Wells County, Indiana

Wells County, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	1837
Named for	William A. Wells
Seat	Bluffton
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	370.25 sq mi (959 km²) 368.09 sq mi (953 km²) 2.16 sq mi (6 km²), 0.58%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	27,636 75/sq mi (29/km²)
Congressional district	6th
Website	www.wellscounty.org
Footnotes:   Indiana county number 90

Wells County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 27,636. The county seat is Bluffton.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 370.25 square miles (958.9 km²), of which 368.09 square miles (953.3 km²) (or 99.42%) is land and 2.16 square miles (5.6 km²) (or 0.58%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Allen County (north)
• Adams County (east)
• Jay County (southeast)
• Blackford County (south)
• Grant County (west)
• Huntington County (northwest)

Cities and towns

• Bluffton
• Markle
• Ossian
• Poneto
• Uniondale
• Vera Cruz
• Zanesville

Unincorporated towns

Craigville Keystone Kingsland Liberty Center Mount Zion Murray Phenix Domestic Wellsburg Banner City

Uniontown Curryville Travisville Petroleum Reiffsburg Rockford Tocsin McNatt Dillman Jeff

Townships

Chester Harrison Jackson Jefferson Lancaster

Liberty Nottingham Rockcreek Union

Major highways

• Interstate 69
• U.S. Route 224
• Indiana State Road 1
• Indiana State Road 3
• Indiana State Road 116
• Indiana State Road 124
• Indiana State Road 201
• Indiana State Road 218
• Indiana State Road 301

History

Wells County was formed in 1837. It was named for Capt. William A. Wells, who was captured by Native Americans as a young boy and adopted by the Miami chief Little Turtle. He eventually became a scout for Gen. "Mad Anthony" Wayne. Capt. Wells was killed by Potawatomi allied with the British at the Battle of Fort Dearborn at the outbreak of the War of 1812. The Potawatomi ate Capt. Wells' heart to gain part of his courage.

There was also an accident that occurred at the Clock Tower, known as the County courthouse. While either fixing or building the roof, a man fell to the grounds of Main Street. He landed on his legs, and he lived for about a week before dying. The force of the fall thrust his pelvis into his rib cage. If he would have fallen any other way, he would have died on the spot.

Climate and weather

Bluffton, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2   30 16     1.8   34 19     2.6   46 29     3.2   58 40     4.1   70 51     3.9   80 61     3.9   84 64     3.7   81 62     3.1   75 55     2.5   63 42     3   48 33     2.7   35 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     51   -1 -9     46   1 -7     66   8 -2     82   14 4     104   21 11     100   27 16     99   29 18     94   27 17     78   24 13     64   17 6     77   9 1     67   2 -5 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Bluffton have ranged from a low of 16 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −24 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in July 1980. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.83 inches (46 mm) in February to 4.11 inches (104 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.

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

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 27,600 people, 10,402 households, and 7,624 families residing in the county. The population density was 75 people per square mile (29/km²). There were 10,970 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.32% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 1.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 38.7% were of German, 16.0% American, 9.0% English, 7.5% Irish and 5.1% Swiss ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 10,402 households out of which 35.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.90% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.20% 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 3.09.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.30% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,934, and the median income for a family was $51,517. Males had a median income of $35,830 versus $22,442 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,158. About 4.20% of families and 5.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.00% of those under age 18 and 6.90% of those age 65 or over.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	1,822		—
1850	6,152		237.7%
1860	10,844		76.3%
1870	13,585		25.3%
1880	18,442		35.8%
1890	21,514		16.7%
1900	23,449		9.0%
1910	22,418		−4.4%
1920	20,509		−8.5%
1930	18,411		−10.2%
1940	19,099		3.7%
1950	19,564		2.4%
1960	21,220		8.5%
1970	23,821		12.3%
1980	25,401		6.6%
1990	25,948		2.2%
2000	27,600		6.4%
2010	27,636		0.1%
Sources: United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division Census Quickfacts

See also

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

External links

• William Wells