Familypedia
Register
Advertisement
This article is based on the corresponding article in another wiki. For Familypedia purposes, it requires significantly more historical detail on phases of this location's development. The ideal article for a place will give the reader a feel for what it was like to live at that location at the time their relatives were alive there. Also desirable are links to organizations that may be repositories of genealogical information..
Please help to improve this page yourself if you can.


Wabash County, Indiana
Cortes del Condado de Wabash, Wabash, Indiana, Estados Unidos, 2012-11-12, DD 01
Wabash County Courthouse
Map of Indiana highlighting Wabash County
Location in the state of Indiana
Map of the U.S
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded Jan., 1820; organized 1835
Named for Wabash River
Seat Wabash
Largest city Wabash
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

420.98 sq mi (1,090 km²)
412.43 sq mi (1,068 km²)
8.54 sq mi (22 km²), 2.03%
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

30,976
85/sq mi (33/km²)
Congressional district 2nd
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website http://www.wabashcounty.in.gov/
Footnotes: Indiana county number 85

Wabash County is a county located in the northern central part of the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 30,976.[1] The county seat is Wabash.[2]

History[]

The area was inhabited for thousands of years by cultures of indigenous peoples. French explorers and traders encountered the historical Miami Native Americans beginning in the 17th century.

Wabash County, along with Delaware County, was originally formed Jan. 1820 out of the 1818 New Purchase resulting from the Treaty of St. Mary's. Wabash County was the Wabash River drainage area, and Delaware County, the White River drainage area. Numerous counties were carved out of the Wabash New Purchase. Wabash County as it exists today was organized out of a remnant portion of the original county in 1835.

The name "Wabash" is an English spelling of the earlier French name for the river, Ouabache. French traders derived the French version from the Indian name for the river, Wabashike (pronounced "Wah-bah-she-keh") (meaning "pure white".) Much of the river bottom is white limestone, now obscured by mud.

Geography[]

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 420.98 square miles (1,090.3 km2), of which 412.43 square miles (1,068.2 km2) (or 97.97%) is land and 8.54 square miles (22.1 km2) (or 2.03%) is water.[3]

North-manchester-indiana

North Manchester from the air looking northeast.

Adjacent counties[]

Cities[]

  • Wabash

Towns[]

  • La Fontaine
  • Lagro
  • North Manchester
  • Roann

Census-designated places[]

  • Laketon
  • Somerset

Other unincorporated places[]

  • America
  • Bolivar
  • College Corner
  • Disko
  • Ijamsville
  • Liberty Mills
  • Lincolnville
  • Mount Vernon
  • Newton
  • Pioneer
  • Richvalley
  • Servia
  • South Haven
  • Speicherville
  • Stockdale
  • Sunnymede
  • Treaty
  • Urbana
  • Valley Brook

Extinct[]

  • Dora
  • Rose Hill

Townships[]

  • Chester
  • Lagro
  • Liberty
  • Noble
  • Paw Paw
  • Pleasant
  • Waltz

Major highways[]

  • US 24 U.S. Route 24
  • Indiana 13 Indiana State Road 13
  • Indiana 15 Indiana State Road 15
  • Indiana 16 Indiana State Road 16
  • Indiana 114 Indiana State Road 114
  • Indiana 115 Indiana State Road 115
  • Indiana 124 Indiana State Road 124
  • Indiana 218 Indiana State Road 218
  • Indiana 524 Indiana State Road 524

Climate and weather[]

Climate chart for Wabash, Indiana
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
2.16
 
31
14
 
 
1.89
 
36
17
 
 
2.73
 
47
27
 
 
3.53
 
60
37
 
 
4.06
 
71
48
 
 
4.23
 
80
58
 
 
4.14
 
83
61
 
 
4.01
 
81
59
 
 
3.18
 
75
51
 
 
2.80
 
63
40
 
 
3.11
 
49
31
 
 
2.72
 
36
20
temperatures in °Cprecipitation totals in mm
source: The Weather Channel[4]

In recent years, average temperatures in Wabash have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 83 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of −24 °F (−31.1 °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 1.89 inches (48 mm) in February to 4.23 inches (107 mm) in June.[4]

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, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.[5][6]

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.[6]

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, assessor, prosecutor, 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.[6]

Wabash County is a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. Since 1888, only two Republican Party candidates have lost the county, them being William Howard Taft in 1912 & Barry Goldwater in 1964.

United States presidential election results for Wabash County, Indiana[7]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 10,762 73.72% 3,494 23.93% 342 2.34%
2016 9,821 72.47% 3,018 22.27% 713 5.26%
2012 8,644 67.03% 3,973 30.81% 278 2.16%
2008 8,238 59.30% 5,456 39.27% 198 1.43%
2004 9,607 70.63% 3,920 28.82% 75 0.55%
2000 8,321 64.59% 4,277 33.20% 285 2.21%
1996 6,990 53.79% 4,577 35.22% 1,429 11.00%
1992 7,062 46.77% 4,518 29.92% 3,521 23.32%
1988 9,153 68.39% 4,168 31.14% 63 0.47%
1984 9,862 70.30% 4,077 29.06% 89 0.63%
1980 8,738 60.82% 4,620 32.15% 1,010 7.03%
1976 8,534 59.51% 5,704 39.78% 102 0.71%
1972 10,011 68.29% 4,601 31.39% 47 0.32%
1968 8,611 61.07% 4,598 32.61% 892 6.33%
1964 6,905 47.51% 7,485 51.50% 145 1.00%
1960 10,420 68.12% 4,788 31.30% 89 0.58%
1956 10,318 71.18% 4,085 28.18% 93 0.64%
1952 9,980 67.94% 4,395 29.92% 315 2.14%
1948 8,149 61.53% 4,692 35.42% 404 3.05%
1944 8,357 62.30% 4,665 34.77% 393 2.93%
1940 8,755 61.11% 5,431 37.91% 141 0.98%
1936 7,223 53.02% 6,200 45.51% 200 1.47%
1932 6,652 49.36% 6,553 48.63% 271 2.01%
1928 8,537 68.25% 3,872 30.96% 99 0.79%
1924 7,277 60.44% 4,054 33.67% 709 5.89%
1920 8,018 60.33% 4,827 36.32% 445 3.35%
1916 3,849 50.37% 3,168 41.46% 624 8.17%
1912 1,363 20.08% 2,371 34.92% 3,055 45.00%
1908 4,091 53.55% 3,116 40.79% 433 5.67%
1904 4,516 59.44% 2,381 31.34% 700 9.21%
1900 4,433 58.48% 2,882 38.02% 266 3.51%
1896 4,319 59.04% 2,891 39.52% 105 1.44%
1892 3,687 55.20% 2,413 36.13% 579 8.67%
1888 3,986 58.41% 2,555 37.44% 283 4.15%



Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1840 2,756
1850 12,138 340.4%
1860 17,547 44.6%
1870 21,305 21.4%
1880 25,241 18.5%
1890 27,126 7.5%
1900 28,235 4.1%
1910 26,926 −4.6%
1920 27,231 1.1%
1930 25,170 −7.6%
1940 26,601 5.7%
1950 29,047 9.2%
1960 32,605 12.2%
1970 35,553 9.0%
1980 36,640 3.1%
1990 35,069 −4.3%
2000 34,960 −0.3%
2010 32,888 −5.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2020[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 32,888 people, 12,777 households, and 8,733 families residing in the county.[12] The population density was 79.7 inhabitants per square mile (30.8 /km2). There were 14,171 housing units at an average density of 34.4 per square mile (13.3 /km2).[3] The racial makeup of the county was 96.6% white, 0.7% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.1% of the population.[12] In terms of ancestry, 31.3% were German, 18.1% were American, 10.1% were English, and 10.0% were Irish.[13]

Of the 12,777 households, 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.7% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 41.2 years.[12]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $52,758. Males had a median income of $41,965 versus $26,944 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,475. About 8.8% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.[14]

See also[]

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

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Wabash County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/18169.html. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US18169. 
  4. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Wabash, Indiana". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIN0688. 
  5. ^ a b Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar2/ch3.html. 
  6. ^ a b c d Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf. 
  7. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 
  8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  10. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/in190090.txt. 
  11. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  12. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US18169. 
  13. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0400000US18%7c0500000US18169. 
  14. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0400000US18%7c0500000US18169. 

External links[]

Coordinates: 40°51′N 85°47′W / 40.85, -85.79


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Wabash 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.
Advertisement