Boone County, Indiana
Boone County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 56,640. The county seat (and the county's only incorporated city) is Lebanon. Indiana's center of population is located in eastern Boone County, just northwest of the town of Sheridan in neighboring Hamilton County. History. In 1787, the fledgling United States defined the Northwest Territory, which included the area of present-day Indiana. In 1800, Congress separated Ohio from the Northwest Territory, designating the rest of the land as the Indiana Territory. President Thomas Jefferson chose William Henry Harrison  as the territory's first governor, and Vincennes was established as the territorial capital. After the Michigan Territory was separated and the Illinois Territory was formed, Indiana was reduced to its current size and geography. By December 1816 the Indiana Territory was admitted to the Union as a state. Starting in 1794, Native American titles to Indiana lands were extinguished by usurpation, purchase, or war and treaty. The United States acquired land from the Native Americans in the 1809 treaty of Fort Wayne, and by the treaty of St. Mary's in 1818 considerably more territory became property of the  government. This included the future Boone County, designating areas covered by the Delaware New Purchase. Boone County was created by the state legislature on 1 April 1830, with Jamestown (which had been first settled that year) named as the initial county seat. The county was named for frontiersman Daniel Boone. The interim county commissioners met on 1 May of the following year to identify a permanent seat of government, which by law had to be within of the county's center; the [future] city of Lebanon was selected to serve this purpose. Geography. Boone County lies near the center of  the state. It is 24 miles (38.6 km) from east to west and 17.5 miles (28.2 km) from north to south. It contains about 418.5 square miles (108,500 hectares), two-thirds of which is in cultivation. Its central position, excellent soil, and available water power have been in its favor. The highest point of the county (984 feet/300 meters ASL) is a small hill two miles (3.2 km) northeast of Lebanon. The upper part of the county is drained by Sugar Creek, flowing westward into Montgomery County; the southwest part of the county is drained by Big Raccoon Creek, also  flowing west-southwestward into Montgomery. The southeast part of the county is drained by Eagle Creek and its tributaries, flowing southward into Marion County. According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.92%) is land and (or 0.08%) is water. Education. Public schools in Boone County are administered by the Lebanon Community School Corporation, Western Boone County Community School District, Zionsville Community Schools, and Sheridan Community Schools. Climate and weather. In recent years, average temperatures in Lebanon have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a  record low of was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in July. Government. 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's government; controls 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. 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. 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. County Officials: The county has 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 a party affiliation and to be residents of the county. Boone County is part of Indiana's 4th and 5th congressional districts, Indiana Senate districts 21 and 23, and Indiana House of Representatives districts 28, 38 and 87. Prior to 1940, Boone County  was a Democratic-leaning swing county in presidential elections, backing the national winner in every election from 1912 to 1936. From 1940 on, it has become a Republican stronghold, with no Democratic presidential candidate since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 even managing to win forty percent of the county's votes. Demographics. 2010 census. As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 56,640 people, 21,149 households, and 15,509 families in the county. The population density was . There were 22,754 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.3% white, 1.7% Asian, 0.9% black  or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.9% were German, 19.3% were English, 14.1% were Irish, and 9.0% were American. Of the 21,149 households, 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.7% were non-families, and 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family  size was 3.12. The median age was 38.6 years. The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $81,401. Males had a median income of $57,251 versus $41,309 for females. The per capita income for the county was $38,696. About 6.1% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.