Pike County, Indiana

Pike County, Indiana
Pike County Courthouse in Petersburg
Location in the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 21, 1816
Named for	Zebulon Pike
Seat	Petersburg
Largest city	Petersburg
Area
• Total	341.09 sq mi (883 km2)
• Land	334.24 sq mi (866 km2)
• Water	6.86 sq mi (18 km2), 2.01%
Population
• (2010)	12,845
• Density	38/sq mi (15/km²)
Congressional district	8th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Footnotes:   Indiana county number 63 First county created after statehood 2010 median center of U.S. population

Pike County is a county located in the Southwest part of the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 12,845. The county seat is Petersburg. It contains the geographic point representing median center of population of the United States.

Pike County is part of the Jasper Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Formed on December 21, 1816, Pike County was the first county formed after Indiana became a state. It was formed from Gibson and Perry counties, and was named for Zebulon Pike, famous for his Pike Expedition of 1806 – 1807, exploring the southwest portion of the Louisiana Purchase. Pike commanded the 4th Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. He was killed as a brigadier general during the War of 1812 after his men had captured York (now Toronto), Canada.

From 1959 to 1963 Vance Hartke and Homer E. Capehart were the U.S. Senators for Indiana, both from Pike County.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 341.09 square miles (883.4 km²), of which 334.24 square miles (865.7 km²) (or 97.99%) is land and 6.86 square miles (17.8 km²) (or 2.01%) is water.

Cities and towns

Incorporated

• Petersburg
• Spurgeon
• Winslow

Unincorporated

• Otwell
• Stendal
• Velpen

Townships

• Clay
• Jefferson
• Lockhart
• Logan
• Madison
• Marion
• Monroe
• Patoka
• Washington

Major highways

• Interstate 69
• SR 56
• SR 57
• SR 61
• SR 64
• SR 65
• SR 257
• SR 356

Adjacent counties

• Daviess County (northeast)
• Dubois County (east)
• Warrick County (south/CST Border)
• Gibson County (west/CST Border)
• Knox County (northwest)

National protected area

• Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area (Eastern Half)

Climate and weather

Petersburg, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     3     38 21     2.7     44 25     4.1     54 33     4.2     66 44     5.1     75 54     3.8     83 63     4.2     87 67     3.8     86 65     3     80 57     2.8     69 45     4.5     55 36     3.4     43 26 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     75     3 −6     69     7 −4     103     12 1     107     19 7     131     24 12     97     28 17     106     31 19     96     30 18     75     27 14     72     21 7     114     13 2     87     6 −3 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Petersburg have ranged from a low of 21 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −18 °F (−28 °C) was recorded in December 1989 and a record high of 101 °F (38 °C) was recorded in September 2002. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.73 inches (69 mm) in February to 5.14 inches (131 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 Circuit Court (83rd Judicial Circuit) and has a small claims division which division handles family law cases as well. The judge of the Circuit Court is elected to a term of six years and must be a member in good standing of the Indiana Bar. The judge is assisted by a referee in the small claims\family division who is appointed by the Circuit Court Judge.

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

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	1,472		—
1830	2,475		68.1%
1840	4,769		92.7%
1850	7,720		61.9%
1860	10,078		30.5%
1870	13,779		36.7%
1880	16,383		18.9%
1890	18,544		13.2%
1900	20,486		10.5%
1910	19,684		−3.9%
1920	18,684		−5.1%
1930	16,361		−12.4%
1940	17,045		4.2%
1950	14,995		−12.0%
1960	12,797		−14.7%
1970	12,281		−4.0%
1980	13,465		9.6%
1990	12,509		−7.1%
2000	12,837		2.6%
2010	12,845		0.1%
Est. 2014	12,624		−1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2013

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 12,845 people, 5,186 households, and 3,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 38.4 inhabitants per square mile (14.8/km²). There were 5,735 housing units at an average density of 17.2 per square mile (6.6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.2% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.7% were American, 25.1% were German, 15.8% were Irish, and 11.4% were English.

Of the 5,186 households, 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.7% were non-families, and 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 42.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $49,423. Males had a median income of $40,952 versus $29,664 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,005. About 9.0% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

See also

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