Martin County
County
Martin County Courthouse
Martin County Courthouse
Map of Indiana highlighting Martin County
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Map of the United States highlighting Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°43′N 86°48′W / 38.71°N 86.8°W / 38.71; -86.8
Country United States
State Indiana
Founded20 January 1820
Named forMajor John T. Martin
SeatShoals
Largest cityLoogootee
Area
 • Total340.41 sq mi (881.7 km2)
 • Land335.74 sq mi (869.6 km2)
 • Water4.67 sq mi (12.1 km2)  1.37%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total9,812
 • Density29/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district8th
Websitemartincountyindiana.com
Indiana county number 51

Martin County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 9,812.[1] The county seat is Shoals at the center of the county,[2] and the county's only incorporated city is Loogootee, on the county's western border.[3]

History

The Indiana Territory achieved statehood near the end of 1816. Shortly thereafter, the new State legislature created Dubois (December 1817) and Daviess (February 1818) counties. Due to the inflow of settlers into southwest Indiana, and the difficulty of accessing the county seats of those counties, Martin County was partitioned off from parts of those counties, being authorized on 20 January 1820. It was named for Maj. John T. Martin of Newport, Kentucky.[4][5]

Geography

The hills of Martin County are largely wooded and cut with drainages;[3] the available area is devoted to agriculture, development, or is under control of the US Government - about a third of the county belongs to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, and about a quarter of the county belongs to Hoosier National Forest. The highest point (870 feet/270 meters ASL) is in Mitcheltree Township, within NSWC Crane.[6]

The East Fork of the White River flows southwestward through the lower part of the county. The central part of the county is drained by Indian Creek, which discharges into White River near the center of the county. The upper part of the county is drained by Boggs Creek, which discharges into White River near the county's western edge.[3]

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 340.41 square miles (881.7 km2), of which 335.74 square miles (869.6 km2) (or 98.63%) is land and 4.67 square miles (12.1 km2) (or 1.37%) is water.[7]

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes

Highways

City and towns

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Climate and weather

Shoals, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
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3.2
 
 
37
19
 
 
2.9
 
 
43
22
 
 
4.3
 
 
54
31
 
 
4.5
 
 
65
40
 
 
5.6
 
 
75
50
 
 
4.2
 
 
83
59
 
 
4.7
 
 
86
64
 
 
3.8
 
 
85
62
 
 
3.4
 
 
79
54
 
 
3.1
 
 
68
42
 
 
4.5
 
 
54
34
 
 
3.5
 
 
42
24
█ 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
 
 
80
 
 
3
−7
 
 
74
 
 
6
−6
 
 
108
 
 
12
−1
 
 
114
 
 
18
4
 
 
142
 
 
24
10
 
 
108
 
 
28
15
 
 
120
 
 
30
18
 
 
96
 
 
29
17
 
 
85
 
 
26
12
 
 
80
 
 
20
6
 
 
114
 
 
12
1
 
 
90
 
 
6
−4
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Shoals have ranged from a low of 19 °F (−7 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.92 inches (74 mm) in February to 5.60 inches (142 mm) in May.[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 are responsible for setting 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 the 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. 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]

Martin County is part of Indiana's 8th congressional district; Indiana Senate district 39;[12] and Indiana House of Representatives districts 62 and 63.[13]

Political Culture

United States presidential election results for Martin County, Indiana[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 4,029 78.16% 1,011 19.61% 115 2.23%
2016 3,697 76.29% 881 18.18% 268 5.53%
2012 3,262 68.78% 1,351 28.48% 130 2.74%
2008 3,122 63.68% 1,706 34.80% 75 1.53%
2004 3,414 68.33% 1,522 30.46% 60 1.20%
2000 3,008 65.26% 1,518 32.94% 83 1.80%
1996 2,281 48.33% 1,848 39.15% 591 12.52%
1992 2,523 46.40% 2,018 37.11% 897 16.50%
1988 3,066 58.75% 2,132 40.85% 21 0.40%
1984 3,363 63.07% 1,937 36.33% 32 0.60%
1980 3,082 53.33% 2,479 42.90% 218 3.77%
1976 2,702 48.55% 2,827 50.80% 36 0.65%
1972 3,470 62.99% 2,021 36.69% 18 0.33%
1968 2,512 46.22% 2,315 42.59% 608 11.19%
1964 2,000 38.87% 3,137 60.96% 9 0.17%
1960 2,756 51.55% 2,585 48.35% 5 0.09%
1956 2,946 55.63% 2,343 44.24% 7 0.13%
1952 2,757 51.71% 2,546 47.75% 29 0.54%
1948 2,230 43.96% 2,788 54.96% 55 1.08%
1944 2,467 49.37% 2,515 50.33% 15 0.30%
1940 2,902 52.28% 2,638 47.52% 11 0.20%
1936 2,583 46.57% 2,923 52.70% 40 0.72%
1932 2,106 40.31% 3,072 58.79% 47 0.90%
1928 2,450 51.88% 2,245 47.54% 27 0.57%
1924 2,470 46.77% 2,669 50.54% 142 2.69%
1920 2,747 52.27% 2,443 46.49% 65 1.24%
1916 1,534 48.93% 1,549 49.41% 52 1.66%
1912 975 32.28% 1,440 47.68% 605 20.03%
1908 1,667 48.35% 1,733 50.26% 48 1.39%
1904 1,809 52.21% 1,574 45.43% 82 2.37%
1900 1,712 49.90% 1,660 48.38% 59 1.72%
1896 1,384 44.37% 1,719 55.11% 16 0.51%
1892 1,283 44.04% 1,391 47.75% 239 8.20%
1888 1,391 46.99% 1,558 52.64% 11 0.37%

Education

School Type Enrollment Mascot Colors IHSAA Class Athletic Conference
Loogootee High School Public 325 Lions       A Blue Chip Conference
Shoals High School Public 223 JugRox     A Blue Chip Conference

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18201,032—
18302,01094.8%
18403,87592.8%
18505,94153.3%
18608,97551.1%
187011,10323.7%
188013,47521.4%
189013,9733.7%
190014,7115.3%
191012,950−12.0%
192011,865−8.4%
193010,103−14.9%
194010,3001.9%
195010,6783.7%
196010,608−0.7%
197010,9693.4%
198011,0010.3%
199010,369−5.7%
200010,3690.0%
201010,334−0.3%
202010,327−0.1%
US Decennial Census[15]
1790-1960[16] 1900-1990[17]
1990-2000[18] 2010-2013[19]

2010 Census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 10,334 people, 4,216 households, and 2,832 families in the county.[21] The population density was 30.8 inhabitants per square mile (11.9/km2). There were 4,786 housing units at an average density of 14.3 per square mile (5.5/km2).[7] The racial makeup of the county was 98.4% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population.[21] In terms of ancestry, 27.8% were German, 19.2% were Irish, 14.9% were English, and 12.7% were American.[22]

Of the 4,216 households, 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.8% were non-families, and 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 41.8 years.[21]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $55,017. Males had a median income of $41,411 versus $30,503 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,750. About 8.6% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ 2020 census
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d Martin County IN (Google Maps, accessed 2 August 2020)
  4. ^ De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & Co. p. 567.
  5. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. p. 201.
  6. ^ Martin County High Point, Indiana (PeakBagger.com, accessed 2 August 2020)
  7. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  8. ^ Map of Hoosier National Forest, showing its NW portion extending into the northeast and southeast parts of Martin County (US Forest Service, accessed 2 August 2020)
  9. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Shoals IN". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  10. ^ a b Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  11. ^ a b c d Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  12. ^ Indiana Senate Districts (accessed 2 August 2020)
  13. ^ Indiana House Districts (accessed 2 August 2020)
  14. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  15. ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  16. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  17. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  18. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  19. ^ "Martin County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  20. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  21. ^ a b c "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.
  22. ^ "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.
  23. ^ "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.

38°43′N 86°48′W / 38.71°N 86.80°W / 38.71; -86.80

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