Tipton County, Indiana facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Tipton County
U.S. county
Tipton County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	January 15, 1844
Named for	John Tipton
Seat	Tipton
Largest city	Tipton
Area
• Total	260.57 sq mi (674.9 km²)
• Land	260.54 sq mi (674.8 km²)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.08 km²) 0.01%%
Population (2020)
• Total	15,359
• Density	58.9439/sq mi (22.7583/km²)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	5th
Indiana county number 80 FIPS Code 159

Tipton County is a county in the state of Indiana, located just north of Indianapolis, the state capital. In 2020, about 15,359 people lived there. The main town and county seat is Tipton.

The county has four official towns where about 7,000 people live. It also has many smaller, unofficial communities. Tipton County is divided into six areas called townships, which help provide local services. Several state roads and one U.S. highway cross the county. Two railroad lines also run through it.

Before settlers from other countries arrived in the early 1800s, Native American tribes lived in the area. Tipton County was officially created in 1844. It was one of the last counties in Indiana to be settled.

History of Tipton County

Before the 1830s, the land that is now Tipton County was home to the Miami and Delaware Native American tribes. Tipton County was officially formed in 1844. It was named after John Tipton, a soldier who fought in the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. John Tipton later became a United States Senator for Indiana from 1831 to 1839.

The first serious crime in the county happened in October 1851. A man named Harvey Moon harmed Andrew Hornbeck with a knife. Moon was tried in Indianapolis because a jury could not be found in Tipton County. He was sentenced to five years in prison but escaped and was never caught again.

The Tipton County Courthouse

The first Tipton County Courthouse was a two-story wooden building. It was planned in early 1845 and finished by the end of that year. It cost about $1,200 to build. The building was made bigger the next year.

By 1858, a new courthouse was needed. A brick building was completed in 1859 for about $15,000. The courthouse used today was designed by Adolph Sherrer. He also worked on the Indiana Statehouse. The current Tipton courthouse was built from 1893 to 1894. It is made of sandstone in a Romanesque style. It has a clock tower that stands 206 feet tall, including the flagstaff. This courthouse is one of many Romanesque courthouses from the 1890s that are still in use today.

Geography and Landscape

Map of Tipton County, Indiana

Tipton County is located near the center of Indiana. Most of the county is a flat till plain. This means it's a flat area formed by glaciers. The land is usually between 850 and 900 feet above sea level.

Before settlers arrived, the county was covered with thick forests. These forests had trees like oak, beech, maple, walnut, hickory, sycamore, and tulip trees. The southern part of the county naturally drains water better. This area was cleared for farming first. Much of the rest of the county used to be swampy. This was because the ground was flat and there were not enough natural waterways. So, people had to dig drainage channels to make the land good for farming.

According to the 2010 census, Tipton County covers about 260.57 square miles. Almost all of this (99.99%) is land, and a very small part (0.01%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Tipton County shares its borders with several other counties:

Clinton County – to the west
Grant County – to the northeast
Hamilton County – to the south
Howard County – to the north and northwest
Madison County – to the east and southeast

Towns and Communities

Tipton County has four official towns:

Tipton – This is the main town and county seat. It's in the middle of the county. In 2010, about 5,106 people lived here.
Kempton – This town is near the western border. In 2010, its population was 335.
Sharpsville – Located near the northern border. In 2010, 607 people lived here.
Windfall – Found in the northeast corner of the county. Its population in 2010 was 708.

The city of Elwood is mostly in Madison County. However, a very small part of it extends into Tipton County. In 2000, seven Elwood residents lived in Tipton County.

Smaller Communities

Tipton County also has many smaller, unofficial communities:

County Townships

The county is divided into six townships that help manage local services:

Cicero
Jefferson
Liberty
Madison
Prairie
Wildcat

Climate and Weather

Weather chart for Tipton, Indiana

1.9

1.7

3.6

4.2

2.9

2.5

3.2

2.9

temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

Metric conversion

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
49 -1 -9	42 3 -7	77 8 -2	92 16 2	101 22 8	108 27 14	107 28 16	77 27 14	73 24 11	63 18 4	82 9 -1	75 3 -6
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

Tipton County has a humid continental climate. This means it has cold winters and hot summers. Average temperatures in Tipton range from about 15°F in January to 83°F in July. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -25°F in January 1994. The hottest was 98°F in July 1999.

The county gets a good amount of rain throughout the year. On average, it ranges from about 1.67 inches in February to 4.24 inches in June. Between 1950 and 2009, 13 tornadoes were reported in Tipton County. These storms caused some damage and a few injuries.

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	3,532	—
1860	8,170	131.3%
1870	11,953	46.3%
1880	14,407	20.5%
1890	18,157	26.0%
1900	19,116	5.3%
1910	17,459	−8.7%
1920	16,152	−7.5%
1930	15,208	−5.8%
1940	15,135	−0.5%
1950	15,566	2.8%
1960	15,856	1.9%
1970	16,650	5.0%
1980	16,819	1.0%
1990	16,119	−4.2%
2000	16,577	2.8%
2010	15,936	−3.9%
2020	15,359	−3.6%
2023 (est.)	15,256	−4.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010

In 2010, there were 15,936 people living in Tipton County. Most people (97.6%) were white. A small number were Asian (0.4%), black or African American (0.2%), or American Indian (0.1%). About 2.2% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino background.

Many people in the county have German (28.5%), American (14.5%), English (12.3%), or Irish (9.6%) family backgrounds. The average age of people in Tipton County was 42.6 years old.

Economy and Jobs

Another view of the courthouse

Tipton County jail

Tipton County's economy is supported by about 7,700 workers. In December 2015, the unemployment rate was 3.8%.

Farming and Agriculture

For a long time, farming has been very important to Tipton County's economy. In 1914, there were 2,067 working farms in the county. These farms covered 166,400 acres of land. Early settlers grew crops like corn, wheat, oats, rye, and potatoes. Alfalfa was also grown in the flatter areas.

Growing fruit was profitable before 1880. However, a plant disease called blight reduced the amount of fruit. This caused fruit growing to almost stop. The Tipton County Agricultural Society was formed in 1855. They held the first county fair that October. Today, corn and wheat are still the main crops grown.

Banking Services

The first bank in Tipton County was Vickrey Bank, started in the 1880s. It later became Union Bank, then Farmers Loan and Trust. In 1876, the Tipton County Bank was founded. It joined with First National Bank in 1902. Many other banks started in the county over the years. Today, Farmers' State Bank, which began in 1914, is still in business.

Education and Schools

School History

In 1889, schools in Tipton County had 6,225 students. There were 84 schools across the county. Most teachers were men, and they were paid about $2 per day. By 1914, the number of students was 3,701, with 65 schools. There were five high schools located in Sharpsville, Tipton, Kempton, Goldsmith, and Windfall. Teachers were paid about $3.19 a day.

Current Schools

Today, Tipton County has six schools. These schools are managed by three different school groups. The Tipton Community School Corporation has an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. All of these are in Tipton. In the 2009–2010 school year, these schools taught 1,821 students.

In the northern part of the county, Tri-Central Community Schools has an elementary school and Tri-Central Middle/High School. Both are in Sharpsville. These schools served 970 students in 2009–2010. Saint John the Baptist School was a Catholic elementary school in Tipton. It closed in 2014 because fewer students were attending.

Media and News

The first newspaper in Tipton County was the Tipton County Democrat, started in 1855. Its name changed several times over the years. Another early newspaper, the Tipton Republican, started in 1860. It closed when its editor joined the army. Many other newspapers were started in the county, but none of them exist today. The Tipton County Tribune was founded in 1895. This newspaper is still published today.

Transportation and Roads

Highways and Routes

Several important roads run through Tipton County:

US Route 31 – This highway runs north and south through the western-middle part of the county. It passes through Tetersburg.
State Road 19 – This road also runs north and south through the middle of the county, going through Tipton.
State Road 28 – This road runs east and west through the lower central part of the county, also passing through Tipton.
State Road 213 – This road runs north and south through the eastern-middle part of the county, going through Windfall.

Three other state roads touch the southeastern corner of the county:

State Road 13 – This road goes north to the southeast corner of Tipton County.
State Road 37 – This road runs with State Road 13 in this area.
State Road 128 – This road meets State Road 13/31 at the southeast corner of Tipton County.

Railroad Lines

Two Norfolk Southern Railway lines run through Tipton County. One line connects Muncie in the east with Frankfort in the west. The other line connects Logansport and Kokomo in the north with Indianapolis in the south. These two railroad lines cross each other in the town of Tipton.

Notable People from Tipton County

Charles Benjamin "Babe" Adams (1882–1968) – Born in Tipton. He was a baseball pitcher for the Saint Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
John Bunch (1921–2010) – Born in Tipton. He was a jazz pianist who played with famous musicians like Woody Herman and Benny Goodman. He also composed music.
Donald Bertrand Tresidder (1894–1948) – He was the president of Stanford University from 1943 to 1948. He helped the school through the difficult years of World War II.