White County, Indiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids White County
U.S. county
White County Courthouse in Monticello
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	February 1, 1834 (authorized)
Named for	Isaac White
Seat	Monticello
Largest city	Monticello
Area
• Total	508.68 sq mi (1,317.5 km2)
• Land	505.12 sq mi (1,308.3 km2)
• Water	3.56 sq mi (9.2 km2)  0.70%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	24,688
• Estimate  (2023)	24,917
• Density	48.5335/sq mi (18.7389/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	4th
Indiana county number 91

White County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 24,688. The county seat (and only incorporated city) is Monticello.

History

The first white settlers in the future White County arrived in the land west of Tippecanoe River in 1829, and in other parts of the county in 1831. This area was part of Carroll County during that period.

By 1833, so many settlers had entered the area that the state legislature were pressured to have a separate county created. On February 1, 1834, the state approved the creation of this county, directing that it be named for Isaac White, a colonel in the Illinois militia. White was a mining geologist who was in charge of the salt works in Equality, Illinois, and was a close friend to Governor William Henry Harrison of the Northwest Territory, and to Joseph Hamilton Daveiss, U.S. District Attorney for Kentucky. In 1811, when Harrison declined the offer of Illinois troops to march on Tecumseh's village at Prophetstown, White enlisted as a private in the Indiana dragoons, which had been placed under the command of Daveiss. Both were killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe, and were buried in a common grave.

Interim commissioners were named and directed to organize the county during the summer of 1834, and to choose a county seat in September. They did so on September 5, 1834, naming Monticello as the future seat, due to its central location. While the county was being organized, it was attached to Carroll County for administrative and judicial purposes.

Alterations were made to the county's boundaries on December 24, 1834, on February 4, 1837, and on February 14, 1839. In addition, the counties of Jasper (1837), Pulaski (1839), Newton (1839), and Benton (1840) removed significant portions of the county's territory. The borders have remained unchanged since 1840.

Geography

The low, rolling hills of White County are entirely devoted to agriculture or to urban development. The Tippecanoe River flows southward through the central part of the county. The highest point on the terrain (770 feet/230 meters ASL) is a gentle rise about 2.8 miles (4.5 km) SSE from Wolcott.

According to the 2010 United States Census, the county has a total area of 508.68 square miles (1,317.5 km²), of which 505.12 square miles (1,308.3 km²) (or 99.30%) is land and 3.56 square miles (9.2 km²) (or 0.70%) is water.

Adjacent counties

City and towns

Census-designated places

• Buffalo
• Idaville
• Norway

Unincorporated places

Townships

Major highways

Railroads

• CSX Transportation
• Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Monticello have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1963 and a record high of 107 °F (42 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.94 inches (49 mm) in February to 4.16 inches (106 mm) in July.

Demographics

2010 Census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 24,643 people, 9,741 households, and 6,849 families in the county. The population density was 48.8 inhabitants per square mile (18.8/km²). There were 12,970 housing units at an average density of 25.7 per square mile (9.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 3.7% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.0% were German, 13.3% were Irish, 9.7% were English, and 8.4% were American.

Of the 9,741 households, 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.7% were non-families, and 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 41.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $52,626. Males had a median income of $39,715 versus $28,880 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,323. About 7.7% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools in White County are administered by the Frontier School Corporation, North White School Corporation, Tri-County School Corporation and Twin Lakes School Corporation.

High schools and middle schools

• Tri-County Middle/Senior High School
• Frontier Junior-Senior High School
• North White High School
• North White Middle School
• Roosevelt Middle School
• Twin Lakes High School

Elementary Schools

• Eastlawn Elementary School
• Frontier Elementary School
• Meadowlawn Elementary School
• Monon Elementary School
• Oaklawn Elementary School
• Tri-County Intermediate School

See also

In Spanish: Condado de White (Indiana) para niños