Perry County, Indiana | |
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 Flag | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIndiana | |
 Indiana's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:38°05′N86°38′W / 38.08°N 86.64°W /38.08; -86.64 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Indiana |
| Founded | November 1, 1814 |
| Named after | Oliver Hazard Perry |
| Seat | Tell City |
| Largest city | Tell City |
| Area | |
• Total | 386.29 sq mi (1,000.5 km2) |
| • Land | 381.73 sq mi (988.7 km2) |
| • Water | 4.56 sq mi (11.8 km2) 1.18% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 19,170 |
• Estimate (2023) | 19,209 |
| • Density | 50.22/sq mi (19.39/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
| Website | www |
| Indiana county number 62 | |
Perry County is acounty located in thesouthwestern part of theU.S. state ofIndiana. As of 2020, the population was 19,170.[1] Thecounty seat isTell City.[2] It is the hilliest county as well as one of the most forested counties in Indiana as it features more than 60,000 acres (240 km2) ofHoosier National Forest. The Ohio River Scenic Byway alongIndiana State Road 66 runs along the southern border of the county whileInterstate 64 traverses the northern portion of the county. Connecting the two isIndiana State Road 37.[3]
The county features three incorporated communities:Tell City (2009 population 7,473),Cannelton (2009 population 1,130) andTroy (2009 population 379). Each is located inTroy Township which is situated along the south western corner of the county.
Coordinated efforts with County officials led to the acquisition of an abandoned rail line that has since been reactivated as the County-owned Hoosier Southern Rail Road. Managed by the Perry County Port Authority, the 22-mile (35 km) short-line rail road connects the Perry County River Port with the Norfolk Southern Rail Road.
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In recent years, average temperatures in Tell City have ranged from a low of 24 °F (−4 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −17 °F (−27 °C) was recorded in January 1985, and a record high of 106 °F (41 °C) was recorded in September 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.98 inches (76 mm) in October to 5.22 inches (133 mm) in May.[4]
The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by theConstitution of Indiana, and by theIndiana Code.
County Council: The county council is the fiscal body of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four-year terms. They 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.[5][6]
Board of Commissioners: The executive and legislative body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.[5][6]
Court: The county maintains asmall claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of six years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a magistrate who is appointed by the judge. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state levelcircuit court.[6]
County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, includingsheriff,coroner,auditor,treasurer,recorder,surveyor, and circuitcourt clerk Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declareparty affiliations and to be residents of the county.[6]
With its predominately "butternut" cultural background, Perry County has historically and ancestrally heavily favored the Democratic Party at the federal, state and local level, and had a reputation for being one of the few Democratic-leaning counties in heavily Republican Indiana. From 1960 to 2012, Republicans only carried the county in three presidential elections, those being in 1972, 1984 and 2004, all of which saw the Republicans carry Indiana by landslide margins, and the county was still one of the closest counties in the state in all three elections.
The county delivered over 60.5% of its vote to Democratic nominee Barack Obama in 2008, clocking in as the state's fourth most Democratic county that year, before giving Obama nearly 55% of the vote in 2012, being the only county in southern Indiana other than the university county ofMonroe to back Obama that year. The county has not backed a Democrat since, with the county delivering 56% of its vote to Republican nominee Donald Trump in 2016 and 61% of its vote to Trump the following election. The county's Republican shift was also shown in the coinciding 2020 gubernatorial election, when it backed Republican incumbent Eric Holcomb for re-election with nearly 64% of the vote, marking the first time a Republican had carried the county in a gubernatorial election since 1952.
Perry County is part ofIndiana's 8th congressional district and is represented inCongress byRepublicanLarry Bucshon.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1888 | 1,974 | 49.54% | 2,007 | 50.36% | 4 | 0.10% |
| 1892 | 1,890 | 46.28% | 2,074 | 50.78% | 120 | 2.94% |
| 1896 | 2,139 | 49.94% | 2,109 | 49.24% | 35 | 0.82% |
| 1900 | 2,078 | 47.20% | 2,278 | 51.74% | 47 | 1.07% |
| 1904 | 2,105 | 48.89% | 2,142 | 49.74% | 59 | 1.37% |
| 1908 | 1,903 | 43.93% | 2,356 | 54.39% | 73 | 1.69% |
| 1912 | 520 | 14.25% | 1,931 | 52.90% | 1,199 | 32.85% |
| 1916 | 1,762 | 45.11% | 2,089 | 53.48% | 55 | 1.41% |
| 1920 | 3,864 | 51.76% | 3,560 | 47.69% | 41 | 0.55% |
| 1924 | 3,240 | 44.30% | 3,895 | 53.25% | 179 | 2.45% |
| 1928 | 3,772 | 49.89% | 3,782 | 50.02% | 7 | 0.09% |
| 1932 | 3,253 | 38.93% | 5,053 | 60.46% | 51 | 0.61% |
| 1936 | 3,619 | 41.99% | 4,752 | 55.13% | 248 | 2.88% |
| 1940 | 4,489 | 50.00% | 4,475 | 49.84% | 14 | 0.16% |
| 1944 | 4,087 | 50.44% | 3,996 | 49.32% | 19 | 0.23% |
| 1948 | 3,761 | 45.02% | 4,569 | 54.69% | 24 | 0.29% |
| 1952 | 4,816 | 54.53% | 4,001 | 45.30% | 15 | 0.17% |
| 1956 | 4,946 | 55.00% | 4,037 | 44.89% | 10 | 0.11% |
| 1960 | 4,372 | 46.97% | 4,920 | 52.86% | 16 | 0.17% |
| 1964 | 3,090 | 33.08% | 6,226 | 66.65% | 25 | 0.27% |
| 1968 | 4,211 | 46.23% | 4,343 | 47.68% | 554 | 6.08% |
| 1972 | 5,204 | 54.72% | 4,277 | 44.97% | 29 | 0.30% |
| 1976 | 4,088 | 41.95% | 5,620 | 57.66% | 38 | 0.39% |
| 1980 | 4,350 | 45.94% | 4,540 | 47.95% | 578 | 6.10% |
| 1984 | 4,785 | 49.91% | 4,760 | 49.65% | 43 | 0.45% |
| 1988 | 4,720 | 49.27% | 4,804 | 50.15% | 56 | 0.58% |
| 1992 | 2,973 | 31.69% | 4,829 | 51.47% | 1,580 | 16.84% |
| 1996 | 2,554 | 32.21% | 4,427 | 55.83% | 949 | 11.97% |
| 2000 | 3,461 | 46.85% | 3,823 | 51.75% | 103 | 1.39% |
| 2004 | 4,137 | 49.75% | 4,131 | 49.68% | 47 | 0.57% |
| 2008 | 3,202 | 37.71% | 5,141 | 60.55% | 147 | 1.73% |
| 2012 | 3,403 | 43.21% | 4,316 | 54.81% | 156 | 1.98% |
| 2016 | 4,556 | 56.30% | 3,062 | 37.84% | 474 | 5.86% |
| 2020 | 5,345 | 61.18% | 3,203 | 36.66% | 189 | 2.16% |
| 2024 | 5,549 | 63.91% | 2,970 | 34.20% | 164 | 1.89% |
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 386.29 square miles (1,000.5 km2), of which 381.73 square miles (988.7 km2) (or 98.82%) is land and 4.56 square miles (11.8 km2) (or 1.18%) is water.[8]
Interstate 64
Indiana State Road 37
Indiana State Road 62
Indiana State Road 66
Indiana State Road 70
Indiana State Road 145
Indiana State Road 166
Indiana State Road 545Interstate 64 cuts across the northern portion of the county.State Road 66, designated as the Ohio River Scenic Byway for most of its course in the county, is the most heavily traveled road by residents and visitors alike, adjacent to the three most populous towns in the county as well as most major tourist destinations.State Road 37 connects the county toBloomington andIndianapolis. Other state roads in the county includeState Road 62, which closely parallels I-64;State Road 145, which winds through the western parts of the county;State Road 166, which is little more than a road to and from the hamlet of Tobinsport;State Road 237, which connectsCannelton directly to State Road 37 (also the site of a bridge on the Ohio River); a short run ofState Road 545 nearTroy; andState Road 70 which connects State Road 37 with State Road 66.
Perry County was formed on November 1, 1814 (two years before the state of Indiana was admitted to the Union) fromWarrick andGibson Counties. It was named for CommodoreOliver Hazard Perry who defeated the British squadron in the decisiveBattle of Lake Erie in 1813.[9] The Ohio River made Perry County a focal point and settlers were drawn here due to plentiful supplies of natural resources and the area's scenic beauty.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 2,330 | — | |
| 1830 | 3,369 | 44.6% | |
| 1840 | 4,655 | 38.2% | |
| 1850 | 7,268 | 56.1% | |
| 1860 | 11,847 | 63.0% | |
| 1870 | 14,801 | 24.9% | |
| 1880 | 16,997 | 14.8% | |
| 1890 | 18,240 | 7.3% | |
| 1900 | 18,778 | 2.9% | |
| 1910 | 18,078 | −3.7% | |
| 1920 | 16,692 | −7.7% | |
| 1930 | 16,625 | −0.4% | |
| 1940 | 17,770 | 6.9% | |
| 1950 | 17,367 | −2.3% | |
| 1960 | 17,232 | −0.8% | |
| 1970 | 19,075 | 10.7% | |
| 1980 | 19,346 | 1.4% | |
| 1990 | 19,107 | −1.2% | |
| 2000 | 18,899 | −1.1% | |
| 2010 | 19,338 | 2.3% | |
| 2020 | 19,170 | −0.9% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 19,209 | [10] | 0.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] 1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13] 1990-2000[14] 2010[15] | |||
As of the2010 United States census, there were 19,338 people, 7,476 households, and 5,020 families residing in the county.[16] The population density was 50.7 inhabitants per square mile (19.6/km2). There were 8,495 housing units at an average density of 22.3 per square mile (8.6/km2).[8] The racial makeup of the county was 96.0% white, 2.4% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population.[16] In terms of ancestry, 37.8% wereGerman, 14.4% wereIrish, 11.6% wereAmerican, and 8.7% wereEnglish.[17]
Of the 7,476 households, 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.9% were non-families, and 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age was 40.4 years.[16]
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $55,497. Males had a median income of $42,017 versus $26,301 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,806. About 6.7% of families and 10.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.[18]
School districts include:[19]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Places adjacent to Perry County, Indiana | |
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Municipalities and communities ofPerry County, Indiana,United States | ||
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38°05′N86°38′W / 38.08°N 86.64°W /38.08; -86.64
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