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Lawrence County, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Indiana
Founded 1818
Named for James Lawrence
County seat Bedford
Largest city Bedford (population and area)
Incorporated
Municipalities
Government
 • Type County
 • Body Board of Commissioners
Area
 • Total 451.93 sq mi (1,170.5 km2)
 • Land 449.17 sq mi (1,163.3 km2)
 • Water 2.76 sq mi (7.1 km2)
Area rank 20th largest county in Indiana
Elevation
502 ft (153 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 46,134
 • Estimate 
(2018)
45,668
 • Rank 31st largest county in Indiana
1,050th largest county in U.S.
 • Density 103/sq mi (40/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Codes
47264, 47420-21, 47436-37, 47446, 47451, 47462, 47467, 47470
Area code 812 and 930
Congressional district 9th
Indiana Senate district 44th
Indiana House of Representatives districts 65th and 73rd
FIPS code 18-093
GNIS feature ID 0451703
  • Indiana county number 47

Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 46,134. The county seat is Bedford. Lawrence County comprises the Bedford, IN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Lawrence County was formed in 1818 from land given by Orange County. It was named for Capt. James Lawrence, who uttered the famous words "Don't give up the ship." after being mortally wounded during the War of 1812. Until the Battle of Tippecanoe, there was a lack in population of white men, due to the fact that Native Americans still lived in the area. The first trace of settlement in Lawrence County was near Leesville, however, Bono was the first settlement in the county.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 451.93 square miles (1,170.5 km2), of which 449.17 square miles (1,163.3 km2) (or 99.39%) is land and 2.76 square miles (7.1 km2) (or 0.61%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

  • US 50.svg U.S. Route 50
  • Indiana 37.svg State Road 37
  • Indiana 54.svg State Road 54
  • Indiana 58.svg State Road 58
  • Indiana 60.svg State Road 60
  • Indiana 158.svg State Road 158
  • Indiana 446.svg State Road 446
  • Indiana 450.svg State Road 450
  • Indiana 458.svg State Road 458

National protected area

  • Hoosier National Forest (part)

Municipalities

Cities and Towns

4

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

4

Extinct town

Townships

4

Local sights

Astronauts

Lawrence County has had several native residents that have become astronauts over the years. They include:

  • Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom was born and raised in Mitchell; was killed in the Apollo 1 accident
  • Charles "Charlie" Walker was born and raised in Oolitic
  • Kenneth "Kenny" Bowersox was born in Virginia but was raised in Bedford

The Virgil I. Gus Grissom Memorial, located at the Spring Mill State Park near Mitchell, has many mementos of his career, including the space capsule he commanded, "The Molly Brown" from Gemini 3, and the space suit worn during his Mercury Liberty Bell 7 mission.

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Bedford, Indiana
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
2.8
 
37
18
 
 
2.7
 
43
22
 
 
3.8
 
53
31
 
 
4.5
 
64
40
 
 
5
 
74
51
 
 
4.1
 
82
60
 
 
4.5
 
86
64
 
 
4.2
 
85
62
 
 
3.1
 
79
53
 
 
3.2
 
67
41
 
 
3.9
 
54
33
 
 
3.3
 
42
23
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

In recent years, average temperatures in Bedford have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −29 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 111 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1930. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.70 inches (69 mm) in February to 5.04 inches (128 mm) in May.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1820 4,116
1830 9,234 124.3%
1840 11,782 27.6%
1850 12,097 2.7%
1860 13,692 13.2%
1870 14,628 6.8%
1880 18,543 26.8%
1890 19,792 6.7%
1900 25,729 30.0%
1910 30,625 19.0%
1920 28,228 −7.8%
1930 35,583 26.1%
1940 35,045 −1.5%
1950 34,346 −2.0%
1960 36,564 6.5%
1970 38,038 4.0%
1980 42,472 11.7%
1990 42,836 0.9%
2000 45,922 7.2%
2010 46,134 0.5%
2020 45,011 −2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 46,134 people, 18,811 households, and 12,906 families residing in the county. The population density was 102.7 inhabitants per square mile (39.7/km2). There were 21,074 housing units at an average density of 46.9 per square mile (18.1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.3% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 18.4% were German, 14.6% were Irish, 13.1% were American, and 10.4% were English.

Of the 18,811 households, 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.4% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 41.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $50,355. Males had a median income of $42,337 versus $30,386 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,352. About 10.9% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.4% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Lawrence (Indiana) para niños

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