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Hamilton County, Indiana
Noblesville-indiana-county-seat
Hamilton County courthouse in Noblesville, Indiana
Seal of Hamilton County, Indiana
Seal
Map of Indiana highlighting Hamilton County
Location in the state of Indiana
Map of the U.S
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded 1823
Named for Alexander Hamilton
Seat Noblesville
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

402.73 sq mi (1,043 km²)
397.94 sq mi (1,031 km²)
4.79 sq mi (12 km²), 1.19%
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

347,467
Congressional district 5th
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.co.hamilton.in.us
Footnotes:  
  • Indiana county number 29
  • Fastest growing county in the state

Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. 2020 United States Census recorded a population of 347,467. The county seat is Noblesville.

Hamilton County's roots are in agriculture. However after World War II, Indianapolis grew north and the county developed as a suburb. Many farm fields have been replaced over the past couple decades by both residential and commercial development.

Today, the county is one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation. According to 2007 estimates by the U.S. Census, the County's population jumped from an estimated 182,740 in 2000 to 261,661 in 2007, 30% of the state's total population increase from between 2000 and 2007. It is the fastest growing county in Indiana out of 92. In 2006, Hamilton County was the 18th fastest-growing county in the nation (out of 3,141) based on census estimates between 2000 and 2005. In 2008, it was the 23rd fastest-growing county in the nation based on census estimates between 2000 and 2007. Recently, Hamilton County surpassed St. Joseph County in population, making it the fourth most populous in the state.[1]

In 2010, Hamilton County was home to 3 of the state's 20 largest cities and towns. Carmel (4th), Fishers (5th), and Noblesville (11th).

Geist and Morse Reservoirs are two man-made lakes in Hamilton County that offer residents and visitors recreational opportunities, such as boating, fishing and waterfront living. Today, Hamilton County is often called the playground of Indianapolis as many parks, museums, venues and recreational spots have become very popular amongst Indianapolis residents.

The median household income of Hamilton County is more than $82,000, making it the most affluent county in Indiana.[2] In June 2008 Hamilton County was named America's Best Place to Raise a Family by Forbes.com[3] due to its strong economy, affordable living, top ranked schools, and close proximity to Indianapolis.

History[]

The land containing Hamilton County was brought into the possession of the United States by the Treaty of St. Mary's in 1818. William Conner was the first white settler in the county. In the summer of 1822, after realizing there were enough settlers in the area, Conner and other settlers applied to the Indiana Legislature for a charter authorizing them to become a separate and independent county under Indiana law. The application was presented to the Legislature at the 1822-23 session and the act was passed and approved by the Governor on January 8, 1823. The act took effect on the first Monday in April (April 7), 1823. The County Commissioners first met on May 5, 1823 at the house of William Conner. Conner's house would also serve as the County Circuit Court. The county was named after Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury.[4][5]

Climate and weather[]

Climate chart for Noblesville, Indiana
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
2.42
 
34
17
 
 
2.42
 
39
20
 
 
3.28
 
50
29
 
 
3.92
 
62
39
 
 
4.86
 
72
50
 
 
4.15
 
81
60
 
 
4.49
 
85
64
 
 
4.06
 
83
62
 
 
3.32
 
77
54
 
 
3.02
 
65
42
 
 
3.77
 
51
33
 
 
3.14
 
38
23
temperatures in °Cprecipitation totals in mm
source: The Weather Channel[6]

In recent years, average temperatures in Noblesville 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 −23 °F (−30.6 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.42 inches (61 mm) in January to 4.86 inches (123 mm) in May.[6]

Government[]

The county executive body is filled by the Board of County Commissioners. The Board of County Commissioners consists of three Commissioners representing the three commissioner districts.

District 1 consists of Carmel and Clay Township. District 2 consists of Fishers, Noblesville, Delaware Township, and Noblesville Township. District 3 consists of Adams Township, Fall Creek Township, Jackson Township, Washington Township, Wayne Township, White River Township, Arcadia, Atlanta, Cicero, Sheridan and Westfield.

The current County Commissioners are:

  • Christine Altman - District 1
  • Steven C. Dillinger - District 2
  • Steven A. Holt - District 3

The county's finances are managed by the County Council, which consists of seven members, four elected by district and three elected at-large.

District 1 consists of parts of Clay Township. District 2 consists of Delaware, Fall Creek and Wayne Townships. District 3 consists of Noblesville, Jackson and White River Townships. District 4 consists of parts of Clay Township, Adams and Washington Townships.

The current members of the County Council are:

  • Meredith Carter - District 1
  • Judy Levine- District 2
  • Steve Schwartz1 - District 3
  • John Hiatt - District 4
  • Brad Beaver - Council member at large
  • Jim Belden - Council member at large
  • Rick McKinney - Council member at large

Hamilton County is part of Indiana's 5th congressional district; Indiana Senate districts 20, 21, 28, 29 and 30;[7] and Indiana House of Representatives districts 29, 32, 35, 36, 38, 39, 86, 87 and 88.[8]

Politics[]

The county is located in Indiana's 5th congressional district, which is represented by Republican Victoria Spartz.

Hamilton County has long been reckoned as a classic Republican suburban stronghold. It has voted for the Republican presidential candidate at every election since Charles Evans Hughes in 1916. In 1912, Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson had carried the county with a 3.06% plurality over Republican opponent William Taft.[9] For years, Republicans usually won the county handily even in Democratic landslides. For instance, the county rejected Franklin Roosevelt in all four of his bids for president, and Barry Goldwater easily carried the county in 1964 with 61 percent of the vote. Since Wilson carried the county in 1912, a Republican has only carried it by fewer than 10 percentage points twice–in 1932, when Roosevelt held incumbent Herbert Hoover to 53 percent of the vote, and 2020, when Joe Biden held incumbent Donald Trump to 52.4 percent of the vote.

Hamilton County's loyalty to the Republican Party is not limited to presidential elections. The county regularly rejects Democrats in gubernatorial and senatorial races, and is typically one of the Republicans' strongest counties at the state level. One of the few times in recent memory that Hamilton County has supported a Democrat for governor or Senate was in 1992, when Evan Bayh narrowly carried it with 50.48 percent of the vote in his successful gubernatorial reelection bid. However, Bayh lost Hamilton County in his three bids for Senate.

In 2016, despite his statewide dominance that year, Trump turned in the weakest showing for a Republican nominee in Hamilton County since Hoover, winning just 56% of the vote. Thus, Hamilton County voted less Republican than the rest of the state for the first time in almost 100 years. Hillary Clinton won 36.7 percent of the vote, only the third time since Harry Truman that a Democrat had won more than 35 percent of the county's vote. Eight years earlier, Barack Obama received 38.45% of the county vote during the 2008 election, the strongest result for a Democrat since Roosevelt in 1936. Joe Donnelly in his 2018 senate re-election loss also came within 10 percent of winning the county, winning 44.4% of the vote.[10]

In 2020, Joe Biden won the largest percentage of the vote for a Democrat in the history of the county (45.6%) while Donald Trump won the second smallest percentage ever (52.4%) for a Republican. It was the first time since 1936 that a Democrat even managed 40 percent of the county's vote, and only the second time in 88 years that a Republican had won the county by fewer than 10 points. This was seen as evidence that the county was changing from a conservative stronghold to a conservative-tilting swing county similar to many other suburban areas. Biden carried both Carmel and Fishers.[11]

United States presidential election results for Hamilton County, Indiana[12]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 101,587 52.21% 88,390 45.43% 4,600 2.36%
2016 87,404 56.04% 57,263 36.72% 11,291 7.24%
2012 90,747 66.20% 43,796 31.95% 2,546 1.86%
2008 78,401 60.64% 49,704 38.45% 1,174 0.91%
2004 77,887 74.24% 26,388 25.15% 631 0.60%
2000 56,372 74.25% 18,002 23.71% 1,552 2.04%
1996 42,792 69.45% 14,153 22.97% 4,674 7.59%
1992 34,622 62.46% 10,215 18.43% 10,597 19.12%
1988 36,654 80.36% 8,853 19.41% 108 0.24%
1984 30,254 82.30% 6,364 17.31% 143 0.39%
1980 26,218 74.22% 7,036 19.92% 2,073 5.87%
1976 21,828 72.86% 7,857 26.23% 273 0.91%
1972 20,247 82.74% 4,151 16.96% 72 0.29%
1968 14,250 67.63% 4,586 21.77% 2,233 10.60%
1964 12,060 61.28% 7,553 38.38% 68 0.35%
1960 13,409 70.63% 5,511 29.03% 64 0.34%
1956 11,220 68.96% 4,974 30.57% 77 0.47%
1952 10,843 69.69% 4,564 29.33% 153 0.98%
1948 7,521 62.12% 4,384 36.21% 202 1.67%
1944 8,297 66.06% 4,101 32.65% 162 1.29%
1940 8,931 64.73% 4,791 34.72% 75 0.54%
1936 7,323 56.90% 5,396 41.93% 151 1.17%
1932 7,100 53.08% 5,999 44.85% 277 2.07%
1928 7,960 68.36% 3,611 31.01% 74 0.64%
1924 7,463 64.91% 3,785 32.92% 250 2.17%
1920 7,897 63.04% 4,280 34.17% 350 2.79%
1916 3,951 54.78% 2,799 38.81% 462 6.41%
1912 2,247 31.86% 2,463 34.93% 2,342 33.21%
1908 4,421 56.48% 2,947 37.65% 460 5.88%
1904 4,832 63.50% 2,469 32.44% 309 4.06%
1900 4,788 58.62% 2,931 35.88% 449 5.50%
1896 4,643 59.82% 2,947 37.97% 171 2.20%
1892 3,627 54.52% 2,492 37.46% 533 8.01%
1888 3,599 56.04% 2,412 37.56% 411 6.40%



Geography[]

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 402.73 square miles (1,043.1 km2), of which 397.94 square miles (1,030.7 km2) (or 98.81%) is land and 4.79 square miles (12.4 km2) (or 1.19%) is water.[13]

Major highways[]

  • I-69 Interstate 69
  • I-465 Interstate 465
  • US 31 U.S. Route 31
  • US 421 U.S. Route 421
  • Indiana 19 Indiana State Road 19
  • Indiana 32 Indiana State Road 32
  • Indiana 37 Indiana State Road 37
  • Indiana 38 Indiana State Road 38
  • Indiana 47 Indiana State Road 47

Adjacent counties[]

Cities and towns[]

Townships[]

  • Adams
  • Clay
  • Delaware
  • Fall Creek
  • Jackson
  • Noblesville
  • Washington
  • Wayne
  • White River

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1890 26,123
1900 29,914 14.5%
1910 27,026 −9.7%
1920 24,222 −10.4%
1930 23,444 −3.2%
1940 24,614 5.0%
1950 28,491 15.8%
1960 40,132 40.9%
1970 54,532 35.9%
1980 82,027 50.4%
1990 108,936 32.8%
2000 182,740 67.7%
2010 274,569 50.3%
USA Hamilton County, Indiana age pyramid

Age and gender distribution in Hamilton County

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 182,740 people, 65,933 households, and 50,834 families residing in the county. The population density was 459 people per square mile (177/km²). There were 69,478 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile (67/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.38% White, 1.54% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 2.44% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.54% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. 1.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 26.3% were of German, 13.0% American, 12.5% English and 11.2% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 65,933 households out of which 43.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.50% were married couples living together, 7.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.90% were non-families. 18.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the county the population was spread out with 30.80% under the age of 18, 5.60% from 18 to 24, 34.90% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 7.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $71,026, and the median income for a family was $80,239 (these figures had risen to $81,297 and $93,900 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[15]). Males had a median income of $56,638 versus $34,807 for females. The per capita income for the county was $33,109. About 2.00% of families and 2.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.80% of those under age 18 and 3.80% of those age 65 or over. Based on information from the 2000 Census, Hamilton County was the wealthiest county in the Midwest by terms of median income.

See also[]

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

References[]

  1. ^ "Hamilton takes top spot in county headcount". The Indianapolis Star (Gannett Company). 2008-03-21. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008803210423. Retrieved 2008-03-21. 
  2. ^ Census.gov
  3. ^ "In Depth: America's Best Places To Raise A Family - Forbes.com". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/27/schools-places-family-forbeslife-cx_zg_0630realestate_slide_21.html?thisSpeed=30000. 
  4. ^ "Hamilton County stats". Indiana.edu. http://www.stats.indiana.edu/profiles/pr18057.html. Retrieved 2007-06-30. 
  5. ^ De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & co.. p. 560. http://books.google.com/books?id=YDIUAAAAYAAJ. 
  6. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Noblesville, Indiana". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIN0484. Retrieved 2011-01-27. 
  7. ^ "Indiana Senate Districts". State of Indiana. http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/3006.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-14. 
  8. ^ "Indiana House Districts". State of Indiana. http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/3005.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-14. 
  9. ^ David Leip's Presidential Atlas (Maps for Indiana by election) Archived 2008-11-30 at the Wayback Machine Results prior to 1960 available through subscription only
  10. ^ "Indiana Election Results 2018". https://www.politico.com/election-results/2018/indiana/. 
  11. ^ Shambaugh, Ann Marie (November 9, 2020). "Biden earned more than half of presidential votes in Carmel". https://www.youarecurrent.com/2020/11/09/biden-earned-more-than-half-of-presidential-votes-in-carmel/. 
  12. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 
  13. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-06. 
  14. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  15. ^ "Hamilton County, Indiana - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder". Factfinder.census.gov. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=05000US17197&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US17%7C05000US17197&_street=&_county=hamilton&_cityTown=hamilton&_state=04000US18&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=050&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=. Retrieved 2010-07-22. 

External links[]

Coordinates: 40°04′N 86°03′W / 40.07, -86.05


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Hamilton County, Indiana. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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