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. The county seat is Marion. Important paleontological discoveries, dating from the Pliocene epoch, have been made at the Pipe Creek Sinkhole in Grant County.Farlow, J. O., Steinmetz, J. C., and DeChurch, D. A., 2010, Geology of the Late Neogene Pipe Creek Sinkhole (Grant County, Indiana): Indiana Geological Survey Special Report 69, 93 p., 43 figs.

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. 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 south side of a fast-flowing and scenic river which the Miami Indians called Mississinewa. Marion was designated as the County Seat.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.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.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 ASL.Grant County High Point, Indiana (PeakBagger.com, accessed 20 January 2020) According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.80%) is land and (or 0.20%) is water.

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

- Interstate Highway - Federal Highway - State Highway - State Highway - State Highway - State Highway - State Highway - State Highway - State Highway - State Highway - State Highway

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Marion have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to 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.

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; and Indiana House of Representatives districts 31, 32 and 82.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Grant County, Indiana – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)73,94466,98064,60760,63354,50091.36%90.31%88.02%86.54%81.74%Black or African American alone (NH)5,2035,0025,2294,8054,5666.43%6.74%7.12%6.86%6.85%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1582852982181570.20%0.38%0.41%0.31%0.24%Asian alone (NH)2453564074085240.30%0.48%0.55%0.58%0.79%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census221422xx0.03%0.02%0.03%Other race alone (NH)11332127882400.14%0.04%0.17%0.13%0.36%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census9261,3783,253xx1.26%1.97%4.88%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,2711,5141,7872,5173,4121.57%2.04%2.43%3.59%5.12%Total80,93474,16973,40370,06166,674 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 66,674. The median age was 40.8 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.4 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 83.4% White, 7.0% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.7% from some other race, and 6.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.1% of the population.

61.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 38.6% lived in rural areas.

There were 26,487 households in the county, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.4% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 29,810 housing units, of which 11.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.8% were owner-occupied and 31.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.0%.

2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 70,061 people, 27,245 households, and 18,000 families in the county. The population density was . There were 30,443 housing units at an average density of . 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.

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.

Localities Cities Gas City Jonesboro Marion

Towns

Fairmount Fowlerton Matthews Swayzee Sweetser Upland Van Buren

Census-designated places

Herbst Jalapa Landess Mier Point Isabel Sims

Unincorporated communities

Farrville Friendly Corner Hackleman Hanfield Michaelsville Normal Radley Rigdon Roseburg Weaver

Townships

Center Fairmount Franklin Green Jefferson Liberty Mill Monroe Pleasant Richland Sims Van Buren Washington

Education School districts include: - Text list

Eastbrook Community School Corporation Madison-Grant United School Corporation Marion Community Schools Mississinewa Community School Corporation Oak Hill United School Corporation

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Grant County, Indiana

References