Lawrence County, Indiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lawrence County, Indiana
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Location in the state of Indiana
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Indiana's location in the U.S.
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Indiana |
| Founded | 1818 |
| Named for | James Lawrence |
| County seat | Bedford |
| Largest city | Bedford (population and area) |
| Incorporated Municipalities |
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| 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)
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| • Total | 46,134 |
| • Estimate
(2013)
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45,844 |
| • 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
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| 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 |
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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.
Contents
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
- Monroe County (north)
- Jackson County (east)
- Washington County (southeast)
- Orange County (south)
- Martin County (west)
- Greene County (northwest)
Major highways
U.S. Route 50
State Road 37
State Road 54
State Road 58
State Road 60
State Road 158
State Road 446
State Road 450
State Road 458
National protected area
- Hoosier National Forest (part)
Municipalities
Cities and Towns
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
- Bartlettsville
- Bono
- Bryantsville
- Buddha
- Coveyville
- Coxton
- Dark Hallow
- East Oolitic – (previously known as Spien Kopj)
- Erie
- Eureka
- Fayetteville
- Fort Ritner
- Georgia
- Guthrie
- Hartleyville
- Heltonville
- Huron
- Judah
- Lawrenceport
- Leesville
- Logan
- Moorestown
- Murdock
- Needmore
- Patton Hill
- Peerless
- Pinhook
- Popcorn
- Rabbitville
- Red Hill
- Redding
- Rivervale
- Shawswick
- Silverville
- Spring Mill Village
- Springville
- Stemm
- Stonington
- Tarry Park
- Tunnelton
- Yockey
- Zelma
Extinct town
Townships
- Bono
- Guthrie
- Indian Creek
- Marion
- Marshall
- Perry
- Pleasant Run
- Shawswick
- Spice Valley
Local sights
- Joe Palooka Statue – a statue of a comic strip character Joe Palooka, dedicated in 1948, is located near the town hall in Oolitic.
- Spring Mill State Park is located near Mitchell
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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2.8
37
18
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2.7
43
22
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3.8
53
31
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4.5
64
40
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5
74
51
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4.1
82
60
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4.5
86
64
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4.2
85
62
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3.1
79
53
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3.2
67
41
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3.9
54
33
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3.3
42
23
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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 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 | |||
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| 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% | |
| Est. 2015 | 45,495 | −1.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 |
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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.
