Ripley County, Indiana

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Ripley County is a county located at the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Indiana. According to the 2020 Census, the population was 28,995.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Versailles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Ripley County was formed on December 27, 1816, in the same legislative act that created Jennings County. It was named for Gen. Eleazer Wheelock Ripley, an officer in the War of 1812, who figured in the Battle of Lundy's Lane and the Siege of Fort Erie during 1814.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Geography

The county seat of Ripley County is Versailles, Indiana. It was selected as the county seat in 1818, and was laid out in 1819.

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (or 99.64%) is land and Template:Convert (or 0.37%) is water.<ref name="census-density" />

Overview of townships<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Township	Established Year	Area mi²	Area km²	Population	Incorporated Towns
Adams	1858	43.79	113.42	5119	Batesville (part), Sunman
Brown	1823	53.67	139	1597
Center	1858	29.51	76.43	2657	Osgood
Delaware	1823	33.27	86.17	1437
Franklin	1823	36.6	94.79	3773	Milan (part)
Jackson	1823	29.87	77.36	965	Napoleon
Johnson	1823	54.98	142.4	3685	Versailles
Laughery	1819	25.97	67.26	4736	Batesville (part)
Otter Creek	1858	41.69	107.98	1410	Holton
Shelby	1823	69.39	179.72	999
Washington	1823	29.33	75.96	2440	Milan (part)
Ripley County	1816	448.06	1160.471	28,181

Major highways

File:I-74.svg Interstate 74 – runs east–west across northern tip of county.
File:US 50.svg US Route 50 – runs east–west across middle of county, through Holton and Versailles.
File:US 421.svg US Route 421 - enters from Decatur County near northwest tip of Ripley County. Runs SSE to Versailles, then SSW into Jefferson County.
File:Indiana 46.svg State Road 46 – runs east–west across northern tip of county, paralleling Interstate 74 on its south side.
File:Indiana 48.svg State Road 48 – runs east–west across upper portion of county, through Napoleon.
File:Indiana 62.svg State Road 62 – begins at intersection with State Road 129, north of Cross Plains. Runs east through Friendship to Dearborn County.
File:Indiana 101.svg State Road 101 – begins at intersection with US Route 50 near east county line. Runs north to Penntown.
File:Indiana 129.svg State Road 129 – begins at intersection with State Road 46 east of Batesville, runs south to Versailles, then SSE through Cross Plains into Switzerland County.
File:Indiana 229.svg State Road 229 – enters from Franklin County at Batesville, runs SSW to Ballstown then south and west to Napoleon. Runs west to Decatur County.
File:Indiana 350.svg State Road 350 – begins at intersection with US 421 at Osgood, runs east through Delaware and Pierceville into Dearborn County.<ref>Ripley County IA Google Maps (accessed 16 August 2018)</ref>

National protected area

Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Climate and weather

Template:Climate chart In recent years, average temperatures in Versailles have ranged from a low of Template:Convert in January to a high of Template:Convert in July, although a record low of Template:Convert was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of Template:Convert was recorded in July 1999. Average monthly precipitation ranged from Template:Convert in February to Template:Convert in May.<ref name=WX/>

Government

Template:See also 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 county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected from county districts, serving 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.<ref name="inc3623">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="inc2102">Template:Cite web</ref>

Board of Commissioners: The Board of Commissioners is the executive body of the county. Commissioners are elected county–wide in staggered four–year terms. One commissioner serves as board president. They are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.<ref name=inc3623/><ref name=inc2102/>

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor and circuit court 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 declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.<ref name=inc2102/>

State Government: At the State level, Ripley County is divided in its representation. Adams and Laughery Townships are located in the 55th House District which is represented by Rep. Cindy Ziemke. The rest of Ripley County is located in the 67th district represented by Rep. Randy Frye. Adams and Laughery Townships are in the 42nd Senate District represented by State Senator Jean Leising. The rest of Ripley County is in Senate District 43 represented by Senator Chip Perfect.

Federal Government: Ripley County is part of Indiana's 6th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Republican Greg Pence. Along with the rest of Indiana, its senators are Mike Braun and Todd Young.

Politics

Ripley County has been a Republican stronghold for much of its history. In only 3 elections since 1912 has the county supported a Democratic presidential candidate (the most recent case being the 1964 landslide election). The Republican trend in the county has increased greatly since 2016, and in 2024 it was the third most Republican county in the state.<ref>https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/</ref>

Demographics

Template:US Census population

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 28,818 people, 10,789 households, and 7,910 families residing in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 11,952 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.5% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population.<ref name="census-dp1" /> In terms of ancestry, 43.4% were German, 14.2% were American, 13.9% were Irish, and 8.7% were English.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 10,789 households, 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.7% were non-families, and 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age was 39.2 years.<ref name="census-dp1" />

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $57,305. Males had a median income of $41,711 versus $31,927 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,025. About 7.5% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Education

School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Ripley County, Indiana collection, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library

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