White County, Indiana

For other uses, see White County (disambiguation).

White County
County
White County Courthouse in Monticello
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°45′N86°52′W / 40.75°N 86.86°W / 40.75; -86.86
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	February 1, 1834 (authorized)
Named for	Isaac White
Seat	Monticello
Largest city	Monticello
Area
• Total	508.68 sq mi (1,317.5 km2)
• Land	505.12 sq mi (1,308.3 km2)
• Water	3.56 sq mi (9.2 km2)  0.70%
Population  (2020)
• Total	24,688
• Estimate  (2023)	24,917
• Density	49/sq mi (19/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	www.whitecountyin.us
Indiana county number 91

White County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 24,688. ^[1] The county seat (and only incorporated city) is Monticello. ^[2]

History

The first white settlers ^[3] in the future White County arrived in the land west of Tippecanoe River in 1829, and in other parts of the county in 1831. This area was part of Carroll County during that period.

By 1833, so many settlers had entered the area that the state legislature were pressured to have a separate county created. On February 1, 1834, the state approved the creation of this county, directing that it be named for Isaac White, a colonel in the Illinois militia. White was a mining geologist who was in charge of the salt works in Equality, Illinois, and was a close friend to Governor William Henry Harrison of the Northwest Territory, and to Joseph Hamilton Daveiss, U.S. District Attorney for Kentucky. In 1811, when Harrison declined the offer of Illinois troops to march on Tecumseh's village at Prophetstown, White enlisted as a private in the Indiana dragoons, which had been placed under the command of Daveiss. Both were killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe, and were buried in a common grave. ^[4]

Interim commissioners were named and directed to organize the county during the summer of 1834, and to choose a county seat in September. They did so on September 5, 1834, naming Monticello as the future seat, due to its central location. While the county was being organized, it was attached to Carroll County for administrative and judicial purposes.

Alterations were made to the county's boundaries on December 24, 1834, on February 4, 1837, and on February 14, 1839. In addition, the counties of Jasper (1837), Pulaski (1839), Newton (1839), and Benton (1840) removed significant portions of the county's territory. The borders have remained unchanged since 1840. ^[5]

Geography

The low, rolling hills of White County are entirely devoted to agriculture or to urban development. ^[6] The Tippecanoe River flows southward through the central part of the county. The highest point on the terrain (770 feet/230 meters ASL) is a gentle rise about 2.8 miles (4.5 km) SSE from Wolcott. ^[7]

According to the 2010 United States Census, the county has a total area of 508.68 square miles (1,317.5 km²), of which 505.12 square miles (1,308.3 km²) (or 99.30%) is land and 3.56 square miles (9.2 km²) (or 0.70%) is water. ^[8]

Adjacent counties

• Pulaski County - north
• Cass County - east
• Carroll County - southeast
• Tippecanoe County - south
• Benton County - west
• Jasper County - northwest/CST Border

City and towns

• Brookston (town)
• Burnettsville (town)
• Chalmers (town)
• Monon (town)
• Monticello (city/county seat)
• Reynolds (town)
• Wolcott (town)

Census-designated places

• Buffalo
• Idaville
• Norway

Unincorporated places

• Badger Grove
• Bell Center
• Cedar Point
• East Monticello
• Golden Hill
• Guernsey
• Headlee
• Indiana Beach
• Lee
• Round Grove
• Seafield
• Sitka
• Smithson
• Springboro

Townships

• Big Creek
• Cass
• Honey Creek
• Jackson
• Liberty
• Lincoln
• Monon
• Prairie
• Princeton
• Round Grove
• Union
• West Point

Major highways

• Interstate 65
• U.S. Route 24
• U.S. Route 231
• U.S. Route 421
• Indiana State Road 16
• Indiana State Road 18
• Indiana State Road 39
• Indiana State Road 43
• Indiana State Road 119

Railroads

• CSX Transportation
• Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway

Climate and weather

Monticello, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2     33 17     1.9     39 21     2.9     51 31     3.5     64 40     3.9     74 50     4.1     83 60     4.2     86 63     4     84 61     2.9     78 53     2.7     66 42     3.1     51 33     2.7     38 23 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel [9]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     51     1 −8     49     4 −6     75     11 −1     88     18 4     99     23 10     103     28 16     106     30 17     101     29 16     75     26 12     69     19 6     79     11 1     68     3 −5 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Monticello have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1963 and a record high of 107 °F (42 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.94 inches (49 mm) in February to 4.16 inches (106 mm) in July. ^[9]

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 legislative branch of the county government; controls spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected to four-year terms from county districts. They set salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council 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. ^{[10] [11]}

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county; commissioners are elected county-wide, to staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners execute acts legislated by the council, collect revenue, and manage the county government. ^{[10] [11]}

Court: The county maintains a small claims court that handles 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. ^[11]

County Officials: The county has other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. These officers 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. ^[11]

United States presidential election results for White County, Indiana ^[12]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	7,969	71.30%	2,945	26.35%	262	2.34%
2020	7,957	71.13%	3,032	27.10%	198	1.77%
2016	6,893	68.27%	2,590	25.65%	613	6.07%
2012	5,970	60.09%	3,637	36.61%	328	3.30%
2008	5,731	53.04%	4,839	44.78%	235	2.17%
2004	6,974	67.28%	3,277	31.61%	115	1.11%
2000	6,037	60.96%	3,655	36.90%	212	2.14%
1996	4,642	47.87%	3,396	35.02%	1,660	17.12%
1992	4,622	45.22%	2,988	29.23%	2,611	25.55%
1988	6,220	65.38%	3,256	34.23%	37	0.39%
1984	7,279	69.33%	3,157	30.07%	63	0.60%
1980	6,999	64.48%	3,247	29.91%	609	5.61%
1976	6,287	60.63%	3,963	38.22%	119	1.15%
1972	7,419	73.19%	2,675	26.39%	43	0.42%
1968	5,932	57.56%	3,395	32.95%	978	9.49%
1964	5,015	47.97%	5,407	51.72%	33	0.32%
1960	6,678	62.93%	3,914	36.88%	20	0.19%
1956	6,708	67.42%	3,219	32.36%	22	0.22%
1952	6,795	67.60%	3,211	31.94%	46	0.46%
1948	4,911	55.72%	3,849	43.67%	53	0.60%
1944	5,039	58.25%	3,570	41.27%	41	0.47%
1940	5,189	55.15%	4,176	44.38%	44	0.47%
1936	4,245	45.89%	4,863	52.57%	142	1.54%
1932	3,484	40.55%	4,976	57.91%	132	1.54%
1928	4,534	60.01%	2,980	39.44%	42	0.56%
1924	4,475	56.36%	3,138	39.52%	327	4.12%
1920	4,871	58.57%	3,375	40.58%	71	0.85%
1916	2,442	50.66%	2,262	46.93%	116	2.41%
1912	1,613	34.77%	2,059	44.38%	967	20.85%
1908	2,423	49.26%	2,326	47.29%	170	3.46%
1904	2,679	53.02%	2,096	41.48%	278	5.50%
1900	2,562	49.13%	2,510	48.13%	143	2.74%
1896	2,383	47.57%	2,537	50.65%	89	1.78%
1892	1,807	44.04%	1,896	46.21%	400	9.75%
1888	1,942	48.01%	2,017	49.86%	86	2.13%

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	1,832		—
1850	4,761		159.9%
1860	8,258		73.5%
1870	10,554		27.8%
1880	13,795		30.7%
1890	15,671		13.6%
1900	19,138		22.1%
1910	17,602		−8.0%
1920	17,351		−1.4%
1930	15,831		−8.8%
1940	17,037		7.6%
1950	18,042		5.9%
1960	19,709		9.2%
1970	20,995		6.5%
1980	23,867		13.7%
1990	23,265		−2.5%
2000	25,267		8.6%
2010	24,643		−2.5%
2020	24,688		0.2%
2023 (est.)	24,917	[13]	0.9%
US Decennial Census [14] 1790-1960 [15] 1900-1990 [16] 1990-2000 [17] 2010 [18]

2010 Census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 24,643 people, 9,741 households, and 6,849 families in the county. ^[19] The population density was 48.8 inhabitants per square mile (18.8/km²). There were 12,970 housing units at an average density of 25.7 per square mile (9.9/km²). ^[8] The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 3.7% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.1% of the population. ^[19] In terms of ancestry, 27.0% were German, 13.3% were Irish, 9.7% were English, and 8.4% were American. ^[20]

Of the 9,741 households, 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.7% were non-families, and 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 41.9 years. ^[19]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $52,626. Males had a median income of $39,715 versus $28,880 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,323. About 7.7% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over. ^[21]

Education

Public schools in White County are administered by the Frontier School Corporation, North White School Corporation, Tri-County School Corporation and Twin Lakes School Corporation.

High schools and middle schools

• Tri-County Middle/Senior High School ^[22]
• Frontier Junior-Senior High School ^[23]
• North White High School ^[24]
• North White Middle School ^[25]
• Roosevelt Middle School ^[26]
• Twin Lakes High School ^[27]

Elementary Schools

• Eastlawn Elementary School ^[28]
• Frontier Elementary School ^[29]
• Meadowlawn Elementary School ^[30]
• Monon Elementary School ^[31]
• Oaklawn Elementary School ^[32]
• Tri-County Intermediate School ^[33]

See also

• Meadow Lake Wind Farm
• National Register of Historic Places listings in White County, Indiana

References

1. "White County, Indiana". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 7, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "It is generally claimed that Joseph H. Thompson was the first white man to make settlement within the present boundaries of the county. He located in what is now Big Creek Township in the spring of 1829." (Pioneers Ante-dating County Organization, Hamelle, 1915.)
4. "IBC: White County". IN.gov. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
5. Hamelle, W.H., ed. (1915). A Standard History of White County Indiana: An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with an Extended Survey of Modern Developments in the Progress of Town and Country. Chicago and New York: Lewis Publishing Co. Archived from the original on October 10, 2006. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
6. "White County · Indiana". White County · Indiana. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
7. "White County High Point - Peakbagger.com". www.peakbagger.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
8. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
9. "Monthly Averages for Monticello IN". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
10. Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
11. Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 27, 2004. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
12. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
13. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
14. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
15. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
16. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
17. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
18. "White County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
19. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
20. "Selected SocialCharacteristics in the US – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
21. "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
22. Tri-County Middle/Senior High School
23. "FHS - Frontier Schools". Archived from the original on October 6, 2006.
24. North White High School
25. North White Middle School
26. Roosevelt Middle School
27. Twin Lakes High School
28. Twinlakes K12
29. Frontier Elementary School
30. Meadowlawn Elementary School
31. Monon Elementary School
32. Oaklawn Elementary School
33. Tri-County Intermediate School

External links

40°45′N86°52′W / 40.75°N 86.86°W / 40.75; -86.86