
  • Brent Fuchs
  • Linda Sanders
  • Tami Grubbs
  • Margaret Brunk

Demographics

As of the census^[9] of 2000, there were 43,445 people, 16,561 households, and 12,056 families residing in the county. The population density was 105 people per square mile (41/km²). There were 17,633 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile (16/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.26% White, 0.76% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 31.1% were of German, 28.3% American, 11.9% English and 9.7% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 16,561 households out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 22.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.70% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,649, and the median income for a family was $51,271. Males had a median income of $36,809 versus $25,021 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,324. About 4.80% of families and 7.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.70% of those under age 18 and 8.50% of those age 65 or over.

Born in Shelby County

• Isaac Colton Ash, Los Angeles, California, City Council member, 1925–27
• George W. Clarke, governor of Iowa, 1913–1917

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Shelby County, Indiana

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Shelby County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/18145.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. ^ "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. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Monthly Averages for Shelbyville, Indiana". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIN0611. Retrieved 2011-01-27. 
5. ^ ^{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. 
6. ^ ^{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. 
7. ^ "Shelby County Chamber of Commerce". http://www.shelbychamber.net. Retrieved 2008-01-04. 
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. 

• Young, Julie (2010). A brief history of Shelby County, Indiana. Charleston, SC: History Press. ISBN 9781596298460. http://books.google.com/books?id=lSNXQwAACAAJ&dq=9781596298460&cd=1.