Floyd County, Indiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Floyd County, Indiana | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Indiana |
|
 Indiana's location in the U.S. |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1819 |
|---|---|
| Seat | New Albany |
| Largest city | New Albany |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
148 sq mi (384 km²) 148 sq mi (383 km²) 1 sq mi (0 km²), 0.21% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
70,823 478/sq mi (185/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website: www.floydcounty.in.gov | |
| Named for: Brigadier General John Floyd. | |
Floyd County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 70,823. The county seat is New Albany[1]. Floyd County is the county with the second smallest land area in the entire state. It was formed in the year 1819 from neighboring counties Clark County, Indiana and Harrison County, Indiana.
Contents |
[edit] History
- Further information: History of the French in Louisville
Floyd County, originally the Shawnee Indians hunting ground, was conquered for the United States by George Rogers Clark during the American Revolutionary War from the British.[2] For his services he was awarded with large tracts of land in Indiana including almost all of present day Floyd County. After the war Clark sold off parcels of land to settlers who quickly began entering the region as soon as peace returned.
In 1818 New Albany was a large enough city to become a county seat and form a new county, local leaders sent Nathaniel Scribner and John K. Graham were sent to then capitol Corydon, Indiana to petition the Indiana General Assembly.[2] Floyd County was approved on January 2, 1819 by the General Assembly and formally became Floyd County on February 1, 1819.[3][2] There are two possibilities to the origin of the name of Floyd County. According to the Indiana State Library the county was named for John Floyd, who was a leading Jefferson County, Kentucky pioneer and uncle of Davis Floyd.[4] John died in 1783 when his group was attacked by Indians near present day Bullitt County, Kentucky.[2] It is debated by some that the county was named for Davis who was convicted of aiding Aaron Burr in the treason of 1809. Davis was a local politician of the area, the county's first circuit court judge.[2]
In 1814 New Albany was platted and was established as the county seat on March 4, 1819 where it has since remained.[2] There was an attempt in 1823 to move the county seat but the motion failed.[3] Floyd County would have the largest city in the state for much of the early 19th century, eventually being overtaken by Indianapolis during the Civil War.[5]
Between 1800 and 1860 Floyd County experienced a huge boom in population doubling many times over.[6] A survey in the 1850s found that over half of Indiana's population that made more than $100,000 dollars (USD) a year lived in Floyd County, establishing it as having the richest population in the state.[7]
The Duncan Tunnel, the longest in Indiana, was built in Floyd County in 1881 between New Albany and Edwardsville. The railroad was unable to find a suitable route over the Floyds Knobs so they decided to tunnel through them.[8] The project was originally began by the Air Line but was completed by Southern Railway. It took five years to bore at a cost of $1 million dollars (USD).[9] The Tunnel is 4,311 feet long.[10]
Floyd County during the 19th century attracted immigrants of Irish, German, French and African American origins.[11] The French settlers located mostly in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. The Irish began arriving in 1817 and in large numbers in 1830 to 1850.[11] German immigrants settled mostly in New Albany and by 1850 about 17% of New Albany's population was from immigrants.
[edit] Government
Floyd County's government is set up similarly to all other Indiana county governments.
Legislature: The Floyd County Council is made up of 7 members. four are elected from districts while the other three are elected at large. The county is has 44 precincts which are organized into the 4 districts. The member serve four year terms. The body is responsible for the fiscal appropriations and oversight of the county government.[12]
Executive: The county has a three member County Board of Commissioners who are responsible for overseeing the day to day operations of the county.[13]
Boards: The county also has several boards who's member are elected by the public or appointed by the county commissioners. The boards oversee each aspect of the county infrastructure including roads, schools, water and sewage, and parks and recreation.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1820 | 2,776 |
|
|
| 1830 | 6,361 | 129.1% | |
| 1840 | 9,454 | 48.6% | |
| 1850 | 14,875 | 57.3% | |
| 1860 | 20,183 | 35.7% | |
| 1870 | 23,300 | 15.4% | |
| 1880 | 24,590 | 5.5% | |
| 1890 | 29,458 | 19.8% | |
| 1900 | 30,118 | 2.2% | |
| 1910 | 30,293 | 0.6% | |
| 1920 | 29,381 | -3.0% | |
| 1930 | 34,655 | 18.0% | |
| 1940 | 35,061 | 1.2% | |
| 1950 | 43,955 | 25.4% | |
| 1960 | 51,397 | 16.9% | |
| 1970 | 55,622 | 8.2% | |
| 1980 | 61,169 | 10.0% | |
| 1990 | 64,404 | 5.3% | |
| 2000 | 70,823 | 10.0% | |
| Est. 2007 | 73,064 | 3.2% | |
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 70,823 people, 27,511 households, and 19,697 families residing in the county. The population density was 478 people per square mile (185/km²). There were 29,087 housing units at an average density of 196 per square mile (76/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.23% White, 4.41% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 1.09% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.9% were of German, 19.6% American, 11.3% Irish and 10.2% English ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 27,511 households out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% were married couples living together, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.80% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,022, and the median income for a family was $52,401. Males had a median income of $37,613 versus $26,539 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,852. About 6.90% of families and 8.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.50% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 148 square miles (384 km²), of which 148 square miles (383 km²) is land and 0 square miles (1 km²) (0.21%) is water.
[edit] Geographical features
Floyds Knobs in Floyd county was named after the most prominent geographical feature of the county which are the knobs: many steep hills which dot the midsection of the county. The highest point is S. Skyline Drive (+38° 21' 13.64", -85° 50' 50.64") at just over 1000ft[14]. The lowest point in the county being the shore of the Ohio River near New Albany at an elevation of 380ft[15].
|
Major Highways
|
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Clark County (northeast)
- Jefferson County, Kentucky (south, across the Ohio River)
- Harrison County (west)
- Washington County (northwest)
[edit] See also
|
Floyd County, Indiana
|
- Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area
- Louisville-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area
- Indiana University Southeast
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ a b c d e f The Encyclopedia of Louisville By John E. Kleber (University Press of Kentucky 2000) pages 300-302 ISBN 0813121000
- ^ a b Floyd County History
- ^ Indiana Historical Bureau - Origin of Indiana County Names
- ^ Findling, John ed. A History of New Albany, Indiana. (Indiana University Southeast, 2003). 53.
- ^ a b Forstall, Richard L. (editor) (1996). Population of states and counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990 : from the twenty-one decennial censuses. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division. ISBN 0-934213-48-8.
- ^ Miller, Harold. Industrial Development of New Albany, Indiana. Economic Geography (Jan., 1938). 48.
- ^ Photo
- ^ Sunny Side of Louisville - Area History
- ^ Railroad Depots of Southern Indiana, By David E. Longest. Pg 89. ISBN:0738539589
- ^ a b The Encyclopedia of Louisville By John E. Kleber (University Press of Kentucky 2000) page 302 ISBN 0813121000
- ^ Floyd County Government - County Council
- ^ Floyd County Government - Commissioners
- ^ USGS New Albany (IN,KY) Topo Map. TopoZone. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
- ^ USGS Lanesville (IN,KY) Topo Map. TopoZone. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
