LaGrange County, Indiana#References

The first settlement of LaGrange County was founded about a half mile west of Lima in 1828.{https://sites.rootsweb.com/~inlagran/lghist.html} Over the next four years, settlers flocked to parts of Lima, Springfield, and Van Buren Townships. Finally in 1832, LaGrange County was carved out of neighboring Elkhart County and established with Lima as the county seat.http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~inlagran/lghist.html {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=June 2022}} The town of LaGrange was platted in 1836 and settled in 1842 as the new county seat, closer to the center of the county.{{cite web |url=http://www.countyhistory.com/lagrange/start.html |title=LaGrange County Indiana History and Pioneer Genealogy |access-date=August 1, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061018180431/http://www.countyhistory.com/lagrange/start.html |archive-date=October 18, 2006 }} Lima's name was changed to Howe in 1909. LaGrange was laid out and platted in 1836.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AVM0AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA111 | title=Counties of LaGrange and Noble, Indiana: Historical and Biographical | publisher=F.A. Battey & Company | year=1882 | pages=111}}

LaGrange County's initial settlers were Yankee immigrants, that is to say, they were from New England. They were descended from the English Puritans who settled that region in the colonial era. They were part of a wave of New England settlers moving west into what was then the Northwest Territory after the completion of the Erie Canal. The original settlers in LaGrange County specifically hailed from the Massachusetts counties of Worcester County, Suffolk County and Berkshire County; the Connecticut counties of Hartford County and Windham County as well as the Connecticut towns of Sherman, Lebanon and Fairfield; and from the Vermont towns of Burlington, Brookfield, Huntington and Grand Isle. They were mainly members of the Congregational Church, but as a result of the Second Great Awakening, many became Baptists and many also converted to Pentecostalism and Methodism. When they arrived in LaGrange County, there was nothing but a virgin forest and wild prairie. The New England settlers cleared roads, built farms, constructed churches, erected government buildings, and established post routes. As a result of this migration, LaGrange County was culturally continuous with early New England culture for many years.The expansion of New England: the spread of New England settlement and institutions to the Mississippi River, 1620-1865 by Lois Kimball Matthews p. 201

In 1837, the government removed Chief Shipshewana and the Potawatomi Tribe from the county's northwest corner. Several years later, the Chief was allowed to return and died in Newbury Township in 1841. A town named Georgetown had been platted in 1837 but was abandoned because of lack of development. In 1844, the first Amish came from Pennsylvania to settle around the old town. The village continued to grow, and the town of Shipshewana was platted nearby in 1899 and incorporated in 1916 in Newbury Township.

LaGrange County was named after the Château de la Grange-Bléneau, home of Revolutionary War hero, the Marquis de la Fayette, outside of Paris, France.{{cite book|author=De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle|publisher=R. S. Peale & co.|year=1875|location=Indiana|title=An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana|url=https://archive.org/details/anillustratedhi02tuttgoog| pages=[https://archive.org/details/anillustratedhi02tuttgoog/page/n566 564]}}

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of {{convert|386.70|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|379.62|sqmi}} (or 98.17%) is land and {{convert|7.08|sqmi}} (or 1.83%) is water.

The county is mostly made up of rural farmland but also some rolling hills and several lakes.

• St. Joseph County, Michigan (northwest)
• Branch County, Michigan (northeast)
• Steuben County (east)
• Noble County (south)
• Elkhart County (west)

• {{jct|state=IN|I|80|I|90|Toll|nolink1=yes|nolink2=yes|nolink3=yes}}

{{climate chart

|LaGrange, Indiana

|14|29|1.79

|16|34|1.76

|25|45|2.67

|36|57|3.34

|47|69|3.63

|57|79|4.17

|61|82|3.59

|59|80|4.00

|51|73|3.46

|40|61|2.79

|31|47|2.89

|20|34|2.61

|float=left

|units=imperial

|clear=both

|source=The Weather Channel{{cite web

|url=http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIN0341

|title=Monthly Averages for LaGrange, Indiana

|access-date=January 27, 2011

|publisher=The Weather Channel

}}}}

In recent years, average temperatures in LaGrange have ranged from a low of {{convert|14|°F}} in January to a high of {{convert|82|°F}} in July, although a record low of {{convert|-28|°F}} was recorded in December 2000 and a record high of {{convert|104|°F}} was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from {{convert|1.76|in}} in February to {{convert|4.17|in}} in June.

{{US Census population

|1840= 3664

|1850= 8387

|1860= 11366

|1870= 14148

|1880= 15630

|1890= 15615

|1900= 15284

|1910= 15148

|1920= 14009

|1930= 13780

|1940= 14352

|1950= 15347

|1960= 17380

|1970= 20890

|1980= 25550

|1990= 29477

|2000= 34909

|2010= 37128

|2020= 40446

|estyear=2024

|estimate=41122

|estref=

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States 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=United States 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=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 10, 2014}} 2010–2013{{cite web

|url = http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/18087.html

|title = LaGrange County QuickFacts

|access-date = September 25, 2011

|publisher = United States Census Bureau

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110806014801/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/18087.html

|archive-date = August 6, 2011

}} 2020 2024

}}

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 37,128 people, 11,598 households, and 9,106 families residing in the county.{{cite web

|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US18087

|title=DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data

|access-date=July 10, 2015

|publisher=United States Census Bureau

|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213031215/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US18087

|archive-date=February 13, 2020

|url-status=dead

}} The population density was {{convert|97.8|PD/sqmi}}. There were 14,094 housing units at an average density of {{convert|37.1|/sqmi}}.{{cite web

|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US18087

|access-date=July 10, 2015

|title=Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County

|publisher=United States Census Bureau

|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212200305/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US18087

|archive-date=February 12, 2020

|url-status=dead

}} The racial makeup of the county was 96.6% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.7% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 36.1% were German, 13.3% were American, 6.4% were Irish, and 6.4% were English.{{cite web

|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0400000US18%7c0500000US18087

|title=DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

|access-date=July 10, 2015

|publisher=United States Census Bureau

|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214002119/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0400000US18%7C0500000US18087

|archive-date=February 14, 2020

|url-status=dead

}}

Of the 11,598 households, 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.6% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 21.5% were non-families, and 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.17, and the average family size was 3.66. The median age was 30.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $53,793. Males had a median income of $40,960 versus $29,193 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,388. About 12.1% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.{{cite web

|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0400000US18%7c0500000US18087

|title=DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

|access-date=July 10, 2015

|publisher=United States Census Bureau

|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214004016/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0400000US18%7C0500000US18087

|archive-date=February 14, 2020

|url-status=dead

}}

File:Jrb 20071024 Mennonite Amish buggy Shipshewana Indiana.JPG rides are offered in tourist-oriented Shipshewana, Indiana]]

Approximately 43% of the population of LaGrange County is Amish, as the county is home to the third-largest Amish community in the United States and belongs to the Elkhart-LaGrange Amish affiliation. This is reflected in the linguistic situation in the county: 28.45% of the population report speaking German, Pennsylvania German, or Dutch at home.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=18&county_id=87&mode=geographic&zip=&place_id=&cty_id=&ll=&a=&ea=&order=r|title=Language Map Data Center}} 68.5% of the total population and 61.29% of the children in 5-17 age group used English as their home language, according to 2000 Census. The Amish languages (German, Pennsylfaansch, and Dutch) were used by 28.47% of the total population and 35.77% of them.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&SRVY_YEAR=2000&geo=county&state_id=18&county_id=87&mode=geographic&lang_id=&zip=&place_id=&cty_id=®ion_id=&division_id=&ll=&ea=y&order=&a=y&pc=1|title = Data Center Results}}

As of 2020 census, Terry Martin, president of the LaGrange County Commissioners, said that "the Amish-English ratio is about 50-50", also adding that the nearly 9% growth, or 3,318 people [between 2010 and 2020 censuses], was mainly due to the increasing Amish population.

{{Pie chart

|thumb = right

|caption = Religion in LaGrange County,according to ARDA (2020) [https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/census/congregational-membership?y=2020&y2=0&t=0&c=18087]{{fv|date=August 2023|reason=These numbers are not apparent in the reference given}}

|label1 = Anabaptist Churches (Amish)

|value1 = 44.7

|color1 = DodgerBlue

|label2 = Evangelical Churches

|value2 = 7.8

|color2 = Blue

|label3 = Mainline Protestant Churches

|value3 = 5.2

|color3 = Red

|label4 =

|value4 =

|color4 =

|label5 = Catholic Church

|value5 = 2.3

|color5 = Purple

|label6 = Black Protestant Churches

|value6 = 0.7

|color6 = Orange

|label7 = None*

|value7 = 39.8

|color7 = White

}} *"Nones" is an unclear category.{{cite book |last1=Wuthnow |first1=Robert |title=Inventing American Religion : Polls, Surveys, and the Tenuous Quest for a Nation's Faith |date=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190258900 |pages=151–155}} It is a heterogenous group of the not religious and intermittently religious.{{cite book |last1=Blankholm |first1=Joseph |title=The Secular Paradox : On the Religiosity of the Not Religious |date=2022 |publisher=New York University Press |location=New York |isbn=9781479809509 |page=7}} Researchers argue that most of the "Nones" should be considered "unchurched", rather than objectively nonreligious;{{cite journal |last1=Johnson |first1=Byron |last2=Stark |first2=Rodney |last3=Bradshaw |first3=Matt |last4=Levin |first4=Jeff |title=Are Religious "Nones" Really Not Religious?: Revisiting Glenn, Three Decades Later |journal=Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion |date=2022 |volume=18 |issue=7}}{{cite journal |last1=Hout |first1=Michael |last2=Fischer |first2=Claude S. |title=Explaining Why More Americans Have No Religious Preference: Political Backlash and Generational Succession, 1987-2012 |journal=Sociological Science |date=October 13, 2014 |volume=1 |pages=423–447 |doi=10.15195/v1.a24|doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Hout |first1=Michael |title=American Religion, All or Nothing at All |journal=Contexts |date=November 2017 |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=78–80 |doi=10.1177/1536504217742401|s2cid=67327797 |doi-access=free }} especially since most "Nones" do hold some religious-spiritual beliefs and a notable amount participate in behaviors.{{cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Todd |last2=Zurlo |first2=Gina |editor1-last=Cipriani |editor1-first=Roberto |editor2-last=Garelli |editor2-first=Franco |title=Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion: Volume 7: Sociology of Atheism |date=2016 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |isbn=9789004317536 |pages=58–60 |chapter=Unaffiliated, Yet Religious: A Methodological and Demographic Analysis}}{{cite book |last1=Drescher |first1=Elizabeth |title=Choosing our Religion: The Spiritual Lives of America's Nones |date=2016 |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199341221 |ol=27709180M |pages=21–26}}{{cite web |last1=Cox |first1=Kiana |title=Nine-in-ten Black 'nones' believe in God, but fewer pray or attend services |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/03/17/nine-in-ten-black-nones-believe-in-god-but-fewer-pray-or-attend-services/ |website=Pew Research Center |date=March 17, 2021}} For example, 72% of American "Nones" believe in God or a Higher Power.{{cite web |title=Key findings about Americans' belief in God |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/04/25/key-findings-about-americans-belief-in-god/ |website=Pew Research Center |date=April 25, 2018}}

• LaGrange
• Shipshewana
• Topeka
• Wolcottville (partially in Noble County)

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}

• Bloomfield
• Clay
• Clearspring
• Eden
• Greenfield
• Johnson
• Lima
• Milford
• Newbury
• Springfield
• Van Buren

{{div col end}}

• Howe

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}

• Brighton
• Brushy Prairie
• Elmira
• Emma
• Gravel Beach
• Greenwood
• Hartzel
• Honeyville
• Indianola
• Lakeside Park
• Lakeview
• Mongo
• Northwood
• Oak Lodge
• Ontario
• Pashan
• Plato
• Ramblewood
• River Oaks
• Scott
• Sha-Get Acres
• Shady Nook
• South Milford
• Star Mill
• Stroh
• Tall Timbers
• Timberhurst
• Twin Lakes
• Valentine
• Webers Landing
• Witmer Manor
• Woodland Hills
• Woodland Park
• Woodruff

{{div col end}}

The economy is based mainly on agriculture and small shops, but tourism also plays a big role, especially in Shipshewana.

The county is led by a board of three elected commissioners that serve as the county government's executive branch. The county council comprises 7 elected members – four from each council district and 3 at large. Also, one assessor serves the entire county as opposed to one for every township.

The current county commissioners are:{{cite web |url=http://www.lagrangecounty.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=46&Itemid=109 |title=www.lagrangecounty.org - Commissioner Contact Information |access-date=August 1, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080608202233/http://www.lagrangecounty.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=46&Itemid=109 |archive-date=June 8, 2008 }}

• North District: Terry Martin
• Middle District: Kevin Myers
• South District: Peter Cook

The current county council members are:{{cite web | url=https://www.lagrangecounty.org/council/ | title=County Council }}

• Charles F. Ashcraft D - District 1
• Ryan Riegsecker R- District 2
• Harold Gingerich R - District 3
• Jim Young R - District 4
• Jeff Brill R - At Large
• Steve McKowen R - At Large
• Mike Strawser R - At Large

LaGrange County is part of Indiana's 3rd congressional district; Indiana Senate district 13;{{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 18 and 52.{{cite web

|url=http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/3005.htm

|title=Indiana House Districts

|publisher=State of Indiana

|access-date=July 14, 2011

}}

LaGrange County has consistently been a Republican Party stronghold in presidential elections. In only three elections since 1888 has a Republican candidate failed to win the county, most recently in 1964.

{{PresHead|place=LaGrange County, Indiana|source={{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=February 22, 2021}}}}

{{PresRow|2024|Republican|8,073|2,162|204|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|2020|Republican|8,110|2,355|187|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|2016|Republican|7,025|2,080|561|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|2012|Republican|6,231|2,898|187|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|2008|Republican|5,702|3,663|170|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|2004|Republican|6,430|2,523|50|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|2000|Republican|5,437|2,733|163|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1996|Republican|4,033|2,704|1,003|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1992|Republican|3,584|2,093|1,767|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1988|Republican|4,495|2,029|22|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1984|Republican|4,772|1,884|36|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1980|Republican|4,259|2,095|461|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1976|Republican|3,876|2,835|61|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1972|Republican|4,152|1,658|29|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1968|Republican|3,328|1,691|389|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|2,785|2,818|37|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1960|Republican|4,433|1,965|24|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1956|Republican|3,815|1,562|37|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1952|Republican|3,822|1,604|129|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1948|Republican|3,106|1,628|133|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1944|Republican|3,501|1,539|55|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1940|Republican|3,731|2,124|27|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1936|Republican|3,125|2,821|96|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|2,461|3,261|98|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1928|Republican|3,171|1,720|33|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1924|Republican|3,081|1,566|217|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1920|Republican|3,852|1,687|124|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1916|Republican|1,958|1,512|150|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1912|Progressive|758|1,233|1,521|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1908|Republican|2,357|1,414|149|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1904|Republican|2,461|1,100|248|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1900|Republican|2,329|1,431|165|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1896|Republican|2,442|1,665|34|Indiana}}

{{PresRow|1892|Republican|2,033|1,438|253|Indiana}}

{{PresFoot|1888|Republican|2,262|1,516|168|Indiana}}

{{Clear}}

File:Prairie Heights High School, Indiana.jpg near the Steuben County line.]]

The county has three public school districts.

The Lakeland School Corporation serve the central part of the county. The system includes Lakeland Primary: Grades (k-2), Lakeland Intermediate: grades (3-6), and Lakeland Jr/Sr High: grades (7-12).

The Prairie Heights School Corporation serves the east side of the county and parts of Steuben County. The mascot of Prairie Heights School is a black panther.

The Westview School Corporation serves the west portion of the county. This system consists of Meadowview Elementary, Shipshewana-Scott Elementary, Topeka Elementary (all k-4); Westview Elementary (5-6); and Westview Jr-Sr High School (7-12).https://www.westview.k12.in.us/

Several Amish schools are located across the county.

LaGrange County is served by the LaGrange County Public Library, with branches in LaGrange, Shipshewana, and Topeka.{{cite web | url=http://www.lagrange.lib.in.us | title=Homepage | publisher=La Grange County Public Library | access-date=March 8, 2018}}

• List of counties in Indiana
• List of counties in Michigan
• Michiana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in LaGrange County, Indiana
• The News Sun, the daily newspaper covering LaGrange County

{{reflist|30em}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book|title=History of Northeast Indiana: LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties|editor1-first=Ira|editor1-last=Ford|year=1920|location=Chicago|publisher=The Lewis Publishing Company}} ({{Internet Archive|id=historyofnorthea02ford|name=History of Northeast Indiana: LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties}})

{{refend}}

• [http://www.lagrangecounty.org/ LaGrange County web site]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20150204181935/http://www.backroads.org/ LaGrange County Amish Tourism]

{{Geographic Location

|Centre = LaGrange County, Indiana

|North =

|Northeast = Branch County, Michigan

|East = Steuben County

|Southeast =

|South = Noble County

|Southwest =

|West = Elkhart County

|Northwest = St. Joseph County, Michigan

}}

{{LaGrange County, Indiana}}

{{Indiana}}

{{authority control}}

{{coord|41|38|30|N|85|25|00|W|type:city_region:US-IN_source:GNIS-enwiki|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:LaGrange County, Indiana}}

Category:1832 establishments in Indiana

Category:Populated places established in 1832

Category:Amish in Indiana

Category:Indiana counties