Union County, Indiana

Infobox U.S. County
county = Union County
state = Indiana


founded year = 1821
founded date =
seat wl = Liberty
largest city wl =
city type = town
area_total_sq_mi = 165
area_total_km2 = 428
area_land_sq_mi = 162
area_land_km2 = 418
area_water_sq_mi = 4
area_water_km2 = 10
area percentage = 2.24%
lat deg =
lat min =
long deg =
long min =
census yr = 2000
pop = 7349
density_sq_mi = 46
density_km2 = 18
time zone = Eastern
footnotes =
web =
named for =

Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population is 7,349. The county seat is LibertyGR|6.

History

Union County was formed in 1821. It was so named because it is the product of a union of parts of Fayette, Franklin and Wayne counties. The first settlers were from Laurens District, South Carolina. John Templeton was the first settler to enter land at the Cincinnati land office in what would become Harmony Township, Union County Indiana. The first county seat was Brownsville, a small town located on the East Fork of the Whitewater River. The seat was moved in 1824 to Liberty, a central location. The primary industry of Union County was and is farming.

Union County is the birthplace of Thomas Warren Bennett, Mary Alice Smith (Little Orphan Annie), Cincinnatus Hiner "Joaquin" Miller, Jay Hall Connaway, Major General Frederick Leroy Martin and Ambrose Burnside.

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.cite web|author=Indiana Code|url=http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar2/ch3.html |title=Title 36, Article 2, Section 3|accessdate=2008-09-16|publisher=IN.gov] cite web|author= Indiana Code |url= http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf |title= Title 2, Article 10, Section 2 |accessdate=2008-09-16|publisher=IN.gov]

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.

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.

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 any county government position are required to declare a party affiliation and be a resident of the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 165 square miles (428 km²), of which 162 square miles (418 km²) is land and 4 square miles (10 km²) (2.24%) is water.

Adjacent counties

*Wayne County (north)
*Preble County, Ohio (east)
*Butler County, Ohio (southeast)
*Franklin County (south)
*Fayette County (west)

Cities and towns

*Liberty
*West College Corner

Unincorporated

*Billingsville
*Brownsville
*Dunlapsville
*Kitchel
*Philomath
*Roseburg

Townships

*Brownsville
*Center
*Harmony
*Harrison
*Liberty
*Union

Major highways

*
*
*
*

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 7,349 people, 2,793 households, and 2,072 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 3,077 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.69% White, 0.23% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. 0.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 36.2% were of American, 24.9% German, 12.0% English and 8.9% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 2,793 households out of which 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.60% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.80% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.30% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,672, and the median income for a family was $41,752. Males had a median income of $31,859 versus $21,617 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,549. About 7.90% of families and 9.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.30% of those under age 18 and 6.40% of those age 65 or over.

References

*cite book
first = Richard L. (editor)
last = Forstall
year = 1996
title = Population of states and counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990 : from the twenty-one decennial censuses
publisher = United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division
id = ISBN 0-934213-48-8