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Indiana Counties

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Indiana Counties

Indiana is divided into 92 counties. The oldest and newest Counties in Indiana are Knox County (created 1790) and Newton County (created 1857).

The largest county is Allen (657 sq. mi.) and the smallest is Ohio (87 sq. mi.). According to the Indiana Constitution, no county may be created of less than 400 square miles, nor may any county smaller than this be further reduced in size.

Many Indiana Counties are named for the US Founding Fathers and personalities of the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and Battle of Tippecanoe; early leaders of Indiana Territory and Indiana, as well as surrounding states like Michigan and Kentucky; plus Native American tribes and geographical features.

Jefferson County, Indiana

Jefferson County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Madison
Year Organized: 1810
Square Miles: 361

Court House:

300 E. Main Street
County Courthouse
Madison, IN 47250-3590

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Named for Thomas Jefferson who was the author of the Declaration of Independence, third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Jefferson County was authorized by an act of the Legislature November 23, 1810, and went into effect February 1, 1811 It was named for Thomas Jefferson, principal draftsman of the Northwest Ordinance and President of the United States from 1801 through 1809.

Jefferson County was one of Indiana's first counties and many important early Hoosiers hailed from Madison, including William Hendricks. Throughout the early history of the state, Madison was one of the leading cities competing with Vincennes and later New Albany to be the largest city in the state. The county fell into economic decline after the American Civil War as industry began to shift from southern Indiana to the northern part of the state.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 363 square miles (940 km²), of which 361 square miles (936 km²) is land and 2 square miles (4 km²) (0.44%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Northeast: Ripley County
East: Switzerland County
Southeast: Carroll County, Ky.; Trimble County, Ky.
Southwest: Clark County; Scott County
Northwest: Jennings County

Cities and Towns:

- Brooksburg	town	Incorporated Area
- Dupont	town	Incorporated Area
- Graham	township
- Hanover	town	Incorporated Area
- Madison (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Republican	township
- Saluda	township
- Smyrna	township

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."