Wabash County, Indiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wabash County
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Wabash County Courthouse
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Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
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 Indiana's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Indiana |
| Founded | January 1820; organized 1835 |
| Named for | Wabash River |
| Seat | Wabash |
| Largest city | Wabash |
| Area | |
| • Total | 420.98 sq mi (1,090.3 km2) |
| • Land | 412.43 sq mi (1,068.2 km2) |
| • Water | 8.54 sq mi (22.1 km2) 2.03%% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 30,976 |
| • Estimate
(2023)
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30,670  |
| • Density | 73.5807/sq mi (28.4097/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Indiana county number 85 | |
Wabash County is a county located in the northern central part of the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 30,976. The county seat is Wabash.
Contents
History
The area was inhabited for thousands of years by cultures of indigenous peoples. French explorers and traders encountered the historical Miami Native Americans beginning in the 17th century.
Wabash County, along with Delaware County, was originally formed Jan. 1820 out of the 1818 New Purchase resulting from the Treaty of St. Mary's. Wabash County was the Wabash River drainage area, and Delaware County, the White River drainage area. Numerous counties were carved out of the Wabash New Purchase. Wabash County as it exists today was organized out of a remnant portion of the original county in 1835.
The name "Wabash" is an English spelling of the earlier French name for the river, Ouabache. French traders derived the French version from the Indian name for the river, Wabashike (pronounced "Wah-bah-she-keh") (meaning "pure white".) Much of the river bottom is white limestone, now obscured by mud.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 420.98 square miles (1,090.3 km2), of which 412.43 square miles (1,068.2 km2) (or 97.97%) is land and 8.54 square miles (22.1 km2) (or 2.03%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Kosciusko County (north)
- Whitley County (northeast)
- Huntington County (east)
- Grant County (south)
- Miami County (west)
- Fulton County (northwest)
Cities
Towns
- LaFontaine
- Lagro
- North Manchester
- Roann
Census-designated places
Other unincorporated places
Extinct
- Dora
- Rose Hill
Townships
- Chester
- Lagro
- Liberty
- Noble
- Paw Paw
- Pleasant
- Waltz
Major highways
U.S. Route 24
Indiana State Road 13
Indiana State Road 15
Indiana State Road 16
Indiana State Road 114
Indiana State Road 115
Indiana State Road 124
Indiana State Road 218
Indiana State Road 524
Climate and weather
| Weather chart for Wabash, Indiana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2.2
31
14
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1.9
36
17
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2.7
47
27
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3.5
60
37
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4.1
71
48
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4.2
80
58
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4.1
83
61
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4
81
59
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3.2
75
51
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2.8
63
40
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3.1
49
31
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2.7
36
20
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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 Wabash have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 83 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of −24 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.89 inches (48 mm) in February to 4.23 inches (107 mm) in June.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1840 | 2,756 | — | |
| 1850 | 12,138 | 340.4% | |
| 1860 | 17,547 | 44.6% | |
| 1870 | 21,305 | 21.4% | |
| 1880 | 25,241 | 18.5% | |
| 1890 | 27,126 | 7.5% | |
| 1900 | 28,235 | 4.1% | |
| 1910 | 26,926 | −4.6% | |
| 1920 | 27,231 | 1.1% | |
| 1930 | 25,170 | −7.6% | |
| 1940 | 26,601 | 5.7% | |
| 1950 | 29,047 | 9.2% | |
| 1960 | 32,605 | 12.2% | |
| 1970 | 35,553 | 9.0% | |
| 1980 | 36,640 | 3.1% | |
| 1990 | 35,069 | −4.3% | |
| 2000 | 34,960 | −0.3% | |
| 2010 | 32,888 | −5.9% | |
| 2020 | 30,976 | −5.8% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 30,670 | −6.7% | |
| 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 32,888 people, 12,777 households, and 8,733 families residing in the county. The population density was 79.7 inhabitants per square mile (30.8/km2). There were 14,171 housing units at an average density of 34.4 per square mile (13.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.6% white, 0.7% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.3% were German, 18.1% were American, 10.1% were English, and 10.0% were Irish.
Of the 12,777 households, 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.7% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 41.2 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $52,758. Males had a median income of $41,965 versus $26,944 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,475. About 8.8% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Wabash (Indiana) para niños
