Benton County, Indiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Benton County
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Benton County Courthouse in Fowler, Indiana.
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Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
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Indiana's location within the U.S. |
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Country | United States | |
State | Indiana | |
Founded | 18 February 1840 | |
Named for | Senator Thomas H. Benton | |
Seat | Fowler | |
Largest city | Fowler | |
Area | ||
• Total | 406.51 sq mi (1,052.9 km2) | |
• Land | 406.42 sq mi (1,052.6 km2) | |
• Water | 0.09 sq mi (0.2 km2) 0.02%% | |
Population | ||
• Estimate
(2018)
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8,653 | |
• Density | 21.3/sq mi (8.22/km2) | |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
Congressional district | 4th | |
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Benton County is located in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Indiana, along the border with Illinois. As of 2010, the county's population was 8,854. It contains six incorporated towns as well as several small unincorporated settlements; it is divided into 11 townships which provide local services. The county seat is Fowler.
Benton County is part of the Lafayette, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
History
Benton County was formed February 18, 1840. It is named for Thomas H. Benton (D), U.S. Senator from Missouri. The original county seat selected in 1843 was Oxford, but after a long struggle between contending factions it was moved to Fowler in 1874.
Courthouse
The current Benton County courthouse, located in Fowler, was designed by Gordon P. Randall of Chicago and built in 1874 by Levi L. Leach at a cost of $62,257. The new courthouse was an impressive building from an architectural standpoint, but also provided much-needed improvements in security, including large fire-proof vaults. Randall had designed the Marshall County courthouse a few years earlier.
Geography
Benton County's western border is shared with the state of Illinois and Iroquois County; Vermilion County is to the southwest and shares a small portion of Benton County's border. Newton and Jasper counties lie to the north, with White and Tippecanoe counties to the east. The entire southern border is shared with Warren County.
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 406.51 square miles (1,052.9 km2), of which 406.42 square miles (1,052.6 km2) (or 99.98%) is land and 0.09 square miles (0.23 km2) (or 0.02%) is water.
Cities and towns
Unincorporated towns
- Chase
- Dunnington
- Freeland Park
- Lochiel
- Raub
- Swanington
- Talbot
- Templeton
- Wadena
Extinct towns
Townships
- Bolivar
- Center
- Gilboa
- Grant
- Hickory Grove
- Oak Grove
- Parish Grove
- Pine
- Richland
- Union
- York
Major highways
Railroads
- Bee Line Railroad
- Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad
Climate and weather
Weather chart for Fowler, Indiana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1.7
30
13
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1.6
35
17
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3.2
47
27
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3.6
60
38
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4.2
72
49
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4.5
81
59
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3.7
84
62
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3
82
59
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2.6
77
51
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3
64
39
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3
48
30
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2.5
35
19
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temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches source: The Weather Channel |
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Metric conversion
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In recent years, average temperatures in Fowler have ranged from a low of 13 °F (−11 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −24 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 99 °F (37 °C) was recorded in July 1995. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.59 inches (40 mm) in February to 4.50 inches (114 mm) in June.
Demographics
Historical population | |||
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Census | Pop. | %± | |
1850 | 1,144 | — | |
1860 | 2,809 | 145.5% | |
1870 | 5,615 | 99.9% | |
1880 | 11,108 | 97.8% | |
1890 | 11,903 | 7.2% | |
1900 | 13,123 | 10.2% | |
1910 | 12,688 | −3.3% | |
1920 | 12,206 | −3.8% | |
1930 | 11,886 | −2.6% | |
1940 | 11,117 | −6.5% | |
1950 | 11,462 | 3.1% | |
1960 | 11,912 | 3.9% | |
1970 | 11,262 | −5.5% | |
1980 | 10,218 | −9.3% | |
1990 | 9,441 | −7.6% | |
2000 | 9,421 | −0.2% | |
2010 | 8,854 | −6.0% | |
2020 | 8,719 | −1.5% | |
US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 |
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 8,719 people and 3,432 households in the county. The population density was 21.8 inhabitants per square mile (8.4/km2). There were 3,939 housing units. The racial makeup of the county was 92.1% White, 1.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.3% American Indian or Native Alaskan, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.6% were German, 12.9% were Irish, 5.4% were English, and 5.2% were French (not Basque).
Of the 3,432 households, 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them. The average household size was 2.49. The median age was 40.5years. Of the total population, 18.5% have a visual or non-visual disability.
The median income for a household in the county was $49,488 and the median income for a family was $57,131 and $32,055 for nonfamily households. The per capita income for the county was $25,187. Additionally, 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.
Of the total 2020 population, 6.5% of were veterans. Regarding educational attainment, 42.8% earned a high school diploma or equivalent and 16.1% a bachelor's degree or higher. Of those employed, 20.4% work in education, health care and social services; 19.9% work in manufacturing, 10.1% work in retail, and 8.6% work in agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting or mining. Finally, 35.4% of science, technology, engineering and math jobs are held by females.
In Benton County, there were 3,783 housing units and 74% of the population owned homes in 2020 with 23.1% of the housing stock occupied by renters.
Economy
In 2008 the Benton County Wind Farm began operating with 87 1.5 MW wind turbines. Duke Energy purchases electricity from the wind farm and sells it to customers through its GoGreen program.
In 2009 the Fowler Ridge Wind Farm opened nearby, giving Benton County one of the largest concentrations of wind turbines in the United States east of the Mississippi River.
Education
The county's four public schools are administered by the Benton Community School Corporation.
- Benton Central Junior-Senior High School
- Boswell Elementary School (closed at end of May 2021)
- Otterbein Elementary School
- Prairie Crossing Elementary School
- Sacred Heart Elementary, the county's only parochial school
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Benton (Indiana) para niños