Ripley County, Indiana

Ripley County, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	1818
Named for	Eleazer Wheelock Ripley
Seat	Versailles
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	448.06 sq mi (1,160 km²) 446.43 sq mi (1,156 km²) 1.64 sq mi (4 km²), 0.37%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	28,818 65/sq mi (24.93/km²)
Congressional district	9th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.ripleycounty.com
Footnotes:   Indiana county number 69

Ripley County (County Number 69) is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 28,818. The county seat is Versailles.

History

Ripley County was formed in 1818. It was named for Gen. Eleazer Wheelock Ripley, an officer in the War of 1812, who was mainly remembered for the Battle of Lundy's Lane and the Siege of Fort Erie, in 1814.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 448.06 square miles (1,160.5 km²), of which 446.43 square miles (1,156.2 km²) (or 99.64%) is land and 1.64 square miles (4.2 km²) (or 0.37%) is water.

Cities and towns

• Batesville
• Holton
• Milan
• Napoleon
• Osgood
• Sunman
• Versailles

Unincorporated towns

• Cross Plains
• Delaware
• Friendship
• Morris
• New Marion
• Old Milan
• Pierceville

Townships

• Adams
• Brown
• Center
• Delaware
• Franklin
• Jackson
• Johnson
• Laughery
• Otter Creek
• Shelby
• Washington

Adjacent counties

• Franklin County (north)
• Dearborn County (east)
• Ohio County (southeast [1])
• Switzerland County (southeast [2])
• Jefferson County (south)
• Jennings County (west)
• Decatur County (northwest)

Major highways

• Interstate 74
• U.S. Route 50
• U.S. Route 421
• Indiana State Road 46
• Indiana State Road 48
• Indiana State Road 62
• Indiana State Road 101
• Indiana State Road 129
• Indiana State Road 229
• Indiana State Road 350

National protected area

• Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Climate and weather

Versailles, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.1   35 18     2.7   40 21     3.8   51 30     4.1   62 38     5.3   71 47     4   79 57     3.9   84 61     4.6   82 59     2.9   76 51     3   65 40     3.1   52 32     3.5   40 23 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     79   2 -8     69   4 -6     96   11 -1     104   17 3     134   22 8     102   26 14     100   29 16     116   28 15     74   24 11     76   18 4     78   11 0     88   4 -5 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Versailles have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −28 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 100 °F (38 °C) was recorded in July 1999. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.71 inches (69 mm) in February to 5.27 inches (134 mm) in May.

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.

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 county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.

Ripley County is part of Indiana's 9th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Republican Todd Young.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	1,822		—
1830	3,989		118.9%
1840	10,392		160.5%
1850	14,820		42.6%
1860	19,054		28.6%
1870	20,977		10.1%
1880	21,627		3.1%
1890	19,350		−10.5%
1900	19,881		2.7%
1910	19,452		−2.2%
1920	18,694		−3.9%
1930	18,078		−3.3%
1940	18,898		4.5%
1950	18,763		−0.7%
1960	20,641		10.0%
1970	21,138		2.4%
1980	24,398		15.4%
1990	24,616		0.9%
2000	26,523		7.7%
2010	28,818		8.7%
Sources: United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division Census Quickfacts

As of the census of 2000, there were 26,523 people, 9,842 households, and 7,273 families residing in the county. The population density was 59 people per square mile (23/km²). There were 10,482 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.30% White, 0.05% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.54% from other races, and 0.41% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 46.6% were of German, 19.5% American, 9.5% Irish and 8.2% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 9,842 households out of which 36.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.30% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.10% were non-families. 22.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.10% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,426, and the median income for a family was $47,019. Males had a median income of $34,055 versus $23,610 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,559. About 6.30% of families and 7.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.00% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.

See also

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