Grant County, Indiana

{{Infobox U.S. county

| county = Grant County

| state = Indiana

| founded year = 1831

| founded date =

| seat wl = Marion

| largest city = Marion

| area_total_sq_mi = 414.90

| area_land_sq_mi = 414.07

| area_water_sq_mi = 0.82

| area percentage = 0.20%

| census yr = 2020

| pop = 66674

| pop_est_as_of = 2025

| population_est = 66615 {{decrease}}

| density_sq_mi = auto

| time zone = Eastern

| web = http://www.grantcounty.net

| named for = Samuel and Moses Grant

| ex image = Grant County Courthhouse, Marion, Indiana.JPG

| ex image cap = Grant County Courthouse in Marion

| district = 5th

| footnotes = Indiana county number 27 |logo=GrantCountyINlogo.png|logo size=120px|image_seal=GrantCountyINseal.png}}

Grant County is a county in central Indiana in the United States Midwest. At the time of the 2020 census, the population was 66,674.{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/18053.html|title=Grant County QuickFacts|access-date=September 17, 2011|publisher=US Census Bureau|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607082023/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/18053.html|archive-date=June 7, 2011}} The county seat is Marion.{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|archive-date=May 31, 2011}} Important paleontological discoveries, dating from the Pliocene epoch, have been made at the Pipe Creek Sinkhole in Grant County.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024|reason=Cannot find additional information supporting this line within the article}}

History

Grant County was formed in 1831 by settlers from Kentucky and Virginia. It was named after Captains Samuel and Moses Grant of Kentucky, who were killed fighting indigenous warriors north of the Ohio River.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9V1IAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA141|title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States| publisher=Govt. Print. Off.|author=Gannett, Henry|year=1905|pages=14}} Their home county was also named after them, Grant County, Kentucky.

In 1831, Martin Boots and David Branson each donated 30 acres of land to begin a settlement called Marion. This land was on the north side of a fast-flowing and scenic river which the Miami Indians called Mississinewa. Marion was designated as the County Seat.[http://grantcounty.com/about-gc/history/ Grant County History, Grant County website] As the county was developed for agriculture, the County Seat became a center of trade and business, as well as government and the court system.

On August 7, 1930, a mob of an estimated 5,000 people took three African-American men, Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, both 19, and James Cameron, 16, from the county jail. They were suspects in a robbery/murder and rape. The first two were hanged from trees in the courthouse square. Cameron was spared and later became a civil rights activist. This was the last lynching in Indiana.[https://www.thenation.com/article/anatomy-murder/ David Bradley, "Anatomy of a Murder"], The Nation, May 24, 2006; accessed June 1, 2018.

In 1982, Stephen Johnson was elected as Grant County's first full-time prosecutor. He served for five terms, from 1983 through 2002.

Geography

Grant County consists of low rolling hills, covered with vegetation and devoted to agriculture or urban development.[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Grant+County,+IN/@40.4595255,-85.547695,17.75z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x8814ff2c205995c5:0x2d4e50fbf927ffd3!8m2!3d40.4730605!4d-85.684578 Grant County IN (Google Maps, accessed 20 January 2020)] The Mississinewa River flows northwesterly through the center of the county toward Mississinewa Lake in adjacent Miami County. The highest terrain consists of two rises in southeast Upland, at {{convert|950|ft|m|abbr=on}} ASL.[https://www.peakbagger.com/map/BigMap.aspx?cy=40.472426&cx=-85.489746&z=13&l=L_CT|L_FS|L_MT|L_AG|L_OS&hj=0&t=P&d=22968&c=0&a=1&sx=-999&sy=-999&cyn=0 Grant County High Point, Indiana (PeakBagger.com, accessed 20 January 2020)] According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of {{convert|414.90|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|414.07|sqmi}} (or 99.80%) is land and {{convert|0.82|sqmi}} (or 0.20%) is water.

Image:Marion-indiana-from-above.jpg]]

=Adjacent counties=

Grant County shares a border with nine neighboring counties, more than any other county in Indiana.

Huntington County - northeast
Wells County - northeast
Blackford County - east
Delaware County - southeast
Madison County - south
Tipton County - southwest
Howard County - west
Miami County - northwest
Wabash County - northwest

=Transit=

Marion Transit System

=Major highways=

{{Jct|state=IN|I|69}} - Interstate Highway
{{Jct|state=IN|US|35}} - Federal Highway
{{Jct|state=IN|SR|5}} - State Highway
{{Jct|state=IN|SR|9}} - State Highway
{{Jct|state=IN|SR|13}} - State Highway
{{Jct|state=IN|SR|15}} - State Highway
{{Jct|state=IN|SR|18}} - State Highway
{{Jct|state=IN|SR|19}} - State Highway
{{Jct|state=IN|SR|22}} - State Highway
{{Jct|state=IN|SR|26}} - State Highway
{{Jct|state=IN|SR|37}} - State Highway

Climate and weather

{{climate chart

|Marion, Indiana

|16|32|2.16

|19|37|2.03

|28|48|3.01

|38|60|3.58

|49|72|4.29

|59|81|3.93

|63|85|4.73

|61|82|3.66

|53|76|2.84

|42|64|2.58

|33|50|3.35

|22|37|2.85

|float=right

|units=imperial

|clear=both

|source=The Weather Channel{{cite web|url=http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIN0390|title=Monthly Averages for Marion IN|access-date=January 27, 2011|publisher=The Weather Channel}}}}

In recent years, average temperatures in Marion have ranged from a low of {{convert|16|°F}} in January to a high of {{convert|85|°F}} in July, although a record low of {{convert|-23|°F}} was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of {{convert|108|°F}} was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from {{convert|2.03|in}} in February to {{convert|4.73|in}} in July.

Government

The county government is a constitutional body, granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana and the Indiana Code.

County Council: The legislative branch of the county government; controls spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives, elected to four-year terms from county districts, are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes.{{cite web|author=Indiana Code|author-link=Indiana Code|url=http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar2/ch3.html|title=Title 36, Article 2, Section 3|access-date=September 16, 2008|publisher=IN.gov}}{{cite web|author=Indiana Code|url=http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf|title=Title 2, Article 10, Section 2|access-date=September 16, 2008|publisher=IN.gov}}

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county; commissioners are elected county-wide to staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.

Court: The county maintains a small claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor and circuit court clerk, elected to four-year terms. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.

Grant County is part of Indiana's 5th congressional district; Indiana Senate districts 17, 19 and 21;{{cite web|url=http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/3006.htm|title=Indiana Senate Districts|publisher=State of Indiana|access-date=July 14, 2011}} and Indiana House of Representatives districts 31, 32 and 82.{{cite web|url=http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/3005.htm|title=Indiana House Districts|publisher=State of Indiana|access-date=July 14, 2011}}

{{PresHead|place=Grant County, Indiana|source1={{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Atlas of US Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=April 9, 2018}}|source2=The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 2,185 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 1,323 votes, Prohibition candidate Eugene Chafin received 1,015 votes, and Socialist Labor candidate Arthur Reimer received 184 votes.}}

Demographics

{{US Census population

|1840= 4875

|1850= 11092

|1860= 15797

|1870= 18487

|1880= 23618

|1890= 31493

|1900= 54693

|1910= 51426

|1920= 51353

|1930= 51066

|1940= 55813

|1950= 62156

|1960= 75741

|1970= 83955

|1980= 80934

|1990= 74169

|2000= 73403

|2010= 70061

|2020= 66674

|estyear=2025

|estimate=66615

|estref={{cite web|url=https://www.indiana-demographics.com/grant-county-demographics|title=Grant County Demographic Statistics|publisher=Indiana Demographics by Cubit|accessdate=January 29, 2025}}

|align-fn=center

|footnote=US Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=US Decennial Census|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=July 10, 2014}}
1790-1960{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=July 10, 2014}} 1900-1990{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/in190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=July 10, 2014}}
1990-2000{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=July 10, 2014}} 2010-2013

}}

=2020 census=

class="wikitable"

|+Grant County Racial Composition{{Cite web|title =P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Grant County, Indiana|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Grant%20County,%20Indiana&t=Race%20and%20Ethnicity&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2}}

!Race

!Num.

!Perc.

White (NH)

|54,500

|81.7%

Black or African American (NH)

|4,566

|6.8%

Native American (NH)

|157

|0.23%

Asian (NH)

|524

|0.8%

Pacific Islander (NH)

|22

|0.03%

Other/Mixed (NH)

|3,493

|5.2%

Hispanic or Latino

|3,412

|5%

=2010 United States Census=

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 70,061 people, 27,245 households, and 18,000 families in the county.{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US18053|title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data|access-date=July 10, 2015|publisher=US Census Bureau|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213024448/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US18053|archive-date=February 13, 2020|url-status=dead}} The population density was {{convert|169.2|PD/sqmi}}. There were 30,443 housing units at an average density of {{convert|73.5|/sqmi}}.{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US18053|access-date=July 10, 2015|title=Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County|publisher=US Census Bureau|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212201244/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US18053|archive-date=February 12, 2020|url-status=dead}} The racial makeup of the county was 88.2% white, 7.0% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 1.4% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 19.5% were German, 12.4% were American, 10.0% were Irish, and 9.0% were English.{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0400000US18%7c0500000US18053|title=Selected Social Characteristics in the US – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates|access-date=July 10, 2015|publisher=US Census Bureau|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214003936/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0400000US18%7C0500000US18053|archive-date=February 14, 2020|url-status=dead}}

Of the 27,245 households, 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.9% were non-families, and 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 39.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $49,860. Males had a median income of $40,146 versus $28,588 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,792. About 12.0% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.0% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0400000US18%7c0500000US18053|title=Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates|access-date=July 10, 2015|publisher=US Census Bureau|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214002305/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0400000US18%7C0500000US18053|archive-date=February 14, 2020|url-status=dead}}

Localities

=Cities=

=Towns=

=Census-designated places=

=Unincorporated communities=

=Townships=

Education

School districts include:{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st18_in/schooldistrict_maps/c18053_grant/DC20SD_C18053.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Grant County, IN|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=July 22, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st18_in/schooldistrict_maps/c18053_grant/DC20SD_C18053_SD2MS.txt Text list]