Jasper County, Indiana

Jasper County, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	1838
Seat	Rensselaer
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	561.39 sq mi (1,454 km²) 559.62 sq mi (1,449 km²) 1.76 sq mi (5 km²), 0.31%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	33,478 60/sq mi (23.09/km²)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.jaspercountyin.gov/
Footnotes:   Indiana county number 37

Jasper County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 33,478. The county seat is Rensselaer.

History

Jasper County was formed in 1838. It was named for Sgt. William Jasper, a famous scout for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Jasper became famous in 1776, during the bombardment of Fort Moultrie, for erecting a new flagstaff under fire after the American flag had been shot down. Jasper was killed during the Siege of Savannah in 1779.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 561.39 square miles (1,454.0 km²), of which 559.62 square miles (1,449.4 km²) (or 99.68%) is land and 1.76 square miles (4.6 km²) (or 0.31%) is water. Until the middle of the 19th century when it was drained to make farmland, this county was part of the 2nd largest freshwater wetland in the US, with abundant flora and fauna.

Major highways

• Interstate 65
• U.S. Route 231
• Indiana State Road 10
• Indiana State Road 14
• Indiana State Road 16
• Indiana State Road 49
• Indiana State Road 110
• Indiana State Road 114

Railroads

• CSX Transportation
• Norfolk Southern Railway
• Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway

Adjacent counties

• Porter County (north)
• La Porte County (northeast)
• Starke County (east)
• Pulaski County (east)
• White County (southeast)
• Benton County (south)
• Newton County (west)
• Lake County (northwest)

See also: List of counties bordering eight counties

Climate and weather

Rensselaer, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2   30 14     1.7   36 19     3.1   47 29     3.5   60 39     4.2   72 50     4.3   81 60     3.8   85 64     3.5   83 61     3.3   76 53     3   64 41     3.2   49 32     2.7   36 21 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     50   -1 -10     42   2 -7     79   8 -2     89   16 4     108   22 10     110   27 16     98   29 18     88   28 16     83   24 12     76   18 5     82   9 0     70   2 -6 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Rensselaer have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in August 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.67 inches (42 mm) in February to 4.34 inches (110 mm) in June.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 any county government position are required to declare a political party affiliation and to be residents of the county.

Jasper County is part of Indiana's 1st congressional district and in 2008 was represented by Pete Visclosky in the United States Congress. It is also part of Indiana Senate districts 5 and 7 and Indiana House of Representatives districts 4, 16 and 20.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	1,267		—
1850	3,540		179.4%
1860	4,291		21.2%
1870	6,354		48.1%
1880	9,464		48.9%
1890	11,185		18.2%
1900	14,292		27.8%
1910	13,044		−8.7%
1920	13,961		7.0%
1930	13,388		−4.1%
1940	14,397		7.5%
1950	17,031		18.3%
1960	18,842		10.6%
1970	20,429		8.4%
1980	26,138		27.9%
1990	24,960		−4.5%
2000	30,043		20.4%
2010	33,478		11.4%
Sources: United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division Census Quickfacts

As of the census of 2000, there were 30,043 people, 10,686 households, and 8,217 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile (21/km²). There were 11,236 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.97% White, 0.35% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.63% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 2.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.9% were of German, 13.2% Dutch, 12.9% American, 10.5% Irish, 8.4% English and 5.9% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 10,686 households out of which 36.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.40% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.10% were non-families. 19.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.40% under the age of 18, 10.10% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,369, and the median income for a family was $50,132. Males had a median income of $38,544 versus $22,191 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,012. About 4.60% of families and 6.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.00% of those under age 18 and 5.10% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Collegeville
• De Motte
• Remington
• Rensselaer
• Roselawn
• Wheatfield

Townships

• Barkley
• Carpenter
• Gillam
• Hanging Grove
• Jordan
• Kankakee
• Keener
• Marion
• Milroy
• Newton
• Union
• Walker
• Wheatfield

Education

Public schools in Jasper County are administered by the Kankakee Valley School Corporation and the Rensselaer Central Schools Corporation.

High Schools

• Kankakee Valley High School [1]
• Rensselaer Central High School [2]
• Covenant Christian High School in Demotte (grades 9-12)

Middle Schools

• Kankakee Valley Middle School [3]
• Rensselaer Central Middle School [4]

Elementary Schools

• DeMotte Elementary School [5]
• Kankakee Valley Intermediate School [6]
• Van Rensselaer Elementary School [7]
• Wheatfield Elementary School [8]
• DeMotte Christian Elementary School (Preschool through 8th)
• Tri-County Primary School (K-2nd)
• St.Augustine Catholic School

See also

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

External links

• myLocal: Jasper County
• Kankakee Valley School Corporation
• Rensselaer Central Schools Corporation