Hancock County, Indiana

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hancock County
U.S. county
Hancock County courthouse in Greenfield
Hancock County courthouse in Greenfield
Map of Indiana highlighting Hancock County
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Map of the United States highlighting Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°49′N 85°46′W / 39.82°N 85.77°W / 39.82; -85.77
Country United States
State Indiana
Founded1 March 1828
Named forJohn Hancock
SeatGreenfield
Largest cityGreenfield
Area
 • Total307.02 sq mi (795.2 km2)
 • Land306.02 sq mi (792.6 km2)
 • Water1.01 sq mi (2.6 km2)  0.33%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2019)
78,168
 • Density249/sq mi (96.3/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district6th
Websitewww.hancockcoingov.org
Indiana county number 30

Hancock County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 70,002.[1] The county seat is Greenfield.[2]

Hancock County is included in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area

Geography[]

The terrain of Hancock County is low rolling hills, sloping to the south and southwest, carved by drainages. All available area is devoted to agriculture or urban development.[3] The highest point is a small prominence in NW Shirley, at 1,040' (317m) ASL.[4] According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 307.02 square miles (795.2 km2), of which 306.02 square miles (792.6 km2) (or 99.67%) is land and 1.01 square miles (2.6 km2) (or 0.33%) is water.[5]

Adjacent counties[]

  • Madison County - north
  • Henry County - east
  • Rush County - southeast
  • Shelby County - south
  • Marion County - west
  • Hamilton County - northwest

Major highways[]

Airport[]

History[]

Indiana was admitted as a state to the United States on 11 December 1816, although much of its territory was still disputed or held by native peoples at that time. These indigenous claims were quickly reduced and removed by various treaties. The 1818 Treaty with the Delaware Indians brought most of central Indiana into state control, and Madison County was organized on a portion of that area. The lower portion of Madison County was quickly settled, and by the late 1820s the inhabitants were petitioning for a separate county government. Accordingly, a portion of the county was partitioned on 1 March 1828, to form Hancock County. Greenfield was named as the county seat on 11 April. The county name recognized John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, who had signed his name prominently to the Declaration of Independence in 1776.[6][7] The county has retained its original borders since its 1828 creation.

Climate and weather[]

Greenfield, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
2.5
 
 
34
17
 
 
2.4
 
 
39
20
 
 
3.3
 
 
50
30
 
 
4.1
 
 
62
40
 
 
4.7
 
 
73
51
 
 
4.5
 
 
82
61
 
 
4.9
 
 
85
64
 
 
4
 
 
84
62
 
 
3.2
 
 
78
55
 
 
3.1
 
 
65
43
 
 
3.9
 
 
51
33
 
 
3.1
 
 
39
23
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[8]

In recent years, average temperatures in Greenfield have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −29 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.37 inches (60 mm) in February to 4.85 inches (123 mm) in July.[8]

Government[]

See also: Government of Indiana
Hancock County Sheriff's Department
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionHancock County, Indiana, Indiana, United States
Legal jurisdictionAs per operations jurisdiction
General nature
  • Local civilian police
Operational structure
Agency executive
  • Michael Shepherd, Sheriff

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 legislative branch of the county government; controls the county's spending and revenue collection. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve staggered 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.[9][10]

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners carry out the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.[9][10]

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.[10]

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. They are elected to four-year terms. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.[10]

Hancock County is part of Indiana's 5th congressional district; Indiana Senate district 28;[11] and Indiana House of Representatives districts 29 and 53.[12]

Public health and law enforcement[]

On February 19, 2020, it was announced that Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton intends to prosecute victims of drug overdoses with felony drug possession charges. To do so, his plan is to use the administration of Narcan (an overdose-reversal nasal spray) by a police officer as probable cause for search warrants requiring the overdose victim to provide an oral swab for law enforcement to aid in the county's prosecution of the victim for felony drug possession charges. In fact, Eaton created a one-page Hancock County Overdose Report form for officers to fill out when they turn in an affidavit for a search warrant.[13]

Presidential election results

Education[]

Hancock County is served by two library systems, the Fortville-Vernon Township Public Library and Hancock County Public Library.[15]

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18301,436—
18407,535424.7%
18509,69828.7%
186012,80232.0%
187015,12318.1%
188017,12313.2%
189017,8294.1%
190019,1897.6%
191019,030−0.8%
192017,210−9.6%
193016,605−3.5%
194017,3024.2%
195020,33217.5%
196026,66531.1%
197035,09631.6%
198043,93925.2%
199045,5273.6%
200055,39121.7%
201070,00226.4%
2019 (est.)78,168[16]11.7%
US Decennial Census[17]
1790-1960[18] 1900-1990[19]
1990-2000[20] 2010-2013[1]

2010 Census[]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 70,002 people, 26,304 households, and 19,792 families in the county.[21] The population density was 228.8 inhabitants per square mile (88.3/km2). There were 28,125 housing units at an average density of 91.9 per square mile (35.5/km2).[5] The racial makeup of the county was 95.2% white, 2.1% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.7% of the population.[21] In terms of ancestry, 26.2% were German, 13.9% were Irish, 11.8% were English, and 11.8% were American.[22]

Of the 26,304 households, 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.8% were non-families, and 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 39.1 years.[21]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $69,734. Males had a median income of $53,565 versus $38,042 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,017. About 5.9% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.[23]

Cities and towns[]

Townships[]

Unincorporated communities[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Hancock County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  3. ^ "Hancock County IN" (Google Maps - accessed 27 December 2019)
  4. ^ "Hancock County IN" (peakbagger.com - accessed 27 December 2019)
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  6. ^ De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & co. pp. 561.
  7. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 148.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Monthly Averages for Greenfield IN". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
  11. ^ "Indiana Senate Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  12. ^ "Indiana House Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  13. ^ "Naloxone Now Used as Evidence to Prosecute Indiana OD Victims". Filter. 2020-02-19. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  14. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  15. ^ "Indiana public library directory" (PDF). Indiana State Library. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  16. ^ "American FactFinder". Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  17. ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  18. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  19. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  20. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  22. ^ "Selected Social Characteristics in the US – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  23. ^ "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2015.

External links[]

Coordinates: 39°49′N 85°46′W / 39.82°N 85.77°W / 39.82; -85.77

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