Grant County, Indiana

Grant County is a county in central Indiana in the United States Midwest. At the time of the 2020 census, the population was 66,674.^[1] The county seat is Marion.^[2]

Grant County
County
Grant County Courthouse in Marion
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°31′N 85°39′W
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	1831
Named for	Samuel and Moses Grant
Seat	Marion
Largest city	Marion
Area
• Total	414.90 sq mi (1,074.6 km2)
• Land	414.07 sq mi (1,072.4 km2)
• Water	0.82 sq mi (2.1 km2)  0.20%
Population  (2020)
• Total	66,674
• Density	159/sq mi (61.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	5th
Website	www.grantcounty.net
Indiana county number 27

Important paleontological discoveries, dating from the Pliocene epoch, have been made at the Pipe Creek Sinkhole in Grant County.^{[citation needed]}

History

Grant County was formed in 1831 by settlers from Kentucky and Virginia. It was named after Captains Samuel and Moses Grant of Kentucky, who were killed fighting indigenous warriors north of the Ohio River.^[3] Their home county was also named after them, Grant County, Kentucky.

In 1831, Martin Boots and David Branson each donated 30 acres of land to begin a settlement called Marion. This land was on the north side of a fast-flowing and scenic river which the Miami Indians called Mississinewa. Marion was designated as the County Seat.^[4] As the county was developed for agriculture, the County Seat became a center of trade and business, as well as government and the court system.

On August 7, 1930, a mob of an estimated 5,000 people took three African-American men, Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, both 19, and James Cameron, 16, from the county jail. They were suspects in a robbery/murder and rape. The first two were hanged from trees in the courthouse square. Cameron was spared and later became a civil rights activist. This was the last lynching in Indiana.^[5]

In 1982, Stephen Johnson was elected as Grant County's first full-time prosecutor. He served for five terms, from 1983 through 2002.

Geography

Grant County consists of low rolling hills, covered with vegetation and devoted to agriculture or urban development.^[6] The Mississinewa River flows northwesterly through the center of the county toward Mississinewa Lake in adjacent Miami County. The highest terrain consists of two rises in southeast Upland, at 950 ft (290 m) ASL.^[7] According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 414.90 square miles (1,074.6 km²), of which 414.07 square miles (1,072.4 km²) (or 99.80%) is land and 0.82 square miles (2.1 km²) (or 0.20%) is water.^[8]

Aerial view of Marion

Adjacent counties

Grant County shares a border with nine neighboring counties, more than any other county in Indiana.

• Huntington County - northeast
• Wells County - northeast
• Blackford County - east
• Delaware County - southeast
• Madison County - south
• Tipton County - southwest
• Howard County - west
• Miami County - northwest
• Wabash County - northwest

Transit

• Marion Transit System

Major highways

• I-69 - Interstate Highway
• US 35 - Federal Highway
• SR 5 - State Highway
• SR 9 - State Highway
• SR 13 - State Highway
• SR 15 - State Highway
• SR 18 - State Highway
• SR 19 - State Highway
• SR 22 - State Highway
• SR 26 - State Highway
• SR 37 - State Highway

Climate and weather

Marion, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.2     32 16     2     37 19     3     48 28     3.6     60 38     4.3     72 49     3.9     81 59     4.7     85 63     3.7     82 61     2.8     76 53     2.6     64 42     3.4     50 33     2.9     37 22 █ 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     55     0 −9     52     3 −7     76     9 −2     91     16 3     109     22 9     100     27 15     120     29 17     93     28 16     72     24 12     66     18 6     85     10 1     72     3 −6 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Marion have ranged from a low of 16 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 108 °F (42 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.03 inches (52 mm) in February to 4.73 inches (120 mm) in July.^[9]

Government

See also: Government of Indiana

The county government is a constitutional body, granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana and the Indiana Code.

County Council: The legislative branch of the county government; controls spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives, elected to four-year terms from county districts, 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.^[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 are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.^[10][11]

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.^[11]

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor and circuit court clerk, 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]

Grant County is part of Indiana's 5th congressional district; Indiana Senate districts 17, 19 and 21;^[12] and Indiana House of Representatives districts 31, 32 and 82.^[13]

United States presidential election results for Grant County, Indiana^[14][15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	18,543	68.10%	8,015	29.43%	672	2.47%
2016	17,008	66.51%	7,010	27.41%	1,554	6.08%
2012	15,151	59.82%	9,589	37.86%	589	2.33%
2008	14,734	55.93%	11,293	42.87%	317	1.20%
2004	18,769	68.35%	8,509	30.99%	182	0.66%
2000	16,153	61.22%	9,712	36.81%	521	1.97%
1996	13,443	50.77%	9,818	37.08%	3,217	12.15%
1992	13,806	48.04%	9,211	32.05%	5,721	19.91%
1988	18,441	62.79%	10,799	36.77%	131	0.45%
1984	20,482	66.78%	9,986	32.56%	205	0.67%
1980	19,078	61.72%	10,390	33.61%	1,441	4.66%
1976	16,847	55.14%	13,468	44.08%	239	0.78%
1972	20,969	72.41%	7,912	27.32%	77	0.27%
1968	16,170	52.46%	10,938	35.48%	3,718	12.06%
1964	14,688	45.20%	17,574	54.08%	232	0.71%
1960	19,021	57.92%	13,642	41.54%	178	0.54%
1956	17,548	64.50%	9,455	34.75%	203	0.75%
1952	16,678	59.73%	10,646	38.13%	599	2.15%
1948	13,138	50.31%	12,212	46.76%	765	2.93%
1944	14,527	55.07%	11,031	41.82%	821	3.11%
1940	15,187	52.77%	13,257	46.06%	335	1.16%
1936	11,774	44.84%	13,655	52.00%	831	3.16%
1932	11,398	43.90%	13,390	51.58%	1,173	4.52%
1928	14,659	65.98%	7,273	32.74%	284	1.28%
1924	11,173	55.10%	7,086	34.95%	2,017	9.95%
1920	12,349	55.12%	7,900	35.26%	2,156	9.62%
1916	6,059	43.38%	5,827	41.72%	2,081	14.90%
1912	3,939	30.22%	4,390	33.68%	4,707	36.11%
1908	7,181	49.42%	5,819	40.05%	1,531	10.54%
1904	9,550	58.27%	4,668	28.48%	2,170	13.24%
1900	8,832	57.79%	5,312	34.76%	1,140	7.46%
1896	7,723	58.95%	5,072	38.72%	305	2.33%
1892	4,916	52.21%	3,590	38.13%	909	9.65%
1888	3,929	53.87%	2,990	41.00%	374	5.13%

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	4,875		—
1850	11,092		127.5%
1860	15,797		42.4%
1870	18,487		17.0%
1880	23,618		27.8%
1890	31,493		33.3%
1900	54,693		73.7%
1910	51,426		−6.0%
1920	51,353		−0.1%
1930	51,066		−0.6%
1940	55,813		9.3%
1950	62,156		11.4%
1960	75,741		21.9%
1970	83,955		10.8%
1980	80,934		−3.6%
1990	74,169		−8.4%
2000	73,403		−1.0%
2010	70,061		−4.6%
2020	66,674		−4.8%
2023 (est.)	66,200	[16]	−0.7%
US Decennial Census[17] 1790-1960[18] 1900-1990[19] 1990-2000[20] 2010-2013[1]

2020 census

Grant County Racial Composition^[21]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	54,500	81.7%
Black or African American (NH)	4,566	6.8%
Native American (NH)	157	0.23%
Asian (NH)	524	0.8%
Pacific Islander (NH)	22	0.03%
Other/Mixed (NH)	3,493	5.2%
Hispanic or Latino	3,412	5%

2010 United States Census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 70,061 people, 27,245 households, and 18,000 families in the county.^[8] The population density was 169.2 inhabitants per square mile (65.3/km²). There were 30,443 housing units at an average density of 73.5 per square mile (28.4/km²).^[22] The racial makeup of the county was 88.2% white, 7.0% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 1.4% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.6% of the population.^[8] In terms of ancestry, 19.5% were German, 12.4% were American, 10.0% were Irish, and 9.0% were English.^[23]

Of the 27,245 households, 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.9% were non-families, and 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 39.5 years.^[8]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $49,860. Males had a median income of $40,146 versus $28,588 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,792. About 12.0% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.0% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.^[24]

Localities

Cities

• Gas City
• Jonesboro
• Marion

Towns

• Fairmount
• Fowlerton
• Matthews
• Swayzee
• Sweetser
• Upland
• Van Buren

Census-designated places

• Herbst
• Jalapa
• Landess
• Mier
• Point Isabel
• Sims

Unincorporated communities

• Arcana
• Cole
• Farrville
• Fox
• Friendly Corner
• Hackleman
• Hanfield
• Jadden
• Michaelsville
• Normal
• Radley
• Rigdon
• Roseburg
• Weaver

Townships

• Center
• Fairmount
• Franklin
• Green
• Jefferson
• Liberty
• Mill
• Monroe
• Pleasant
• Richland
• Sims
• Van Buren
• Washington

Education

School districts include:^[25]

• Eastbrook Community School Corporation
• Madison-Grant United School Corporation
• Marion Community Schools
• Mississinewa Community School Corporation
• Oak Hill United School Corporation

See also

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

References

1. "Grant County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 14.
4. Grant County History, Grant County website
5. David Bradley, "Anatomy of a Murder", The Nation, May 24, 2006; accessed June 1, 2018.
6. Grant County IN (Google Maps, accessed 20 January 2020)
7. Grant County High Point, Indiana (PeakBagger.com, accessed 20 January 2020)
8. "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.
9. "Monthly Averages for Marion 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. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
12. "Indiana Senate Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
13. "Indiana House Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
14. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
15. The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 2,185 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 1,323 votes, Prohibition candidate Eugene Chafin received 1,015 votes, and Socialist Labor candidate Arthur Reimer received 184 votes.
16. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
17. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
18. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
19. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
20. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
21. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Grant County, Indiana".
22. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
23. "Selected Social Characteristics 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.
24. "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.
25. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Grant County, IN" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 22, 2022. - Text list

40.52°N 85.65°W / 40.52; -85.65