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Putnam County, Indiana facts for kids

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Putnam County
Putnam County Courthouse in Greencastle
Putnam County Courthouse in Greencastle
Map of Indiana highlighting Putnam 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 December 31, 1821 (created)
April 1822 (organized)
Named for Israel Putnam
Seat Greencastle
Largest city Greencastle
Area
 • Total 482.69 sq mi (1,250.2 km2)
 • Land 480.53 sq mi (1,244.6 km2)
 • Water 2.16 sq mi (5.6 km2)  0.45%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2018)
37,779
 • Density 78.62/sq mi (30.36/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 4th
Indiana county number 67

Putnam County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 37,963. The county seat is Greencastle. The county was named for Israel Putnam, a hero in the French and Indian War and a general in the American Revolutionary War. The county was created in 1821 and organized in April 1822.

Putnam County is included in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 482.69 square miles (1,250.2 km2), of which 480.53 square miles (1,244.6 km2) (or 99.55%) is land and 2.16 square miles (5.6 km2) (or 0.45%) is water.

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

  • Heritage Lake
  • Van Bibber Lake

Other unincorporated places

Townships

  • Clinton
  • Cloverdale
  • Floyd
  • Franklin
  • Greencastle
  • Jackson
  • Jefferson
  • Madison
  • Marion
  • Monroe
  • Russell
  • Warren
  • Washington

Adjacent counties

Major highways

  • I-70.svg Interstate 70
  • US 36.svg U.S. Route 36
  • US 40.svg U.S. Route 40
  • US 231.svg U.S. Route 231
  • Indiana 42.svg Indiana State Road 42
  • Indiana 43.svg Indiana State Road 43
  • Indiana 75.svg Indiana State Road 75
  • Indiana 234.svg Indiana State Road 234
  • Indiana 236.svg Indiana State Road 236
  • Indiana 240.svg Indiana State Road 240
  • Indiana 243.svg Indiana State Road 243

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Greencastle, Indiana
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
2.4
 
34
18
 
 
2.5
 
40
22
 
 
3.6
 
51
32
 
 
3.8
 
63
42
 
 
4.8
 
74
52
 
 
4.3
 
82
61
 
 
5.1
 
86
65
 
 
4.2
 
84
63
 
 
3.3
 
78
56
 
 
3.1
 
66
44
 
 
4
 
52
34
 
 
3.1
 
39
23
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

In recent years, average temperatures in Greencastle 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 −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 107 °F (42 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.40 inches (61 mm) in January to 5.14 inches (131 mm) in July.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1830 8,262
1840 16,843 103.9%
1850 18,615 10.5%
1860 20,681 11.1%
1870 21,514 4.0%
1880 22,501 4.6%
1890 22,335 −0.7%
1900 21,478 −3.8%
1910 20,520 −4.5%
1920 19,880 −3.1%
1930 20,448 2.9%
1940 20,839 1.9%
1950 22,950 10.1%
1960 24,927 8.6%
1970 26,932 8.0%
1980 29,163 8.3%
1990 30,315 4.0%
2000 36,019 18.8%
2010 37,963 5.4%
2018 (est.) 37,779 −0.5%
US Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 37,963 people, 12,917 households, and 9,256 families in the county. The population density was 79.0 inhabitants per square mile (30.5/km2). There were 14,706 housing units at an average density of 30.6 per square mile (11.8/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.4% white, 4.0% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.6% were German, 15.3% were American, 12.7% were Irish, and 12.6% were English.

Of the 12,917 households, 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.3% were non-families, and 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 37.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $59,354. Males had a median income of $44,615 versus $29,211 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,441. About 7.7% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Covered Bridges

Dunbar (Covered Bridge Greenfield)
Dunbar Covered Bridge

The Dick Huffman or Webster CB is the furthest south, just off I-70. This route is not at an interstate exit.

Houck CB is out in the country, south of Greencastle. Oakala CB is just a short distance away from Houk CB.

According to the Encyclopedia of Haunted Indiana, the Edna Collins CB is considered to be haunted.

The Dunbar CB is nearest to Greencastle, which can be accessed via US 231 north, under the concrete railroad viaduct.

The Baker's Camp CB is east of Bainbridge on the old US 36.

The Rolling Stone CB which is the next parallel north of US 36. A third covered bridge is one parallel north of the Rolling Stone. This and Pine Bluff CB are on gravel roads.

The Cornstalk CB is the furthest north. It's east of the town of Raccoon, which is just off US 231. It is on a secondary road out of town to the south.

See also

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

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Putnam County, Indiana Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.