Owen County, Indiana

Owen County, Indiana
Owen County in Spencer, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	1819
Named for	Abraham Owen
Seat	Spencer
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	387.82 sq mi (1,004 km²) 385.29 sq mi (998 km²) 2.54 sq mi (7 km²), 0.65%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	21,575 56/sq mi (21.63/km²)
Congressional district	8th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Footnotes:   Indiana county number 60

Owen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana, and determined by the U.S. Census Bureau to include the mean center of U.S. population in 1920. As of 2010, the population was 21,575.^[1] The county seat is Spencer.

Owen County is part of the Bloomington, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 387.82 square miles (1,004.4 km²), of which 385.29 square miles (997.9 km²) (or 99.35%) is land and 2.54 square miles (6.6 km²) (or 0.65%) is water.^[2]

Adjacent counties

• Putnam County (north)
• Morgan County (northeast)
• Monroe County (southeast)
• Greene County (south)
• Clay County (west)

Major highways

• U.S. Route 231
• Indiana State Road 42
• Indiana State Road 43
• Indiana State Road 46
• Indiana State Road 67
• Indiana State Road 157
• Indiana State Road 243
• Indiana State Road 246

History

Owen County was formed in 1819. It was named after Abraham Owen, a colonel who died at the Battle of Tippecanoe.

In 1920, the United States Census reported Owen County as the Center of Population for the US at a point 8 miles south-southeast of Spencer, Indiana. The center moved the shortest distance since census data collecting began in 1790 (just under 10 miles) from its previous center in Bloomington, IN. When the East experienced high rates of growth, as it did in the decades between 1890 and 1920, the Westward movement of the center slowed.^[3]

Climate and weather

Spencer, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.6   34 15     2.6   40 19     3.7   51 28     4.5   62 37     5   72 47     4.7   81 57     4.6   84 61     4.5   82 59     3.3   76 50     3.2   65 38     4.1   52 30     3.3   40 21 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel[4]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     65   1 -9     66   4 -7     95   11 -2     113   17 3     126   22 8     118   27 14     118   29 16     115   28 15     83   24 10     80   18 3     103   11 -1     84   4 -6 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Spencer have ranged from a low of 15 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −33 °F (−36 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 107 °F (42 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.56 inches (65 mm) in January to 4.97 inches (126 mm) in May.^[4]

Government

See also: Government of Indiana

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 fiscal body of the county government. It has seven members, three of which are elected county-wide (commonly referred to at-large members) and four of which are elected from districts. District One includes Harrison, Montgomery, Taylor, and Wayne Townships including the Town of Gosport. District Two includes Washington Township including the Town of Spencer. District Three includes Jackson, Jennings, Lafayette, and Morgan Townships. District Four includes Clay, Franklin, Jefferson, and Marion Townships. All council members serve four year terms with at-large members elected during Presidential election cycles and district members elected during the other election cycles. One of the council members serves as president and another as vice-president. The council is 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. Several local boards such as the Alcoholic Beverage Board and Library Board have a member or members appointed by the council.^[5][6][7]

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners with three members. The commissioners are elected county-wide, however each must reside in their respective districts, two of which are elected during Presidential election cycles and the other during the other election cycles. Each serves a four year term. The District One member must reside in Harrison, Jackson, Jennings, Montgomery, Taylor, or Wayne Townships. The District Two member must reside in Clay, Franklin, or Washington Townships. The District Three member must reside in Jefferson, Lafayette, Marion, or Morgan Townships. One of the commissioners serves as president and another as vice-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][8]

Court: The county has a Circuit Court. The judge on the court is elected to a term of six years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association.^[6][9]

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, prosecutor, assessor, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor and clerk of the circuit court. 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.^[6]

Demographics

As of the census^[10] of 2000, there were 21,786 people, 8,282 households, and 6,194 families residing in the county. The population density was 57 people per square mile (22/km²). There were 9,853 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.21% White, 0.25% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 36.6% were of American, 21.0% German, 9.3% Irish and 8.9% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 8,282 households out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.30% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.20% were non-families. 21.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.60% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,529, and the median income for a family was $41,282. Males had a median income of $32,011 versus $21,782 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,884. About 6.10% of families and 9.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.00% of those under age 18 and 8.00% of those age 65 or over.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	838		—
1830	4,017		379.4%
1840	8,359		108.1%
1850	12,106		44.8%
1860	14,376		18.8%
1870	16,137		12.2%
1880	15,901		−1.5%
1890	15,040		−5.4%
1900	15,149		0.7%
1910	14,053		−7.2%
1920	12,760		−9.2%
1930	11,351		−11.0%
1940	12,090		6.5%
1950	11,763		−2.7%
1960	11,400		−3.1%
1970	12,163		6.7%
1980	15,841		30.2%
1990	17,281		9.1%
2000	21,786		26.1%
2010	21,575		−1.0%
Sources: United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division[11] Census Quickfacts[1]

Cities and towns

• Gosport
• Spencer

Unincorporated towns

Coal City, Freedom, Patricksburg, Quincy ^[12]

Townships

• Clay
• Franklin
• Harrison
• Jackson
• Jefferson
• Jennings
• Lafayette
• Marion
• Montgomery
• Morgan
• Taylor
• Washington
• Wayne

See also

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

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Owen County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/18119.html. Retrieved 2011-09-25. 
2. ^ "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. 
3. ^ United States Census Center of Population - 1920 http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/center-of-population.php
4. ^ ^{a b} "Monthly Averages for Spencer, Indiana". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIN0627. 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" (PDF). IN.gov. http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 
7. ^ Owen County Government, Owen County Council, http://www.owencounty.in.gov/html/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=10
8. ^ Owen County Government, Owen County Commissioners, http://www.owencounty.in.gov/html/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=9
9. ^ Owen County Government, Circuit Court, http://www.owencounty.in.gov/html/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=5
10. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
11. ^ 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. 
12. ^ Owen County GIS, http://owencogis.weebly.com/road-map.html

Coordinates: 39°19′N 86°50′W / 39.31°N 86.84°W / 39.31; -86.84