Switzerland County, Indiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Switzerland County, Indiana | |
 Location in the state of Indiana |
|
 Indiana's location in the U.S. |
|
| Seat | Vevay |
|---|---|
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
224 sq mi (579 km²) 221 sq mi (573 km²) 2 sq mi (6 km²), 1.05% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
9,065 41/sq mi (16/km²) |
| Founded | 1814 |
| Named for | Switzerland |
| Congressional district | 9th |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
Switzerland County (County Number 78) is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 9,065. The county seat is Vevay[1].
Contents |
[edit] History
Switzerland County was formed in 1814. It was named for the home country of many of the early settlers.
[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.[2][3]
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.[2][3]
Court: The county maintains a circuit court which was established January 1, 2009. The first Judge of the Switzerland Circuit Court is W. Gregory Coy. The Judge is elected to a term of six years. The Court is a general jurisdiction court, meaning it handles all types of cases. The Judge must be a licensed attorney. All decisions of the Court are appealable to the Indiana Court of Appeals or the Indiana Supreme 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.[3]
Switzerland County is part of Indiana's 9th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Democrat Baron Hill.[4]
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 224 square miles (579 km²), of which 221 square miles (573 km²) is land and 2 square miles (6 km²) (1.05%) is water.
[edit] Incorporated towns
[edit] Unincorporated towns
[edit] Townships
[edit] Major highways
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Ohio County (north)
- Gallatin County, Kentucky (east)
- Carroll County, Kentucky (south)
- Jefferson County (west)
- Ripley County (northwest)
[edit] Demographics
| Switzerland County Population by year |
|
|
2000 9,065 |
|
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 9,065 people, 3,435 households, and 2,538 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 4,226 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.78% White, 0.23% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 0.43% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 37.2% were of American, 23.1% German, 11.6% Irish and 8.1% English ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 3,435 households out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.10% were non-families. 21.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the county the population was spread out with 26.30% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 101.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,092, and the median income for a family was $41,395. Males had a median income of $30,197 versus $21,324 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,466. About 10.60% of families and 13.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] References
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ "Conressman Baron Hill". House.Gov. http://baronhill.house.gov/district.shtml. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- 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.
 |
Ripley County | Ohio County | |
|
| Jefferson County |  |
Gallatin County, Kentucky | ||
 Switzerland County, Indiana  |
||||
 |
||||
| Carroll County, Kentucky |
|
|||||||||||||||||
