Whitley County, Indiana

History

Indiana was granted statehood near the end of 1816. On February 7, 1835, the state legislature approved an omnibus bill that authorized the creation of thirteen counties, including Whitley. It was named for Col. William Whitley, who was killed in the Battle of the Thames in the War of 1812.

The first non-Native American settlers arrived in the area during that year, as a result of the end of the Black Hawk War and the completion of the Erie Canal. They were from New England - "Yankee" settlers, descendants of the English Puritans who settled New England in the colonial era. They were primarily members of the Congregational Church. However, due to the Second Great Awakening, many of them had converted to Methodism and some had become Baptists before coming to Indiana. Whitley County government was organized in 1838.

In the late 1870s, immigrants began arriving from Germany and Ireland.

Geography

Prior to white settlement, Whitley County's low rolling hills were densely forested, and dotted with lakes across its northern portion. At present, the available land is mostly deforested and is entirely devoted to agriculture or urban development. Its highest point (approx. 1000 ft ASL) is a small rise NE of Cedar Lake. The Eel River flows southwestward through the lower part of the county, and the Blue River flows southwestward through the upper part.

According to the 2010 United States census, the county has a total area of 337.91 sqmi, of which 335.57 sqmi (or 99.31%) is land and 2.34 sqmi (or 0.69%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Noble County - north
• Allen County - east
• Huntington County - south
• Wabash County - southwest
• Kosciusko County - west

City and towns

• Columbia City (city/county seat)
• Churubusco
• Larwill
• South Whitley

Census-designated place

• Tri-Lakes

Unincorporated places

• Blue Lake
• Briggs
• Coesse
• Coesse Corners
• Collamer
• Collins
• Dunfee
• Etna
• Five Points
• Laud
• Lorane
• Luther
• Peabody
• Raber
• Saturn
• Tunker
• Washington Center

Townships

• Cleveland
• Columbia
• Etna-Troy
• Jefferson
• Richland
• Smith
• Thorncreek
• Union
• Washington

Lakes

• Blue Lake
• Brown Lake
• Cedar Lake
• Crooked Lake (part)
• Dollar Lake
• Goose Lake
• Indian Lake
• Little Cedar Lake
• Loon Lake (part)
• Mud Lake
• New Lake
• Old Lake
• Rine Lake
• Robinson Lake (part)
• Round Lake
• Scott Lake
• Shriner Lake
• Tadpole Lake
• Troy Cedar Lake
• Winters Lake

Protected areas

• Deniston Resource Area
• Goose Lake Wetland Conservation Area
• Pisgah Marsh Nongame Area (part)

Major highways

• [[Image:US 24.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 24
• [[Image:US 30.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 30
• [[Image:US 33.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 33
• [[Image:indiana 5.svg|20px]] Indiana State Road 5
• [[Image:indiana 9.svg|20px]] Indiana State Road 9
• [[Image:indiana 14.svg|20px]] Indiana State Road 14
• [[Image:indiana 105.svg|20px]] Indiana State Road 105
• [[Image:indiana 109.svg|20px]] Indiana State Road 109
• [[Image:indiana 114.svg|20px]] Indiana State Road 114
• [[Image:indiana 205.svg|20px]] Indiana State Road 205

Climate and weather

|Columbia City, Indiana |14|31|2.12 |18|35|1.80 |27|46|2.90 |37|58|3.67 |48|70|3.70 |58|79|4.44 |62|83|3.82 |59|81|3.58 |51|74|3.52 |40|62|2.80 |31|48|3.31 |21|36|2.86 In recent years, the average temperatures in Columbia City have ranged from a low of 14 °F in January to a high of 83 °F in July, although a record low of -24 °F was recorded in January 1994, and a record high of 103 °F was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.80 in in February to 4.44 in in June.

Government

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

County Council: The legislative branch of the county government; controls spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected to four-year terms from county districts. They set salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council 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 to four-year staggered terms in county-wide elections. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners execute the acts legislated by the council, collect revenue, and manage the county government.

Court: The county maintains a small claims court that handles civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana bar. 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 other officers elected to four-year terms, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.

Whitely County is part of Indiana's 3rd congressional district, and as of 2025, is represented by Republican Marlin Stutzman in the United States Congress.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 2017

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 34,191. The median age was 41.8 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.0 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 94.0% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian,

30.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 69.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 13,857 households in the county, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.1% were married-couple households, 17.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 14,837 housing units, of which 6.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 80.8% were owner-occupied and 19.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.2%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 33,292 people, 13,001 households, and 9,228 families in the county. The population density was 99.2 PD/sqmi. There were 14,281 housing units at an average density of 42.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population.

Of the 13,001 households, 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.0% were non-families, and 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age was 40.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697, and the median income for a family was $63,487. Males had a median income of $44,883 versus $30,724 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,644. About 5.1% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

References

References

1. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/whitleycountyindiana/PST045219 {{Dead link. (July 2023)
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. [https://archive.org/details/standardhistoryo01tynd/page/286/mode/2up John W Tyndall & OE Lesh, ''Standard history of Adams and Wells Counties, Indiana''. pp. 284-6 (accessed 9 August 2020)]
4. The counties are DeKalb, Fulton, Jasper, Jay, Kosciusko, Marshall, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, Stark, Steuben, Wells, and Whitley. Newton was dissolved in 1839 and its territory was attached to Jasper; it was re-created in 1859.
5. De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle. (1875). "An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana". R. S. Peale & co..
6. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Whitley+County,+IN/@41.1485432,-85.6376053,41855m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x8815d7b28bd0ce0b:0xaa3b2fb7561cadb0!8m2!3d41.1136133!4d-85.520024 ''Whitley County IN'' (Google Maps, accessed 31 July 2020)]
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21. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
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