| Benton County, Indiana | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Indiana |
|
 Indiana's location in the U.S. |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | February 18, 1840 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Fowler |
| Largest | Fowler |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
406 sq mi (1,053 km²) 406 sq mi (1,052 km²) 0 sq mi (0 km²), 0% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
9,421 23/sq mi (9/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Named for: Senator Thomas H. Benton | |
Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 9,421. The county seat is Fowler[1].
Benton County is part of the Lafayette, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents |
History
Benton County was formed February 18, 1840. It is named for Thomas H. Benton (D), U.S. Senator from Missouri. The original county seat selected in 1843 was Oxford, but after a long struggle between contending factions it was moved to Fowler in 1874.[2]
Courthouse
The current Benton County courthouse, located in Fowler, was designed by Gordon P. Randall of Chicago and built in 1874 by Levi L. Leach at a cost of $62,257. The new courthouse was an impressive building from an architectural standpoint, but also provided much-needed improvements in security, including large fire-proof vaults. Randall had designed the Marshall County courthouse a few years earlier.[3]
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.[4][5]
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.[4][5]
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 terms of four years. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.[5]
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 an
Benton County is part of Indiana's 1st congressional district and in 2008 was represented by Pete Visclosky in the United States Congress.[6]
Economy
In 2008 the Benton County Wind Farm began operating with 87 1.5 MW wind turbines.[7] Duke Energy purchases electricity from the wind farm and sells it to customers through its GoGreen program.[8]
In 2009 the Fowler Ridge Wind Farm opened nearby,[9] giving Benton County one of the largest concentrations of wind turbines in the United States east of the Mississippi River.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 406 square miles (1,053 km²), of which 406 square miles (1,052 km²) is land and 0 square miles (0 km²) (0.02%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Newton County (north)
- Jasper County (northeast)
- White County (east)
- Tippecanoe County (southeast)
- Warren County (south)
- Vermilion County, Illinois (southwest)
- Iroquois County, Illinois (west)
Cities and towns
Unincorporated towns
Extinct towns
Townships
Major highways
U.S. Route 41
U.S. Route 52
Indiana State Road 18
Indiana State Road 55
Indiana State Road 71
Indiana State Road 352
Railroads
Education
The county's four public schools are administered by the Benton Community School Corporation.
- Benton Central Junior-Senior High School [1]
- Boswell Elementary School [2]
- Otterbein Elementary School [3]
- Prairie Crossing Elementary School [4]
- Sacred Heart Elementary[5] in Fowler is the county's only parochial school.
Demographics
| Benton County Population by year[10] |
|
|
2000 9,421 |
|
As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 9,421 people, 3,558 households, and 2,547 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 3,818 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.90% White, 0.21% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 1.28% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. 2.60% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 33.8% were of German, 20.3% American, 10.7% Irish, 6.8% English and 6.1% French ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 3,558 households out of which 35.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,813, and the median income for a family was $46,869. Males had a median income of $30,592 versus $22,169 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,220. About 3.50% of families and 5.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.00% of those under age 18 and 4.50% of those age 65 or over.
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.
- ^ De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & co.. pp. 551–552. http://books.google.com/books?id=YDIUAAAAYAAJ.
- ^ Counts, Will; Jon Dilts (1991). The 92 Magnificent Indiana Courthouses. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. pp. 14–15. 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.
- ^ "US Congressman Pete Visclosky". US Congress. http://www.house.gov/visclosky/. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
- ^ "Benton County Wind Farms". http://www.earlparkindiana.com/windfarm.html. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
- ^ "Duke Energy's GoGreen Power". Duke Energy. http://www.duke-energy.com/ohio/savings/gogreen.asp. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
- ^ "U.S. Wind Energy Projects - Indiana". American Wind Energy Association. 2009-03-31. http://www.awea.org/projects/Projects.aspx?s=Indiana. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
- ^ *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.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Benton County, Indiana |
- Benton 4 Business (economic development)
- Benton Community Foundation
- Benton Community School Corporation
- Sacred Heart Elementary School
- Town of Earl Park
- Earl Park annual fall festival
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Newton County | Jasper County | |
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| Iroquois County, Illinois |  |
White County | ||
 Benton County, Indiana  |
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| Vermilion County, Illinois | Warren County | Tippecanoe County |
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