Vigo County, Indiana

Infobox U.S. County
county = Vigo County
state = Indiana
map size = 150
census



founded = 1818
seat = Terre Haute| area_total_sq_mi =410
area_land_sq_mi =403
area_water_sq_mi =7
area percentage = 1.75%
census yr = 2000
named for = Francis Vigo
pop = 105848
density_km2 = 101| density_sq_mi= 262
web = www.vigocounty.org
|

Vigo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 105,848. The county seat is Terre Haute. GR|6 Vigo County is included in the Terre Haute, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The county is one of the best bellwether regions for voting U.S. presidential elections; it has voted for the winning candidate in every election since 1920. [cite web
title=Bellwether States and Counties
author=David Leip
date=2003
url=http://uselectionatlas.org/INFORMATION/BELLWETHER/bellwether.php
accessdate=2008-05-17]

History

Vigo County, pronounced (Ve-go), was officially formed in 1818 by order of the Indiana State Legislature. The county is named in honor of Col. Francis Vigo, of Italian heritage but a citizen of Spain due to residence in St. Louis. He is credited with great assistance to George Rogers Clark both in financing Clark's exploration and Revolutionary War efforts, and in service as an agent obtaining military information for Clark against British campaigns on the then frontier.

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.cite web|author=Indiana Code|url=http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar2/ch3.html |title=Title 36, Article 2, Section 3|accessdate=2008-09-16|publisher=IN.gov] cite web|author= Indiana Code |url= http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf |title= Title 2, Article 10, Section 2 |accessdate=2008-09-16|publisher=IN.gov]

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, the collection of revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.

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 terms of four years. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.

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 serve terms of four years and oversee different parts of the county government. Members elected to any county government position are required to declare a party affiliation and be a resident of the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 410 square miles (1,063 km²), of which 403 square miles (1,045 km²) is land and 7 square miles (19 km²) (1.75%) is water.

Adjacent counties

*Vermillion County (north)
*Parke County (northeast)
*Clay County (east)
*Sullivan County (south)
*Clark County, Illinois (southwest)
*Edgar County, Illinois (northwest)

Cities and towns

*North Terre Haute
*Riley
*Seelyville
*Terre Haute
*West Terre Haute

Unincorporated towns

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 105,848 people, 40,998 households, and 26,074 families residing in the county. The population density was 262 people per square mile (101/km²). There were 45,203 housing units at an average density of 112 per square mile (43/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.66% White, 6.04% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.22% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. 1.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 21.6% were of German, 21.0% American, 11.1% English and 9.8% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 40,998 households out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.00% were married couples living together, 11.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.40% were non-families. 30.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.90% under the age of 18, 14.30% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,184, and the median income for a family was $42,957. Males had a median income of $32,854 versus $22,381 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,620. About 10.30% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.60% of those under age 18 and 9.50% of those age 65 or over.

The public school district is the Vigo County School Corporation, which at serving over 16,000 students is one of the largest school corporations in the state.

References

*cite book
first = Richard L. (editor)
last = Forstall
year = 1996
title = Population of states and counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990 : from the twenty-one decennial censuses
publisher = United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division
id = ISBN 0-934213-48-8

External links

* [http://www.vigocounty.org Vigo County official website]