kids encyclopedia robot

Morgan County, Indiana facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Morgan County
Morgan County courthouse in Martinsville
Morgan County courthouse in Martinsville
Map of Indiana highlighting Morgan County
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Map of the United States highlighting Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Indiana
Founded 15 February 1822 (authorized)
December 1822 (organized)
Named for Gen. Daniel Morgan
Seat Martinsville
Largest city Martinsville
Area
 • Total 409.43 sq mi (1,060.4 km2)
 • Land 403.97 sq mi (1,046.3 km2)
 • Water 5.46 sq mi (14.1 km2)  1.33%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2019)
70,489
 • Density 173.6/sq mi (67.0/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts 4th, 9th
Website http://www.morgancounty.in.gov/
Indiana county number 55

Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 68,894. The county seat (and only incorporated city) is Martinsville.

Morgan County is between Indianapolis, in Marion County, and Bloomington in Monroe County. It is included in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area. Two major highways, Interstate 69 and Indiana State Road 67, carry large numbers of daily commuters between the two larger communities. The county has 14 townships which provide local services.

History

Morgan County was formed in 1822. It was named for Gen. Daniel Morgan, who defeated the British at the Battle of Cowpens in the Revolutionary War. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, mineral springs in Martinsville gave rise to several spas, and the nickname of the Martinsville High School athletic teams has subsequently been the Artesians.

Settlers in Morgan County in the early nineteenth century came predominantly from southern states. The Mooresville area and surrounding communities received large numbers of southern Quakers, driven to migrate because of their opposition to slavery. Paul Hadley, a Mooresville resident, was the designer of the current Indiana flag, as well as a locally prominent water color artist in the early twentieth century.

County government took several steps forward in the 2000s, creating a new Plan Commission, re-instituting a county economic development organization, and establishing the county's first Park and Recreation Board between 2000 and 2004. Morgan County also was the first county in the metropolitan Indianapolis region to establish a smoking ban ordinance for restaurants, taking that step in 2004. Other communities in the region soon followed Morgan County's lead.

A County Achievement Award from the Association of Indiana Counties in 2006 was the third award from the group given to Morgan County in a ten-year span, adding to 1997 and 2003 awards.

In 2006 Morgan County was the first in the central Indiana region to offer a prescription drug discount program to its residents at no charge to individuals, helping residents save an average of 20% on prescriptions. Also during 2006, Morgan and Hendricks Counties became the first in Indiana to develop neighboring and co-related TIF (Tax Increment Financing) districts for economic development activity.

Morgan County has developed a new thoroughfare plan that is integrated with the Mooresville thoroughfare plan, and also recently completed a new capital improvement plan. Both activities are preludes to a new comprehensive plan being developed for the county.

Courthouse

The first building used for Morgan County courts was the log house of a pioneer. Work began in 1823 to build the first courthouse, a two story log house. A brick courthouse replaced it in 1833.

The Morgan County courthouse was designed by Isaac Hodgson in the Italianate style. It was built from 1857 to 1859 by Perry M. Blankenship of Martinsville at a cost of $32,000. It was almost identical to Hodgson's Jennings County courthouse in Vernon, which was also begun in 1857, but the Martinsville building received an addition in the 1970s; the original section was also remodeled and renovated at that time. The building is of red brick with white stone quoins and has tall windows with round arches, arranged in pairs. It is one of the few remaining pre-Civil War courthouses.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 409.43 square miles (1,060.4 km2), of which 403.97 square miles (1,046.3 km2) (or 98.67%) is land and 5.46 square miles (14.1 km2) (or 1.33%) is water. Morgan County is bisected by the White River Valley; the community has taken an interest in recent years in protecting the river as an asset, seeking to develop parks and greenways along the White River and initiating an annual river cleanup day in the spring.

The county also is home to large areas of land that were not glaciated during the last ice age. The river valley and contributing watersheds, along with the non-glaciated hills, results in a topography unlike the rest of the metropolitan Indianapolis area. County residents are proud of the scenic terrain, and in recent years have established a county park system and a bike/pedestrian trail system plan to provide protection and access to the amenities. An annual five mile (8 km) run ("Run to the Future", June 10, 2006) is held as a fundraiser for the path system endowment.

Major highways

  • I-69.svg Interstate 69*I-70.svg Interstate 70
  • Indiana 37.svg State Road 37
  • Indiana 39.svg State Road 39
  • Indiana 42.svg State Road 42
  • Indiana 44.svg State Road 44
  • Indiana 67.svg State Road 67
  • Indiana 135.svg State Road 135
  • Indiana 142.svg State Road 142
  • Indiana 144.svg State Road 144
  • Indiana 252.svg State Road 252
  • Indiana 267.svg State Road 267

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated places

Townships

  • Adams
  • Ashland
  • Baker
  • Brown
  • Clay
  • Green
  • Gregg
  • Harrison
  • Jackson
  • Jefferson
  • Madison
  • Monroe
  • Ray
  • Washington
Morgan county IN
Morgan County, IN

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Martinsville, Indiana
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
2.6
 
35
18
 
 
2.4
 
41
21
 
 
3.5
 
51
30
 
 
4.2
 
63
40
 
 
4.7
 
73
50
 
 
4
 
81
59
 
 
4.2
 
85
63
 
 
4.2
 
84
61
 
 
3.2
 
77
52
 
 
3
 
66
40
 
 
3.8
 
53
32
 
 
3.1
 
40
23
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

In recent years, average temperatures in Martinsville have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −35 °F (−37 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.44 inches (62 mm) in February to 4.73 inches (120 mm) in May.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1830 5,593
1840 10,741 92.0%
1850 14,576 35.7%
1860 16,110 10.5%
1870 17,528 8.8%
1880 18,900 7.8%
1890 18,643 −1.4%
1900 20,457 9.7%
1910 21,182 3.5%
1920 20,010 −5.5%
1930 19,424 −2.9%
1940 19,801 1.9%
1950 23,726 19.8%
1960 33,875 42.8%
1970 44,176 30.4%
1980 51,999 17.7%
1990 55,920 7.5%
2000 66,689 19.3%
2010 68,894 3.3%
2015 (est.) 69,648 1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 68,894 people, 25,765 households, and 19,355 families residing in the county. The population density was 170.5 inhabitants per square mile (65.8/km2). There were 27,754 housing units at an average density of 68.7 per square mile (26.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.7% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 46% of people in Morgan County were of English ancestry, 22.1% were of German ancestry, and 10.3% were of Irish ancestry. Of the 25,765 households, 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.9% were non-families, and 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age was 39.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $62,507. Males had a median income of $48,457 versus $34,831 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,972. About 7.2% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Morgan County is served by the Morgan County Public Library, which operates six branches.

See also

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

kids search engine
Morgan County, Indiana Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.