Daviess County, Indiana

This article is about the county in Indiana. For other places with similar names, see Daviess County (disambiguation).

Daviess County, Indiana
Daviess County courthouse in Washington, Indiana
Location in the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 2, 1818
Named for	Joseph Hamilton Daveiss
Seat	Washington
Largest town	Washington
Area
• Total	436.87 sq mi (1,131 km2)
• Land	429.49 sq mi (1,112 km2)
• Water	7.39 sq mi (19 km2), 1.69%
Population
• (2010)	31,648
• Density	73/sq mi (28.37/km²)
Congressional district	8th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Footnotes:   Indiana county number 14 One of two Daviess Counties in the Illinois-Indiana-Kentucky Tri-State Area 29th oldest county in Indiana

Daviess County /ˈdeɪviːz/ is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 31,648. The county seat is Washington.

History

Daviess County was formed in 1817. It was named for Maj. Joseph Hamilton Daveiss, U.S. District Attorney for Kentucky, killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. The settlement of the county began along the White River that afforded farmers a convenient means to transport their crops for sale. The county was originally heavily forested in the northeast leading to a thriving timber industry during the first half of the 1800s. Daviess County shares its namesake with another nearby Daviess County of Kentucky. Both Counties are in the Illinois-Indiana-Kentucky Tri-State Area.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 436.87 square miles (1,131.5 km²), of which 429.49 square miles (1,112.4 km²) (or 98.31%) is land and 7.39 square miles (19.1 km²) (or 1.69%) is water.

Major highways

• I-69
• US 50
• US 150
• US 231
• SR 57
• SR 58
• SR 257
• SR 358

Adjacent counties

• Greene County (north)
• Martin County (east)
• Dubois County (southeast)
• Pike County (southwest)
• Knox County (west)

Cities and towns

Incorporated

Alfordsville Cannelburg Elnora Montgomery

Odon Plainville Washington

Unincorporated

Black Oak Capehart Cornettsville Corning Epsom Farlen

Glendale Graham Hudsonville Jordan Maysville

Pennyville Raglesville South Washington

Townships

Barr Bogard Elmore Harrison Madison

Reeve Steele Van Buren Veale Washington

Climate and weather

Washington, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.8     39 23     2.7     45 27     4.2     56 36     4.2     67 45     5.5     77 55     4.2     85 64     4.9     88 68     3.8     86 66     2.9     80 58     3.1     69 47     4.4     55 38     3.4     43 28 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     72     4 −5     68     7 −3     105     13 2     107     19 7     140     25 13     106     29 18     125     31 20     98     30 19     74     27 14     79     21 8     111     13 3     86     6 −2 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Washington have ranged from a low of 23 °F (−5 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −19 °F (−28 °C) was recorded in December 1989 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1930. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.69 inches (68 mm) in February to 5.52 inches (140 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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

Each of the townships has a trustee who administers rural fire protection and ambulance service, provides poor relief, manages cemetery care, and performs farm assessment, among other duties. The trustee is assisted in these duties by a three-member township board. The trustees and board members are elected to four-year terms.

Daviess County is part of Indiana's 8th congressional district; Indiana Senate districts 39 and 48; and Indiana House of Representatives districts 45, 63 and 64.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	3,432		—
1830	4,543		32.4%
1840	6,720		47.9%
1850	10,352		54.0%
1860	13,323		28.7%
1870	16,747		25.7%
1880	21,552		28.7%
1890	26,227		21.7%
1900	29,914		14.1%
1910	27,747		−7.2%
1920	26,856		−3.2%
1930	25,832		−3.8%
1940	26,163		1.3%
1950	26,762		2.3%
1960	26,636		−0.5%
1970	26,602		−0.1%
1980	27,836		4.6%
1990	27,533		−1.1%
2000	29,820		8.3%
2010	31,648		6.1%
Est. 2014	32,729		3.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 31,648 people, 11,329 households, and 8,116 families residing in the county. The population density was 73.7 inhabitants per square mile (28.5/km²). There were 12,471 housing units at an average density of 29.0 per square mile (11.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.0% white, 0.5% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 2.6% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.4% were German, 13.1% were Irish, 10.8% were American, and 10.6% were English.

Of the 11,329 households, 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.4% were non-families, and 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.29. The median age was 35.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $53,769. Males had a median income of $36,405 versus $29,652 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,254. About 7.6% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

See also

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

External links

The Daviess County Historical Society website is [1]