Steuben County, Indiana

Steuben County, Indiana
Steuben County Courthouse, in Angola, Indiana. The courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. For a list of all such sites in Steuben County, see National Register of Historic Places listings in Steuben County, Indiana.
Map of Indiana highlighting Steuben County
Location in the state of Indiana
Map of the United States highlighting Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded 1837
Named for Baron Frederick von Steuben
Seat Angola
Largest city Angola
Area
 • Total 322.47 sq mi (835 km2)
 • Land 308.94 sq mi (800 km2)
 • Water 13.53 sq mi (35 km2), 4.20%
Population
 • (2010) 34,185
 • Density 111/sq mi (42.75/km²)
Congressional district 3rd
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Footnotes: Indiana county number 76

Steuben County is a county located in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Indiana. The county was named after Baron von Steuben, a Prussian military officer who helped train the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Today, the county contains a state park and 105 lakes of various sizes. Some of the larger lakes are Lake James, Lake George, Clear Lake, Jimmerson Lake, Lake Gage, and Crooked Lake. As of 2010, the county population was 34,185.[1] The county seat is Angola.[2]

History

From the 1876 Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Indiana:[3]

The smoke from the first permanent settler's cabin first arose within the present limits of Steuben County in the spring of 1831. That settler was Gideon Langdon. His rude cabin was in the southwest quarter of Section 5, Jackson Township, afterward known as the Town farm. Langdon, on the 17th of September, in the year following, made the first entry of land recorded in the county, being the east half of the quarter named.
It was in what is now Jackson Township that the first settlers mostly located. Jackson Township contains considerable prairie land, and the first immigrants, at a time when their choice was unrestricted, naturally selected the rich, fertile soil there, because of the comparative ease with which it was brought under cultivation.
The next settlers were John and Jacob Stayner, and their families - twelve persons in all. The Stayners came from Ohio, and arrived in Jackson Township on May 16, 1831. John built on the north side of the prairie, and entered the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 5, September 27, 1832, being ten days after Langdon's entry, and the second made in the present limits of the county.[4]
The two brothers had been soldiers under Jackson in the War of 1812, and were both strong and hearty men. John Stayner lived upon the land entered by him until his death in 1870. He was sent to the Legislature, and the township in which he lived was, at his instance, named Jackson in honor of his old military chieftain.
The first death was that of Mrs. Gideon Langdon, in 1832. The remains were interred in the prairie burying ground, on land that has since passed into the possession of D. H. Roberts.
The first marriage was contracted between James Huntsman and Hannah Davis, in 1832, before the organization of the county.
The first schoolhouse erected in the county was on the north side of Jackson Prairie. Hannah Davis, the first bride in the little community, was the first teacher. The first schoolhouse was a rude tamarack cabin, erected at a cost of about $50, by John Stayner and Adolphus Town. Eliza Eaton was the next teacher, and received $2 for each pupil, that being the tax levied on those sending their children to the school.

Steuben County was officially created in 1837 from LaGrange County, and named for Baron Frederick von Steuben, an officer of the American Revolutionary War.[5]

Geography

map with highways and lakes
Steuben County and its lakes

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 322.47 square miles (835.2 km2), of which 308.94 square miles (800.2 km2) (or 95.80%) is land and 13.53 square miles (35.0 km2) (or 4.20%) is water.[6]

Cities and towns

Unincorporated towns

Townships

Adjacent counties

Steuben County touches the states of Michigan and Ohio.

Major highways

Attractions

Climate and weather

Angola, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
2
 
 
29
14
 
 
1.8
 
 
33
16
 
 
2.9
 
 
44
25
 
 
3.4
 
 
57
35
 
 
3.9
 
 
69
47
 
 
3.9
 
 
78
57
 
 
3.7
 
 
82
60
 
 
4.1
 
 
80
58
 
 
3.3
 
 
73
50
 
 
2.6
 
 
60
39
 
 
3.1
 
 
46
30
 
 
2.8
 
 
34
20
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[7]

In recent years, average temperatures in Angola have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 82 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of −27 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1981 and a record high of 106 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.83 inches (46 mm) in February to 4.08 inches (104 mm) in August.[7]

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.[8][9]

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.[8][9]

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.[9]

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.[9]

Steuben County is part of Indiana's 3rd congressional district and in 2008 was represented by Mark Souder in the United States Congress.[10]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18402,578—
18506,104136.8%
186010,37470.0%
187012,85423.9%
188014,64513.9%
189014,478−1.1%
190015,2195.1%
191014,274−6.2%
192013,360−6.4%
193013,3860.2%
194013,7402.6%
195017,08724.4%
196017,1840.6%
197020,15917.3%
198024,69422.5%
199027,44611.1%
200033,21421.0%
201034,1852.9%
Est. 201434,3080.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13]
1990-2000[14] 2010-2013[1]

As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 33,214 people, 12,738 households, and 8,916 families residing in the county. The population density was 108 people per square mile (42/km²). There were 17,337 housing units at an average density of 56 per square mile (22/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.19% White, 0.37% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.85% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 2.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 36.1% were of German, 18.1% American, 10.7% English and 7.5% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 12,738 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.00% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.70% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 11.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 102.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,089, and the median income for a family was $50,567. Males had a median income of $35,300 versus $23,856 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,647. About 4.90% of families and 6.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.40% of those under age 18 and 7.00% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Colleges and universities

Fremont High School

School districts

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Steuben County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ Andreas, Alfred T. (1876). Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Indiana, Baskin, Forster, Co., Chicago.
  4. ↑ "There is some dispute as to whether they [the Stayners] or Gideon Langdon settled first, as they all came in at about the same time". History of Steuben County (1885), Inter-State Publishing Co., Chicago.
  5. ↑ De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & co. p. 573.
  6. ↑ "Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Monthly Averages for Angola, Indiana". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  10. ↑ "US Congressman Mark Souder". US Congress. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  11. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  15. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  16. ↑ See 1920 Federal Census, Richland Township, Steuben County, Indiana, page 5B, Enumeration District 161; and; Theory and Practice of Communism in 1972 (Southeast Asia), Part I. Hearings of the House Committee on Internal Security, May 25, 1972, on northeastern Laos. pp. 1-4, 7761-7817. Testimony of Edgar M. Buell.

External links

 Branch County, Michigan Hillsdale County, Michigan
LaGrange County Williams County, Ohio
   Steuben County, Indiana  
Noble County DeKalb County

Coordinates: 41°38′N 85°00′W / 41.64°N 85.00°W