Jasper County, Indiana facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Jasper County, Indiana
County
Jasper County Courthouse in Rensselaer
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Region	Northwest Indiana
Metro area	Chicago Metropolitan
Created	February 7, 1835
Established	March 15, 1838
Named for	Sgt. William Jasper
County seat	Rensselaer
Largest city	Rensselaer
Boroughs	List De Motte (town) Remington (town) Rensselaer (city) Wheatfield (town)
Government
• Type	County
• Body	Board of Commissioners
Area
• County	561.39 sq mi (1,454.0 km²)
• Land	559.62 sq mi (1,449.4 km²)
• Water	1.76 sq mi (4.6 km²)
• Metro	10,874 sq mi (28,160 km²)
Area rank	3rd largest county in Indiana
• Region	2,726 sq mi (7,060 km²)
Elevation	696 ft (212 m)
Population (2020)
• County	32,918
• Estimate (2023)	33,535
• Rank	49th largest county in Indiana
• Density	58.6366/sq mi (22.6397/km²)
• Metro	9,618,502
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (Central)
ZIP Codes	46310, 46341, 46374, 46392, 47922, 47943, 47946, 47948, 47957, 47959, 47977-78, 47995
Area code	219
Congressional district	4th
Indiana Senate districts	5th and 7th
Indiana House of Representatives districts	4th, 16th and 20th
FIPS code	18-073
GNIS feature ID	0450494
Interstate and U.S. Route
State Routes
Airport	Jasper County
Waterways	Iroquois River – Kankakee River
Amtrak station	Rensselaer
Website	www.jaspercountyin.gov
Indiana county number 37

Demographics (2010)
Demographic	Proportion
White	95.8%
Black	0.6%
Asian	0.4%
Islander	0.0%
Native	0.2%
Other	3.0%
Hispanic (any race)	5.4%

Jasper County is a county in the state of Indiana. It's located in the northwestern part of the state. As of 2020, about 32,918 people live here. The main city and county seat is Rensselaer. Jasper County is also part of the larger Chicago Metropolitan Area, which includes cities in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

History of Jasper County

Early Explorers and Native American Lands

Long ago, French explorer Robert de LaSalle explored the lands that are now northwestern Indiana. At that time, the Miami Confederation of Indians lived in this area. Over time, as more settlers arrived, different Native American groups had to give up their claims to the land.

In October 1818, the Pottawattamies, Weas, and Delawares gave up their lands west of the Tippecanoe River. Later, in October 1826, the Pottawattamies and Miamis gave up all their lands east of the Tippecanoe River. Finally, in October 1832, the Pottawattamies gave up control of the northwestern part of Indiana.

First Settlers and County Formation

Before 1832, the area that would become Jasper County was not open for new settlers. The land was often described as swamps, sandy ridges, and wet prairies. However, it had a lot of wild game, which attracted some people. The first recorded settler was William Donahue, who settled in what is now Gillam Township.

The state government decided to create two counties in this area: Jasper and Newton. For a while, they were connected to White County for official purposes. In 1836, the area north of the Kankakee River became Porter County.

The Jasper County government officially started on March 15, 1838. The county was named after Sergeant William Jasper. He was a brave scout for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Sergeant Jasper became famous in 1776 for putting up a new American flag during a battle after the old one was shot down. He died in 1779 during the Siege of Savannah. Jasper County's neighboring county, Newton County, was named after Jasper's friend, John Newton.

In 1839, Jasper and Newton counties were combined, keeping the name Jasper. The county seat was set at the Falls of the Iroquois River. This community was first called Newton but changed its name to Rensselaer in 1844. In 1840, Benton County was formed from part of Jasper's area. Then, in 1859, Newton County was created again, but with a smaller area, leaving Jasper County in its current shape.

Jasper County During the Civil War

By 1825, most people in Indiana were against slavery. When the Civil War began, Jasper County was one of the few counties in Indiana that already had a military group. The war had a big impact on Jasper County. About 935 soldiers from the county joined the Union army. This was a large number, considering the county's population was around 5,000 people at the time.

One famous person from Indiana was Robert H. Milroy, known as the "Gray Eagle of the Army." He was part of the 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment. Milroy became well-known for fighting against Confederate mountain rangers. The 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment was also involved in the Battle of Philippi, one of the first battles of the Civil War. Indiana sent more soldiers to the Union army than any other state.

Geography and Nature

Jasper County covers about 561 square miles. Most of this area, about 559 square miles, is land. The rest is water. Until the mid-1800s, this county was part of a very large freshwater wetland. It was full of different plants and animals. This wetland was created by the Iroquois River, which flows through Jasper County. The Iroquois River is a main branch of the Kankakee River, and it's an important water source for the area.

Major Roads and Transportation

Jasper County has several important roads that help people travel through the area.

Interstate 65
U.S. Route 24
U.S. Route 231
Indiana State Road 10
Indiana State Road 14
Indiana State Road 16
Indiana State Road 49
Indiana State Road 110
Indiana State Road 114

Railroads Serving Jasper County

Several railroad lines pass through Jasper County, helping to move goods and people.

CSX Transportation
Norfolk Southern Railway
Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway

Neighboring Counties

Jasper County shares borders with several other counties:

Porter County (north)
La Porte County (northeast)
Starke County (northeast)
Pulaski County (east)
White County (southeast)
Benton County (south)
Newton County (west)
Lake County (northwest)

Cities and Towns

Here are the main cities and towns in Jasper County, along with their populations from the 2020 census:

Cities

Rensselaer – 5,733 people

Towns

De Motte – 4,168 people
Remington – 1,356 people
Wheatfield – 904 people

Other Communities

There are also smaller communities in Jasper County:

Collegeville – 84 people
Roselawn – 4,132 people

Unincorporated Communities

Many smaller places in the county don't have their own local government:

Townships

Jasper County is divided into 13 townships. Here are their populations from the 2020 census:

Barkley – 915 people
Carpenter – 1,925 people
Gillam – 619 people
Hanging Grove – 209 people
Jordan – 326 people
Kankakee – 913 people
Keener – 10,625 people
Marion – 6,648 people
Milroy – 256 people
Newton – 825 people
Union – 1,588 people
Walker – 3,692 people
Wheatfield – 4,377 people

Education in Jasper County

Students in Jasper County attend public schools managed by different school districts.

High Schools

Kankakee Valley High School
Rensselaer Central High School
Covenant Christian High School in DeMotte (for grades 9–12)

Middle Schools

Kankakee Valley Middle School
Rensselaer Central Middle School

Elementary Schools

DeMotte Christian Elementary School (preschool through 8th grade)
DeMotte Elementary School
Kankakee Valley Intermediate School
St. Augustine Catholic School
Tri-County Primary School (Kindergarten to 2nd grade)
Van Rensselaer Elementary School
Wheatfield Elementary School

Colleges and Universities

Saint Joseph's College (This college is currently closed.)

Hospitals

Franciscan Health Rensselaer, located in Rensselaer, has 46 beds.

Climate and Weather

Weather chart for Rensselaer, Indiana

1.7

3.1

3.5

4.2

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3.8

3.5

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temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

Metric conversion

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
50 -1 -10	42 2 -7	79 8 -2	89 16 4	108 22 10	110 27 16	98 29 18	88 28 16	83 24 12	76 18 5	82 9 0	70 2 -6
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

The weather in Rensselaer changes a lot throughout the year. In January, the average low temperature is about 14°F (minus 10°C). In July, the average high temperature is about 85°F (29°C). The coldest temperature ever recorded was minus 25°F (minus 32°C) in January 1985. The hottest was 104°F (40°C) in August 1988.

The amount of rain and snow also varies. February usually has the least precipitation, about 1.67 inches. June typically has the most, with about 4.34 inches.

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1840	1,267	—
1850	3,540	179.4%
1860	4,291	21.2%
1870	6,354	48.1%
1880	9,464	48.9%
1890	11,185	18.2%
1900	14,292	27.8%
1910	13,044	−8.7%
1920	13,961	7.0%
1930	13,388	−4.1%
1940	14,397	7.5%
1950	17,031	18.3%
1960	18,842	10.6%
1970	20,429	8.4%
1980	26,138	27.9%
1990	24,960	−4.5%
2000	30,043	20.4%
2010	33,478	11.4%
2020	32,918	−1.7%
2023 (est.)	33,535	0.2%
US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010

In 2010, Jasper County had 33,478 people living in 12,232 households. Most people (95.8%) were white. About 5.4% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino. Many residents have German (27.6%), Irish (16.5%), or Dutch (9.6%) backgrounds.

The average age in the county was 38 years old. About 35.8% of households had children under 18 living there. The average household had 2.66 people.

The median income for a household was $47,697. For families, it was $63,842. This means half of the households earned more than this amount, and half earned less. About 9% of the population lived below the poverty line.

Religious Groups in Jasper County

The largest religious group in Jasper County is the Catholic Church, with 4,341 members. The second largest is the Reformed Church in America with 1,502 members. The United Methodist Church is third with 1,300 members. The Christian Reformed Church in North America has 1,013 members across three churches.