Tippecanoe County, Indiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tippecanoe County
U.S. county
Tippecanoe County Courthouse in Lafayette, Indiana
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	March 1, 1826
Named for	Kethtippecanoogi ("Place of the Succor Fish People" in Miami)
Seat	Lafayette
Largest city	Lafayette
Area
• Total	503.24 sq mi (1,303.4 km2)
• Land	499.81 sq mi (1,294.5 km2)
• Water	3.44 sq mi (8.9 km2)  0.68%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	186,251
• Density	370.104/sq mi (142.8978/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	4th
Indiana county number 79

Tippecanoe County is a county located in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Indiana about 22 miles east of the Illinois state line and less than 50 miles from the Chicago and the Indianapolis metro areas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,251. The county seat and largest city is Lafayette. It was created in 1826 from Wabash County portion of New Purchase and unorganized territory.

Tippecanoe County was formed March 1, 1826, and named for the anglicization of "Kiteepihkwana", a Miami people term meaning "place of the buffalo fish people." The county is best known for Purdue University, the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe, and the Tippecanoe County Courthouse, a structure built in 1881 and included in the National Register of Historic Places.

Tippecanoe County is part of the Lafayette, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The history of Tippecanoe County spans six distinct political and cultural periods: Native American lands from at least 8000BC, including the Mississippian culture, French occupation (part of New France beginning in the 1670s), British occupation starting in 1763, part of the United States Northwest Territory in 1787, part of Indiana Territory in 1800, and finally part of the State of Indiana in 1816. The political organization of the county began in 1826 by the act of the Indiana Legislature.

The first European explorers arrived in the 1670s and the first permanent settlement was Fort Ouiatenon by the French established in 1717. Lafayette was platted in 1825 and Purdue University founded in 1869.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 503.24 square miles (1,303.4 km²), of which 499.81 square miles (1,294.5 km²) (or 99.32%) is land and 3.44 square miles (8.9 km²) (or 0.68%) is water. The county's highest point is in the Lauramie Township.

Adjacent counties

• White County (north)
• Carroll County (northeast)
• Clinton County (east)
• Montgomery County (south)
• Fountain County (southwest)
• Warren County (west)
• Benton County (northwest)

Communities

The county courthouse and nearby buildings along the Wabash River in Lafayette and West Lafayette

The view northeast into the town of Battle Ground

Cities

• Lafayette
• West Lafayette (home of Purdue University)

Towns

• Battle Ground
• Clarks Hill
• Dayton
• Otterbein (east half)
• Shadeland

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated places

Extinct

Townships

A freight train approaches the town of South Raub on the border of Randolph and Wea Townships.

Climate and weather

In recent years, temperatures in Lafayette have ranged from an average low of 17 °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 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.58 inches (40 mm) inches in February to 4.24 inches (108 mm) inches in June.

Transportation

Highways

• Interstate 65
• U.S. Route 52
• U.S. Route 231
• Indiana State Road 25
• Indiana State Road 26
• Indiana State Road 28
• Indiana State Road 38
• Indiana State Road 43
• Indiana State Road 225

Railroads

Three different railroad lines intersect in Tippecanoe County, all running through the Lafayette area. CSX Transportation operates a north–south line; Norfolk Southern Railway operates a southwest-to-northeast line, and the Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad operates a daily-service line running from the northwest to the southeast.

The Amtrak Cardinal stops at the Lafayette Station 3 times a week, and is the only provider of passenger rail service to Greater Lafayette.

Airport

The county contains one public-use airport: Purdue University Airport (LAF) in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 172,780 people, 65,532 households, and 37,003 families residing in the county. The population density was 345.7 inhabitants per square mile (133.5/km²). There were 71,096 housing units at an average density of 142.2 per square mile (54.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.0% white, 6.2% Asian, 4.0% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 3.3% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.5% were German, 13.9% were Irish, 10.8% were English, and 6.1% were American.

Of the 65,532 households, 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 43.5% were non-families, and 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 27.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $60,367. Males had a median income of $45,018 versus $31,995 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,203. About 10.3% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools in rural/suburban Tippecanoe County are administered by the Tippecanoe School Corporation, while those in the cities are under either the Lafayette School Corporation or West Lafayette Community School Corporation. Purdue and Ivy Tech each have campuses at other sites in Indiana.

Libraries

• Tippecanoe County Public Library
• West Lafayette Public Library

Universities and colleges

• Purdue University
• Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana

High Schools

• TSC - Elston Alternative Education Center
• LCSS - Lafayette Central Catholic Jr/Sr High School
• LSC - Lafayette (city) Jefferson High School
• LSC - Lafayette (city) Oakland High School
• TSC - Lafayette (suburban—south) McCutcheon High School
• WLCSC - West Lafayette (city) West Lafayette Junior-Senior High School
• TSC - West Lafayette/Lafayette (suburban—north) Harrison High School

Middle Schools/Junior High Schools

• Lafayette Sunnyside Middle School
• Lafayette Tecumseh Junior High School
• TSC (Harrison) Battle Ground Middle School
• TSC (Harrison) East Tipp Middle School
• TSC (Harrison) Klondike Middle School
• TSC (McCutcheon) Southwestern Middle School
• TSC (McCutcheon) Wainwright Middle School
• TSC (McCutcheon) Wea Ridge Middle School
• West Lafayette Junior-Senior High School

Elementary Schools

• Lafayette Edgelea Elementary School
• Lafayette Glen Acres Elementary School
• Lafayette Miami Elementary School
• Lafayette Miller Elementary School
• Lafayette Murdock Elementary School
• Lafayette (charter) New Community School
• Lafayette Vinton Elementary School
• TSC (Harrison) Battle Ground Elementary School
• TSC (Harrison) Burnett Creek Elementary School
• TSC (Harrison) Hershey Elementary School
• TSC (Harrison) Klondike Elementary School
• TSC (McCutcheon) Dayton Elementary School
• TSC (McCutcheon) James Cole Elementary School
• TSC (McCutcheon) Mayflower Mill Elementary School
• TSC (McCutcheon) Mintonye Elementary School
• TSC (McCutcheon) Wea Ridge Elementary School
• TSC (McCutcheon) Woodland Elementary School
• TSC (Harrison/McCutcheon) Wyandotte Elementary School
• West Lafayette Elementary School
• West Lafayette Intermediate School

Private Schools

• Apostolic Christian Academy
• Concord School
• Faith Christian School
• First Assembly Christian Academy
• Highland Christian School k-8
• Lafayette Catholic Schools k-12
• Lafayette Christian School k-8
• Lafayette Faith Baptist
• Lighthouse Baptist Christian Academy
• Pleasantview Christian School
• St Boniface 4-6
• St James Lutheran k-8
• St Mary Cathedral Elementary K-3

Economy

Much of the economy of Tippecanoe County is centered in its two largest communities: Lafayette and West Lafayette. Purdue University is by far the largest employer in the county, but private industry and commerce independent of the university also employ many others. Major employers include Subaru-Indiana Automotive, Wabash National, Caterpillar, Fairfield Manufacturing, Franciscan Health Lafayette, Alcoa, State Farm, and Indiana University Health Arnett Hospital.

Notable people

• Jesse Lloyd

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Tippecanoe para niños