Tippecanoe County | |
|---|---|
 Tippecanoe County Courthouse in Lafayette, Indiana | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIndiana | |
 Indiana's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:40°23′N86°53′W / 40.39°N 86.89°W /40.39; -86.89 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Indiana |
| Founded | March 1, 1826 |
| Named after | Kethtippecanoogi ("Place of the Succor Fish People" inMiami) |
| Seat | Lafayette |
| Largest city | Lafayette |
| Area | |
• Total | 503.24 sq mi (1,303.4 km2) |
| • Land | 499.81 sq mi (1,294.5 km2) |
| • Water | 3.44 sq mi (8.9 km2) 0.68% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 186,251 |
• Estimate (2023) | 188,792 |
| • Density | 372.64/sq mi (143.88/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | www |
| Indiana county number 79 | |
Tippecanoe County (/ˌtɪpəkəˈnuː/TIP-ə-kə-NOO) is acounty located in the west-central portion of theU.S. state of Indiana about 22 miles (35 km) east of the Illinois state line, less than 50 miles (80 km) from the Indianapolis metro area, and 130 miles (210 km) from Chicago. As of the2020 census, the population was 186,251.[1] Thecounty seat and largest city isLafayette.[2] It was created in 1826 fromWabash County portion of New Purchase and unorganized territory.[3] Tippecanoe County was formed March 1, 1826, and named for theanglicization of "Kiteepihkwana", aMiami people term meaning "place of thebuffalo fish people."[4] The county is best known forPurdue University, the 1811Battle of Tippecanoe, and theTippecanoe County Courthouse, a structure built in 1881 and included in the National Register of Historic Places. Tippecanoe County is part of the Lafayette, Indiana,Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The history of Tippecanoe County spans six distinct political and cultural periods: Native American lands from at least 8000BC, including theMississippian culture, French occupation (part ofNew France beginning in the 1670s),British occupation starting in 1763, part of the United StatesNorthwest Territory in 1787, part ofIndiana Territory in 1800, and finally part of the State ofIndiana in 1816. The political organization of the county began in 1826 by the act of the Indiana Legislature.
The first European explorers arrived in the 1670s and the first permanent settlement was Fort Ouiatenon by the French established in 1717. Lafayette was platted in 1825 and Purdue University founded in 1869.
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 503.24 square miles (1,303.4 km2), of which 499.81 square miles (1,294.5 km2) (or 99.32%) is land and 3.44 square miles (8.9 km2) (or 0.68%) is water.[5] The county's highest point is in theLauramie Township.[6]
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In recent years, temperatures in Lafayette have ranged from an average low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.58 inches (40 mm) inches in February to 4.24 inches (108 mm) inches in June.[8]
Interstate 65
U.S. Route 52
U.S. Route 231
Indiana State Road 25
Indiana State Road 26
Indiana State Road 28
Indiana State Road 38
Indiana State Road 43
Indiana State Road 225Three different railroad lines intersect in Tippecanoe County, all running through the Lafayette area.CSX Transportation operates a north–south line;Norfolk Southern Railway operates a southwest-to-northeast line,[9] and theKankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad operates a daily-service line running from the northwest to the southeast.
TheAmtrakCardinal stops at theLafayette Station 3 times a week, and is the only provider of passenger rail service to Greater Lafayette.
The county contains one public-use airport:Purdue University Airport (LAF) inWest Lafayette, Indiana.[10]
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 branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. The county council and the board of commissioners share legislative authority.[11] 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.[12][13]
Board of Commissioners: The executive 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 executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.[12][13]
Court: The county maintains asmall 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 levelcircuit court.[13]
County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, 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.[13]
In the 2008 Democratic primary, Tippecanoe County was one of 10 (out of 92) Indiana counties to give the majority of its votes to Barack Obama.[14] In the2008 presidential election, Tippecanoe County was one of 15 Indiana counties to give the majority of its votes to Obama/Biden. Due to the sizable support of Purdue University students, Tippecanoe County played a pivotal role in Barack Obama's upset win in Indiana (49.9%–49.0%; 1,367,264 votes to 1,341,101 votes) by supporting theDemocratic ticket ofBarack Obama and Joe Biden 55.1–43.5% over theRepublican ticket ofJohn McCain/Sarah Palin.[15] However, in the2020 presidential election, Tippecanoe County also voted for DemocratJoe Biden by a margin of 436 votes, the first time since 2008 the county went for the Democrats. In 2024 the county swung back to the Republican column, although Trump only won the county by 100 votes.
Tippecanoe has been somewhat conservative for a county dominated by a college town. While most such counties swung hard to the Democrats in the 1990s, Obama's win in 2008 was only the fourth time it went Democratic in a presidential election since 1888.
Tippecanoe County is one of only thirteen counties to have voted for Obama in 2008, Romney in 2012, Trump in 2016, and Biden in 2020.[a]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1888 | 5,072 | 53.39% | 4,281 | 45.06% | 147 | 1.55% |
| 1892 | 4,856 | 51.10% | 4,386 | 46.15% | 261 | 2.75% |
| 1896 | 6,239 | 56.77% | 4,639 | 42.21% | 111 | 1.01% |
| 1900 | 6,317 | 56.29% | 4,673 | 41.64% | 232 | 2.07% |
| 1904 | 6,581 | 59.83% | 4,031 | 36.65% | 388 | 3.53% |
| 1908 | 6,164 | 53.42% | 4,984 | 43.19% | 391 | 3.39% |
| 1912 | 3,006 | 28.22% | 4,442 | 41.70% | 3,205 | 30.09% |
| 1916 | 6,386 | 54.73% | 4,918 | 42.15% | 365 | 3.13% |
| 1920 | 12,730 | 61.68% | 7,562 | 36.64% | 347 | 1.68% |
| 1924 | 12,161 | 58.40% | 7,619 | 36.59% | 1,043 | 5.01% |
| 1928 | 15,165 | 63.25% | 8,720 | 36.37% | 93 | 0.39% |
| 1932 | 11,818 | 46.05% | 13,609 | 53.03% | 236 | 0.92% |
| 1936 | 13,081 | 50.08% | 12,732 | 48.74% | 309 | 1.18% |
| 1940 | 16,148 | 56.96% | 12,129 | 42.78% | 73 | 0.26% |
| 1944 | 15,888 | 60.61% | 10,229 | 39.02% | 95 | 0.36% |
| 1948 | 17,034 | 60.60% | 10,825 | 38.51% | 248 | 0.88% |
| 1952 | 23,447 | 70.53% | 9,678 | 29.11% | 121 | 0.36% |
| 1956 | 23,776 | 70.25% | 9,995 | 29.53% | 72 | 0.21% |
| 1960 | 24,572 | 63.55% | 14,041 | 36.31% | 55 | 0.14% |
| 1964 | 19,036 | 48.35% | 20,257 | 51.45% | 79 | 0.20% |
| 1968 | 24,352 | 59.44% | 14,528 | 35.46% | 2,088 | 5.10% |
| 1972 | 31,565 | 68.08% | 14,598 | 31.48% | 203 | 0.44% |
| 1976 | 29,186 | 61.33% | 17,850 | 37.51% | 551 | 1.16% |
| 1980 | 27,589 | 56.92% | 14,636 | 30.20% | 6,245 | 12.88% |
| 1984 | 29,706 | 64.75% | 15,789 | 34.42% | 381 | 0.83% |
| 1988 | 27,897 | 62.88% | 16,256 | 36.64% | 211 | 0.48% |
| 1992 | 23,050 | 45.79% | 17,343 | 34.46% | 9,941 | 19.75% |
| 1996 | 22,556 | 49.48% | 17,232 | 37.80% | 5,798 | 12.72% |
| 2000 | 26,106 | 56.39% | 18,220 | 39.36% | 1,969 | 4.25% |
| 2004 | 30,897 | 59.01% | 20,818 | 39.76% | 645 | 1.23% |
| 2008 | 29,822 | 43.45% | 37,781 | 55.05% | 1,033 | 1.51% |
| 2012 | 28,757 | 50.40% | 26,711 | 46.81% | 1,595 | 2.80% |
| 2016 | 30,768 | 48.57% | 27,282 | 43.07% | 5,292 | 8.35% |
| 2020 | 34,581 | 48.15% | 35,017 | 48.75% | 2,226 | 3.10% |
| 2024 | 32,783 | 48.79% | 32,683 | 48.64% | 1,728 | 2.57% |
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 7,187 | — | |
| 1840 | 13,724 | 91.0% | |
| 1850 | 19,377 | 41.2% | |
| 1860 | 25,726 | 32.8% | |
| 1870 | 33,515 | 30.3% | |
| 1880 | 35,966 | 7.3% | |
| 1890 | 35,078 | −2.5% | |
| 1900 | 38,659 | 10.2% | |
| 1910 | 40,063 | 3.6% | |
| 1920 | 42,813 | 6.9% | |
| 1930 | 47,535 | 11.0% | |
| 1940 | 51,020 | 7.3% | |
| 1950 | 74,473 | 46.0% | |
| 1960 | 89,122 | 19.7% | |
| 1970 | 109,378 | 22.7% | |
| 1980 | 121,702 | 11.3% | |
| 1990 | 130,598 | 7.3% | |
| 2000 | 148,955 | 14.1% | |
| 2010 | 172,780 | 16.0% | |
| 2020 | 186,251 | 7.8% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 188,792 | [17] | 1.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[18] 1790-1960[19] 1900-1990[20] 1990-2000[21] 2010[22] | |||
As of the2010 United States census, there were 172,780 people, 65,532 households, and 37,003 families residing in the county.[23] The population density was 345.7 inhabitants per square mile (133.5/km2). There were 71,096 housing units at an average density of 142.2 per square mile (54.9/km2).[5] The racial makeup of the county was 84.0% white, 6.2% Asian, 4.0% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 3.3% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.5% of the population.[23] In terms of ancestry, 27.5% wereGerman, 13.9% wereIrish, 10.8% wereEnglish, and 6.1% wereAmerican.[24]
Of the 65,532 households, 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 43.5% were non-families, and 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 27.7 years.[23]
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $60,367. Males had a median income of $45,018 versus $31,995 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,203. About 10.3% of families and 20.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.[25]
School districts with territory in the county includeLafayette School Corporation,Tippecanoe School Corporation,West Lafayette Community School Corporation, andBenton Community School Corporation.[26]
Purdue and Ivy Tech each have campuses at other sites in Indiana.
Libraries
Universities and colleges
High Schools
Middle Schools/Junior High Schools
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Private Schools
Much of the economy of Tippecanoe County is centered in its two largest communities:Lafayette andWest Lafayette. Purdue University is by far the largest employer in the county, but private industry and commerce independent of the university also employ many others. Major employers includeSubaru of Indiana Automotive,Wabash National,Caterpillar, Fairfield Manufacturing,Franciscan Health Lafayette,Alcoa,State Farm, andIndiana University Health Arnett Hospital.
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Municipalities and communities ofTippecanoe County, Indiana,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
40°23′N86°53′W / 40.39°N 86.89°W /40.39; -86.89
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