Jay County, Indiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jay County
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Jay County Courthouse
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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 | February 7, 1835 (authorized) 1836 (organized) |
| Named for | John Jay |
| Seat | Portland |
| Largest city | Portland |
| Area | |
| • Total | 384.08 sq mi (994.8 km2) |
| • Land | 383.90 sq mi (994.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.18 sq mi (0.5 km2) 0.05%% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 20,478 |
| • Density | 54/sq mi (20.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Indiana county number 38 | |
| Jay County Sheriff's Department | |
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| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Jay, Indiana, United States |
| Legal jurisdiction | As per operations jurisdiction |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Agency executives |
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| Facilities | |
| Jails | 1 |
Jay County is a special area of land in the state of Indiana, USA. It's called a county. In 2020, about 20,478 people lived here. The main town where the county government is located is Portland.
Contents
History
Jay County was officially created on February 7, 1835, by the Indiana State Legislature. It was one of thirteen new counties formed in northeast Indiana. Jay County is unique because it's the only county in the entire United States named after John Jay. He was a very important person in early American history.
John Jay helped write The Federalist Papers, which were essays that explained why the new U.S. Constitution was a good idea. He also served as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, handling relationships with other countries, and was the very first Chief Justice of the United States. This means he was the head judge of the highest court in the country. John Jay passed away in 1829, a few years before the county was named after him.
Geography
Jay County is located on the eastern side of Indiana. Its eastern border touches the state of Ohio. The land in Jay County is mostly flat or gently rolling. Most of it is used for farming or for towns and cities.
The highest point in the county is about 1,121 feet (342 meters) above sea level. This spot is near the border with Ohio, in the southeastern part of the county. The Salamonie River starts in southeastern Jay County, near a town called Salamonia. It then flows northwest into Blackford County.
The county covers a total area of about 384 square miles (995 square kilometers). Almost all of this area, about 383.90 square miles (994.3 square kilometers), is land. Only a tiny part, about 0.18 square miles (0.47 square kilometers), is water.
Neighboring Counties
Jay County shares its borders with several other counties:
- Adams County - to the north
- Mercer County, Ohio - to the east
- Darke County, Ohio - to the southeast
- Randolph County - to the south
- Delaware County - to the southwest
- Blackford County - to the west
- Wells County - to the northwest
Cities and Towns
These are the main cities and towns you can find in Jay County:
Townships
Counties in Indiana are divided into smaller areas called townships. Here are the townships in Jay County:
- Bearcreek
- Greene
- Jackson
- Jefferson
- Knox
- Madison
- Noble
- Penn
- Pike
- Richland
- Wabash
- Wayne
Smaller Communities
Besides the main cities and towns, there are also many smaller, unincorporated communities in Jay County. These are places that don't have their own local government.
Main Roads
Several important highways run through Jay County, connecting it to other parts of Indiana and Ohio:
US 27
SR 1
SR 18
SR 26
SR 67
SR 167
Climate and Weather
| Weather chart for Portland, Indiana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1.9
32
15
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1.9
37
18
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2.6
48
27
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3.6
60
38
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3.9
71
49
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4.1
80
59
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4.4
84
62
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4
82
60
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2.7
76
52
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2.6
64
40
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3
50
32
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2.5
37
21
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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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The weather in Jay County changes throughout the year. In Portland, the average temperature in January is around 15°F (-9°C), which is the coldest month. July is the warmest month, with average temperatures reaching about 84°F (29°C).
However, temperatures can sometimes be much more extreme. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -29°F (-34°C) in January 1985. The hottest was 102°F (39°C) in June 1988.
Jay County also gets rain and snow throughout the year. The driest month is usually January, with about 1.87 inches (4.75 cm) of precipitation. July is often the wettest, with about 4.40 inches (11.18 cm).
Population Information
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1840 | 3,863 | — | |
| 1850 | 7,047 | 82.4% | |
| 1860 | 11,399 | 61.8% | |
| 1870 | 15,000 | 31.6% | |
| 1880 | 19,282 | 28.5% | |
| 1890 | 23,478 | 21.8% | |
| 1900 | 26,818 | 14.2% | |
| 1910 | 24,961 | −6.9% | |
| 1920 | 23,318 | −6.6% | |
| 1930 | 20,846 | −10.6% | |
| 1940 | 22,601 | 8.4% | |
| 1950 | 23,157 | 2.5% | |
| 1960 | 22,572 | −2.5% | |
| 1970 | 23,575 | 4.4% | |
| 1980 | 23,239 | −1.4% | |
| 1990 | 21,512 | −7.4% | |
| 2000 | 21,806 | 1.4% | |
| 2010 | 21,253 | −2.5% | |
| 2020 | 20,478 | −3.6% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 20,032 | −5.7% | |
| US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 |
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According to the 2010 United States Census, there were 21,253 people living in Jay County. There were 8,133 households (groups of people living together) and 5,647 families. The population density was about 55 people per square mile. This means that, on average, 55 people lived in every square mile of land.
Most people in Jay County are white (97.0%). A smaller number are Asian (0.4%), black or African American (0.3%), or American Indian (0.1%). Some people are from other backgrounds (1.3%) or a mix of two or more races (0.9%). About 2.7% of the population is of Hispanic or Latino origin.
When it comes to where people's families originally came from, many have German (34.1%), American (13.1%), English (11.7%), or Irish (11.6%) roots.
Of the households, about 32.8% had children under 18 living with them. Most households (53.6%) were married couples. The average household had about 2.58 people, and the average family had about 3.10 people. The average age of people in the county was 39.0 years old.
The median income for a household in the county was about $47,697 per year. This means half of the households earned more than this, and half earned less. About 13.5% of all people in Jay County lived below the poverty line, which means they had very low incomes. This included 22.7% of children under 18.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Jay para niños
