| Adams County, Indiana | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Indiana |
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 Indiana's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1 March 1836 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Decatur |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
340 sq mi (881 km²) 339 sq mi (878 km²) 1 sq mi (3 km²), 0.17% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
33,625 99/sq mi (38/km²) |
| Congressional district | 6th |
| Website: www.co.adams.in.us | |
 Adams County courthouse in Decatur, Indiana
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Adams County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 33,625[1]. The county seat is Decatur[2]. Adams County is denoted as county 1 on Indiana's County Listing.
Contents |
History
Adams County was created by statute on February 7, 1835, and organized March 1, 1836. Its name honors the sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams. The site of the county seat was chosen May 18, 1836.[3]
Courthouse
The present Adams County courthouse was built in Decatur in 1872-1873 at a cost of $78,979. The designer was J. C. Johnson, who had been trained as a carpenter and joiner and became a self-taught architect; he won second place in the Indiana State Capitol design competition. The construction was done by Christian Boseker of Fort Wayne. It is built of red brick with stone ornamentation.[4]
In Film
The movie, A Stoning in Fulham County, starring Brad Pitt, depicted a true story of an Amish baby who was killed by teens who threw pieces of clay tile and struck a child on a buggy. The event occurred in 1979, and the movie was released in 1988, although the movie takes place in North Carolina.
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.[5][6]
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.[5][6]
Court: The county maintains a Circuit Court and a Superior Court[7]. These are the trial courts of general jurisdiction.
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.[6]
Festivals and Fairs in Adams County
- Adams County 4-H Fair (Monroe)
- Swiss Days (Berne)
- Calithumpian Festival (Decatur)
- Feastival of Kekiogna (Decatur)
Radio
Newspapers
- The Decatur Daily Democrat (Decatur)
- Berne Tri-Weekly (Berne)
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 340 sq mi (880 km²). 339 square miles (879 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (1 km²) of it (0.17%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Allen County (north)
- Van Wert County, Ohio (northeast)
- Mercer County, Ohio (southeast)
- Jay County (south)
- Wells County (west)
Cities and towns
Unincorporated towns
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Townships
Adams County is divided into twelve townships:
Major highways
U.S. Route 27
U.S. Route 33
U.S. Route 224
Indiana State Road 101
Indiana State Road 116
Indiana State Road 124
Indiana State Road 218
Railroads
Education
Public schools in Adams County are administered by North Adams Community Schools, Adams Central Community Schools, and South Adams Schools.
Demographics
As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 33,625 people, 11,818 households, and 8,662 families residing in the county. The population density was 99 people per square mile (38/km²). There were 12,404 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.31% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.47% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 3.32% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 40.1% were of German, 15.0% Swiss, 14.2% American, 6.4% English and 6.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 11,818 households out of which 37.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.37.
In the county the population was spread out with 31.1% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,625, and the median income for a family was $46,749. Males had a median income of $32,332 versus $23,119 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,704. About 6.1% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.9% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
11.7% of the total population and 15.6% of the children in 5-17 age range uses German (Amish) as home language, according to 2000 census. [1]
| Adams County Population by year |
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2000 33,625 |
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External links
References
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau. Census 2000. "Census Demographic Profiles, Adams County" (PDF). CenStats Databases. <http://censtats.census.gov/data/>. http://censtats.census.gov/data/IN/05018001.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-21.
- ^ "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.
- ^ De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & co.. pp. 549–550. http://books.google.com/books?id=YDIUAAAAYAAJ.
- ^ Counts, Will; Jon Dilts (1991). The 92 Magnificent Indiana Courthouses. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-0253336385.
- ^ 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". IN.gov. http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
- ^ http://www.in.gov/judiciary/adams
- ^ "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.
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Allen County | Van Wert County, Ohio | |
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| Wells County |  |
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 Adams County, Indiana  |
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| Jay County | Mercer County, Ohio |
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