Clark County, Indiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clark County
U.S. county
Clark County Courthouse in Jeffersonville, Indiana
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	3 February 1801
Named for	General George Rogers Clark
Seat	Jeffersonville
Largest city	Jeffersonville
Area
• Total	376.45 sq mi (975.0 km2)
• Land	372.86 sq mi (965.7 km2)
• Water	3.60 sq mi (9.3 km2)  0.96%%
Population
• Estimate  (2019)	118,302
• Density	315/sq mi (122/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	9th
Indiana county number 10 Second oldest county in Indiana

Clark County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana, located directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. At the 2010 Census, the population was 110,232. The county seat is Jeffersonville. Clark County is part of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY–IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Clark County lies on the north bank of the Ohio River. A significant gateway to the state of Indiana, Clark County's settlement began in 1783. The state of Virginia rewarded General George Rogers Clark and his regiment for their victorious capture of Forts Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes from the British by granting them 150,000 acres (610 km²) of land. A small portion of this land, 1,000 acres (4.0 km²), became known as Clarksville, the first authorized American settlement in the Northwest Territory, founded the next year in 1784.

Clark County was formed On February 3, 1801 from Knox County. Counties later formed all or in part from Clark County were: Crawford (1818), Decatur (1822), Fayette (1819), Floyd (1819), Franklin (1811), Harrison (1808), Jackson (1816), Jefferson (1811), Jennings (1817), Randolph (1818), Ripley (1816), Rush (1822), Scott (1820), Switzerland (1814), Union (1821), Washington (1814), and Wayne (1811).

The first county seat and court was established in Springville, Indiana on April 7, 1801. The platting of Jeffersonville occurred a year later and the county seat was fixed to Jeffersonville on June 9, 1802 by order of Governor William Henry Harrison. By December 14, 1810 the county seat changed for the third time to Charlestown and it would remain there until 1873. The county seat changed for one last time on September 23, 1873 and returned to Jeffersonville with then mayor Luther Warder campaigning for the county seat's return.

From its beginning Clark County's history, culture and growth have been linked to the development of the river. The use of the steamboat in the early nineteenth century to transport goods and services provided Clark County opportunities for commercial and industrial growth. In 1832, James Howard founded the Howard shipyards making Clark County a leader in ship building and bringing with it economic growth.

The railroad brought further economic growth. Two railroad lines, the Monon, which spanned from New Albany to Chicago and the Jeffersonville, Madison, and Indianapolis railroad, provided Clark County and southern Indiana with access to the northern trading centers of Indianapolis and Chicago.

Industries locating to Clark County during the nineteenth century included the Louisville Cement Company in Speed, Indiana and the Ford Plate Glass Company established in Jeffersonville in 1876.

During the 1920s, Clark County attracted the Colgate-Palmolive Company to the Clarksville Riverfront. Colgate purchased the former Indiana Reformatory building in 1923. The company rehabilitated and adapted the building for its dedication in 1924. They stayed in business until early 2008.

Throughout the years of the Second World War, Clark County prospered. The United States began construction on the Indiana Arsenal near Charlestown in 1940. Producing smokeless powder for the conflict overseas, the arsenal, at times, employed as many as 20,000. During the war, Howard shipyards was Commissioned by the Navy to produce landing craft. Later Howard shipyards reorganized as Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Company (Jeffboat) — a current major employer (1991).

After World War II ended, Clark County as well as the United States experienced significant residential and commercial growth. The Interstate Highway System act of 1956 aided this growth. Because of the improved access and efficiency brought by the interstate system, especially Interstate 65, new development in the form of subdivisions and shopping centers located near these roads.

Clark County history has been closely associated with the development of the Ohio River. From its beginnings, Clark County relied on the river for economic opportunities. Clark County has diversified its economic base, lessened its dependency on the river, and continues to develop in new directions. However, the county still looks to the river as one link to its significant pioneer heritage.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 376.45 square miles (975.0 km²), of which 372.86 square miles (965.7 km²) (or 99.05%) is land and 3.60 square miles (9.3 km²) (or 0.96%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Scott County - north
• Jefferson County - northeast
• Trimble County, Kentucky - east
• Oldham County, Kentucky - southeast
• Jefferson County, Kentucky - south
• Floyd County - west
• Washington County - northwest

Cities

• Charlestown
• Jeffersonville

Towns

• Borden
• Clarksville
• Sellersburg
• Utica

Census-designated places

• Henryville
• Memphis
• New Washington

Other unincorporated places

Extinct towns

• Andalusia
• Claysburg
• Oregon
• Port Fulton
• Springville

Townships

Major highways

Airport

• KJVY - Clark Regional Airport

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Jeffersonville have ranged from a low of 25 °F (−4 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −22 °F (−30 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 107 °F (42 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.79 inches (71 mm) in October to 4.88 inches (124 mm) in May.

Two towns in Clark County, Marysville and Henryville suffered major damage during the Early March 2012 tornado outbreak.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 110,232 people, 44,248 households, and 29,474 families in the county. The population density was 295.6 inhabitants per square mile (114.1/km²). There were 47,776 housing units at an average density of 128.1 per square mile (49.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.1% white, 6.9% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 2.6% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.3% were German, 15.0% were Irish, 13.0% were American, and 9.8% were English.

Of the 44,248 households, 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.4% were non-families, and 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 37.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $58,090. Males had a median income of $43,053 versus $32,361 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,592. About 9.0% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.9% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

There are three public school districts and the Archdiocese of Indianapolis that serve Clark County. The county is also served by two colleges that offer associate and bachelor's degrees.

Public school districts

Clarksville Community School Corp.

West Clark Community School Corp.

Greater Clark County Schools

Private schools

• Our Lady of Providence Junior-Senior High School
• St. Anthony of Padua Elementary School(K-7)
• Sacred Heart of Jesus (PK-8)
• St. John Paul II School(K-8)

Colleges and universities

• Ivy Tech State College (Non-profit)
• Mid-America College of Funeral Services (Non-profit)
• Ottawa University - Jeffersonville (Non-Profit)

Images for kids

• 

  View of Louisville from Clarksville

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Clark (Indiana) para niños