| China, Indiana | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
  China  China | |
| Coordinates: 38°49′33″N85°20′18″W / 38.82583°N 85.33833°W Coordinates: 38°49′33″N85°20′18″W / 38.82583°N 85.33833°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Jefferson |
| Township | Shelby |
| Elevation | 571 ft (174 m) |
| ZIP code | 47250 |
| FIPS code | 18-12520 [1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 432479 [2] |
China is an unincorporated community in Shelby Township, Jefferson County, Indiana. It spans Shelby and Madison Townships and was for years largely defined by the existence of a general store in Madison Township and the former St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Shelby township. Razor's Fork runs between the two sections. Indiana State Road 62 runs parallel to Razor's Fork in Madison Township, and then crosses the stream and heads north to Canaan.
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not governed by a local municipal corporation; similarly an unincorporated community is a settlement that is not governed by its own local municipal corporation, but rather is administered as part of larger administrative divisions, such as a township, parish, borough, county, city, canton, state, province or country. Occasionally, municipalities dissolve or disincorporate, which may happen if they become fiscally insolvent, and services become the responsibility of a higher administration. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. In most other countries of the world, there are either no unincorporated areas at all, or these are very rare; typically remote, outlying, sparsely populated or uninhabited areas.
Shelby Township is one of ten townships in Jefferson County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,133 and it contained 453 housing units.
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2017, the population was 32,565. The county seat is Madison.
A post office called China was established in 1833, and remained in operation until 1902. [3] The origin of the name China is disputed. Some say the community derives its name from Father Chine, while others believe the presence of chinaberries caused the name to be selected. [4]
