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Hancock County, Indiana
Hancock Courthouse 8387
Hancock County courthouse in Greenfield
Map of Indiana highlighting Hancock County
Location in the state of Indiana
Map of the U.S
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded 1 March 1828
Named for John Hancock
Seat Greenfield
Largest city Greenfield
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

307.02 sq mi (795 km²)
306.02 sq mi (793 km²)
1.01 sq mi (3 km²), 0.33%
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

79,840
249/sq mi (96.3/km²)
Congressional district 6th
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.hancockcoingov.org
Footnotes: Indiana county number 30

Hancock County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 79,840.[1] The county seat is Greenfield.[2]

Hancock County is included in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area

Geography[]

The terrain of Hancock County is low rolling hills, sloping to the south and southwest, carved by drainages. All available area is devoted to agriculture or urban development.[3] The highest point is a small prominence in NW Shirley, at 1,040' (317m) ASL.[4] According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 307.02 square miles (795.2 km2), of which 306.02 square miles (792.6 km2) (or 99.67%) is land and 1.01 square miles (2.6 km2) (or 0.33%) is water.[5]

Adjacent counties[]

Major highways[]

  • I-70 Interstate 70
  • US 36 U.S. Route 36
  • US 40 U.S. Route 40
  • US 52 U.S. Route 52
  • Indiana 9 State Road 9
  • Indiana 13 State Road 13
  • Indiana 67 State Road 67
  • Indiana 109 State Road 109
  • Indiana 234 State Road 234
  • Indiana 238 State Road 238

Airport[]

  • KMQJ - Indianapolis Regional Airport

History[]

Indiana was admitted as a state to the United States on 11 December 1816, although much of its territory was still disputed or held by native peoples at that time. These indigenous claims were quickly reduced and removed by various treaties. The 1818 Treaty with the Delaware Indians brought most of central Indiana into state control, and Madison County was organized on a portion of that area. The lower portion of Madison County was quickly settled, and by the late 1820s the inhabitants were petitioning for a separate county government. Accordingly, a portion of the county was partitioned on 1 March 1828, to form Hancock County. Greenfield was named as the county seat on 11 April. The county name recognized John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, who had signed his name prominently to the Declaration of Independence in 1776.[6][7] The county has retained its original borders since its 1828 creation.

Climate and weather[]

Climate chart for Greenfield, Indiana
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
2.47
 
34
17
 
 
2.37
 
39
20
 
 
3.33
 
50
30
 
 
4.07
 
62
40
 
 
4.69
 
73
51
 
 
4.48
 
82
61
 
 
4.85
 
85
64
 
 
4.01
 
84
62
 
 
3.16
 
78
55
 
 
3.05
 
65
43
 
 
3.88
 
51
33
 
 
3.07
 
39
23
temperatures in °Cprecipitation totals in mm
source: The Weather Channel[8]

In recent years, average temperatures in Greenfield 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 −29 °F (−33.9 °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 2.37 inches (60 mm) in February to 4.85 inches (123 mm) in July.[8]

Government[]

Hancock County Sheriff's Department
Agency overview
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction Hancock County, Indiana, Indiana, United States
Legal jurisdiction As per operations jurisdiction
General nature
  • Local civilian police
Operational structure
Agency executive
  • Michael Shepherd, Sheriff
Facilities
Notables
Website

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 legislative branch of the county government; controls the county's spending and revenue collection. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve staggered 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.[9][10]

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners carry out the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.[9][10]

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.[10]

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. They are elected to four-year terms. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.[10]

Hancock County is part of Indiana's 5th congressional district; Indiana Senate district 28;[11] and Indiana House of Representatives districts 29 and 53.[12]

Public health and law enforcement[]

On February 19, 2020, it was announced that Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton intends to prosecute victims of drug overdoses with felony drug possession charges. To do so, his plan is to use the administration of Narcan (an overdose-reversal nasal spray) by a police officer as probable cause for search warrants requiring the overdose victim to provide an oral swab for law enforcement to aid in the county's prosecution of the victim for felony drug possession charges. In fact, Eaton created a one-page Hancock County Overdose Report form for officers to fill out when they turn in an affidavit for a search warrant.[13]

United States presidential election results for Hancock County, Indiana[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 28,996 67.40% 12,895 29.97% 1,129 2.62%
2016 25,074 68.76% 8,904 24.42% 2,490 6.83%
2012 22,796 69.41% 9,319 28.37% 728 2.22%
2008 22,008 64.25% 11,874 34.67% 371 1.08%
2004 20,771 74.54% 6,912 24.80% 184 0.66%
2000 15,943 69.47% 6,503 28.34% 504 2.20%
1996 12,907 60.23% 6,123 28.57% 2,398 11.19%
1992 11,072 53.65% 4,752 23.02% 4,815 23.33%
1988 13,374 71.21% 5,355 28.51% 51 0.27%
1984 12,880 73.58% 4,550 25.99% 74 0.42%
1980 12,093 66.67% 5,124 28.25% 921 5.08%
1976 10,072 61.31% 6,191 37.69% 164 1.00%
1972 11,019 77.87% 3,069 21.69% 62 0.44%
1968 7,516 56.23% 3,902 29.19% 1,948 14.57%
1964 6,370 49.03% 6,573 50.59% 50 0.38%
1960 7,543 60.21% 4,930 39.35% 55 0.44%
1956 6,962 59.93% 4,600 39.60% 55 0.47%
1952 6,964 59.94% 4,539 39.07% 116 1.00%
1948 4,721 48.05% 4,948 50.36% 157 1.60%
1944 5,139 51.71% 4,652 46.81% 147 1.48%
1940 5,283 48.98% 5,417 50.23% 85 0.79%
1936 4,174 41.00% 5,962 58.57% 44 0.43%
1932 4,055 40.22% 5,836 57.89% 190 1.88%
1928 4,788 56.49% 3,626 42.78% 62 0.73%
1924 4,063 47.27% 4,364 50.77% 168 1.95%
1920 4,422 46.16% 4,958 51.76% 199 2.08%
1916 2,138 41.56% 2,779 54.02% 227 4.41%
1912 738 14.77% 2,594 51.90% 1,666 33.33%
1908 2,472 43.50% 3,040 53.49% 171 3.01%
1904 2,633 46.39% 2,806 49.44% 237 4.18%
1900 2,295 43.03% 2,930 54.93% 109 2.04%
1896 2,236 43.22% 2,886 55.79% 51 0.99%
1892 1,932 42.65% 2,329 51.41% 269 5.94%
1888 1,986 44.68% 2,376 53.45% 83 1.87%



Education[]

Hancock County is served by two library systems, the Fortville-Vernon Township Public Library and Hancock County Public Library.[15]

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1830 1,436
1840 7,535 424.7%
1850 9,698 28.7%
1860 12,802 32.0%
1870 15,123 18.1%
1880 17,123 13.2%
1890 17,829 4.1%
1900 19,189 7.6%
1910 19,030 −0.8%
1920 17,210 −9.6%
1930 16,605 −3.5%
1940 17,302 4.2%
1950 20,332 17.5%
1960 26,665 31.1%
1970 35,096 31.6%
1980 43,939 25.2%
1990 45,527 3.6%
2000 55,391 21.7%
2010 70,002 26.4%
US Decennial Census[16]
1790-1960[17] 1900-1990[18]
1990-2000[19] 2010-2020[1]

2010 Census[]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 70,002 people, 26,304 households, and 19,792 families in the county.[20] The population density was 228.8 inhabitants per square mile (88.3 /km2). There were 28,125 housing units at an average density of 91.9 per square mile (35.5 /km2).[5] The racial makeup of the county was 95.2% white, 2.1% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.7% of the population.[20] In terms of ancestry, 26.2% were German, 13.9% were Irish, 11.8% were English, and 11.8% were American.[21]

Of the 26,304 households, 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.8% were non-families, and 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 39.1 years.[20]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $69,734. Males had a median income of $53,565 versus $38,042 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,017. About 5.9% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.[22]

Cities and towns[]

  • Cumberland (extends into Marion County)
  • Fortville
  • Greenfield
  • McCordsville
  • New Palestine
  • Shirley (extends into Henry County)
  • Spring Lake
  • Wilkinson

Townships[]

  • Blue River
  • Brandywine
  • Brown
  • Buck Creek
  • Center
  • Green
  • Jackson
  • Sugar Creek
  • Vernon

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Brookville Heights
  • Carrollton
  • Charlottesville (extends into Rush County)
  • Cleveland
  • Eden
  • Finly (also known as Carrollton)
  • Gem
  • Maxwell
  • Milners Corner
  • Mohawk
  • Mount Comfort
  • Nashville
  • Philadelphia
  • Pleasant Acres
  • Riley
  • Stringtown
  • Warrington
  • Westland
  • Willow Branch
  • Woodbury

See also[]

  • Daily Reporter, daily newspaper covering Hancock County (published in Greenfield)
  • Edward E. Moore, Indiana state senator and Los Angeles City Council member
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Hancock County, Indiana

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Hancock County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/18059.html. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ "Hancock County IN" (Google Maps - accessed 27 December 2019)
  4. ^ "Hancock County IN" (peakbagger.com - accessed 27 December 2019)
  5. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US18059. 
  6. ^ De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & co.. pp. 561. https://archive.org/details/anillustratedhi02tuttgoog. 
  7. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off.. p. 148. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ. 
  8. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Greenfield IN". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIN0252. 
  9. ^ a b Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar2/ch3.html. 
  10. ^ a b c d Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2". IN.gov. http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf. 
  11. ^ "Indiana Senate Districts". State of Indiana. http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/3006.htm. 
  12. ^ "Indiana House Districts". State of Indiana. http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/3005.htm. 
  13. ^ "Naloxone Now Used as Evidence to Prosecute Indiana OD Victims" (in en-US). 2020-02-19. https://filtermag.org/overdose-prosecution-indiana-naloxone-hancock/. 
  14. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 
  15. ^ "Indiana public library directory". Indiana State Library. https://www.in.gov/library/files/countyindex13.pdf. 
  16. ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  17. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  18. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/in190090.txt. 
  19. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". US Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  20. ^ a b c "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US18059. 
  21. ^ "Selected Social Characteristics in the US – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0400000US18%7c0500000US18059. 
  22. ^ "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0400000US18%7c0500000US18059. 

External links[]

Coordinates: 39°49′N 85°46′W / 39.82, -85.77


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