Posey County, Indiana

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Posey County, Indiana
Map of Indiana highlighting Posey County
Location in the state of Indiana
Map of the U.S. highlighting Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Seat Mount Vernon
Largest city Mount Vernon
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

419 sq mi (1,086 km²)
408 sq mi (1,058 km²)
11 sq mi (28 km²), 2.61%
Population
 - (2000)
 - Density

27,061
26/sq mi (66/km²)
Founded November 11, 1814
from Gibson and Warrick Counties
Named for Revolutionary War General Thomas Posey.
Congressional district 8th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Posey County Courthouse.jpg
Posey County Courthouse in Mount Vernon, Indiana
Footnotes: Notes on Posey County, IN
  • County 65 in Indiana's Alphanumeric System
  • Thirteenth oldest county in Indiana
  • 2009 Age: 195 y/o
  • Bicentennial - November 11, 2014
  • Southernmost County in Indiana.
  • Westernmost County in Indiana.

Posey County (County Number 65) is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 27,061. The county seat is Mount Vernon[1].

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

Contents

[edit] History

Posey County was formed on November 11, 1814. It was named for Revolutionary War Gen. Thomas Posey, who was, at the time, Governor of the Indiana Territory.[2]. Mount Vernon became the county seat in 1825.

[edit] 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.[3][4]

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.[3][4]

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.[4]

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.[4]

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 419 square miles (1,086 km²), of which 408 square miles (1,058 km²) is land and 11 square miles (28 km²) (2.61%) is water. 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.

[edit] Adjacent Counties

[edit] Cities and towns

[edit] Townships

[edit] Unincorporated towns and places

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Major highways

[edit] Railroads

[edit] River Ports

[edit] Demographics

Posey County
Population by year

2000 27,061
1990 25,968
1980 26,414
1970 21,740
1960 19,214
1950 19,818
1940 19,183
1930 17,853
1920 19,334
1910 21,670
1900 22,333
1890 21,529
1880 20,857
1870 19,185
1860 16,167
1850 12,549
1840 9,683
1830 6,549
1820 4,061

As of the census[5] 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.

[edit] Education

[edit] Tourism & Recreation

[edit] References

  • 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. ISBN 0-934213-48-8. 
  1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  2. ^ 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. 
  3. ^ 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. 
  4. ^ 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. 
  5. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

[edit] See also

Coordinates: 38°01′N 87°52′W / 38.02°N 87.86°W / 38.02; -87.86