Lawrence County, Indiana

Lawrence County, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	1818
Named for	James Lawrence
Seat	Bedford
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	451.93 sq mi (1,170 km²) 449.17 sq mi (1,163 km²) 2.76 sq mi (7 km²), 0.61%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	46,134 103/sq mi (39.69/km²)
Congressional district	4th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Footnotes:   Indiana county number 47

Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 46,134. The county seat is Bedford.

History

Lawrence County was formed in 1818 from Orange County. It was named for Capt. James Lawrence, who uttered the famous words "Don't give up the ship" after being mortally wounded during the War of 1812.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 451.93 square miles (1,170.5 km²), of which 449.17 square miles (1,163.3 km²) (or 99.39%) is land and 2.76 square miles (7.1 km²) (or 0.61%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Monroe County (north)
• Jackson County (east)
• Washington County (southeast)
• Orange County (south)
• Martin County (west)
• Greene County (northwest)

Major highways

• U.S. Route 50
• Indiana State Road 37
• Indiana State Road 54
• Indiana State Road 58
• Indiana State Road 60
• Indiana State Road 158
• Indiana State Road 446

National protected area

• Hoosier National Forest (part)

Cities and towns

Incorporated

• Bedford
• Mitchell
• Oolitic

Unincorporated

• Bono
• Buddha
• Fayetteville
• Judah
• Pinhook
• Springville
• Williams
• Needmore
• Peerless
• Avoca

Townships

• Bono
• Guthrie
• Indian Creek
• Marion
• Marshall
• Perry
• Pleasant Run
• Shawswick
• Spice Valley

Local Sights

• Joe Palooka Statue- a statue of a comic strip character Joe Palooka, dedicated in 1948, is located near the town hall in Oolitic.

Native Astronauts

Lawrence County has had several native residents that have become astronauts over the years. They include:

• Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, killed in the Apollo 1 accident
• Charles Walker
• Kenneth Bowersox

The Virgil I. Gus Grissom Memorial, located just inside of Spring Mill State Park near Mitchell, contains many mementos of Grissom's career, including the space capsule he commanded, "The Molly Brown", from Gemini 3, and the space suit worn during his Mercury Liberty Bell 7 mission.

Climate and weather

Bedford, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.8   37 18     2.7   43 22     3.8   53 31     4.5   64 40     5   74 51     4.1   82 60     4.5   86 64     4.2   85 62     3.1   79 53     3.2   67 41     3.9   54 33     3.3   42 23 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     70   3 -8     69   6 -6     96   12 -1     114   18 4     128   23 11     104   28 16     115   30 18     107   29 17     79   26 12     82   19 5     100   12 1     84   6 -5 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Bedford have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −29 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 111 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1930. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.70 inches (69 mm) in February to 5.04 inches (128 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 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.

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.

Lawrence County is part of Indiana's 4th congressional district; Indiana Senate district 44; and Indiana House of Representatives districts 62 and 65.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	4,116		—
1830	9,234		124.3%
1840	11,782		27.6%
1850	12,097		2.7%
1860	13,692		13.2%
1870	14,628		6.8%
1880	18,543		26.8%
1890	19,792		6.7%
1900	25,729		30.0%
1910	30,625		19.0%
1920	28,228		−7.8%
1930	35,583		26.1%
1940	35,045		−1.5%
1950	34,346		−2.0%
1960	36,564		6.5%
1970	38,038		4.0%
1980	42,472		11.7%
1990	42,836		0.9%
2000	45,922		7.2%
2010	46,134		0.5%
Sources: United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division Census Quickfacts

As of the census of 2000, there were 45,922 people, 18,535 households, and 13,141 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile (40/km²). There were 20,560 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile (18/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.92% White, 0.39% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 0.91% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.9% were of American, 15.3% German, 14.3% English and 10.9% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 18,535 households out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.50% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.10% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,280, and the median income for a family was $43,109. Males had a median income of $34,167 versus $21,647 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,653. About 7.30% of families and 9.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.60% of those under age 18 and 8.50% of those age 65 or over.

Lawrence County is the hometown of several astronauts. Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom was born and raised in Mitchell. Charles "Charlie" Walker was born and raised in Oolitic. Although he was born in Virginia, Kenneth "Kenny" Bowersox considers Bedford to be his hometown since that is where he was raised.

See also

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