Greene County, Indiana


Greene County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 33,165. The county seat is Bloomfield. The county was determined by the US Census Bureau to include the mean center of U.S. population in 1930.
Greene County is part of the Bloomington, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Greene County was formed in 1821, from unincorporated territory and from a portion of the previous Sullivan County. It was named for General Nathanael Greene, who commanded the southern theater in the American Revolutionary War, which eventually forced the British army under Charles Cornwallis to retreat to Yorktown. There it was forced to surrender, ensuring American independence.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Bloomfield have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1963 and a record high of was recorded in June 1953. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May.

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 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. 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.
Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in four-year staggered terms. This board is charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.
Court: The county maintains a small 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 level circuit court.
County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor and circuit court clerk. Each 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.
Greene County is part of Indiana's 8th congressional district; Indiana Senate districts 39 and 48; and Indiana House of Representatives districts 45, 60 and 62.
Greene County tends to vote Republican. Since 1888, county voters have chosen the Republican Party nominee in 73% of the elections through 2016.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Adjacent counties

The Greene County Economic Development Corporation currently serves to develop new businesses and support current businesses in Greene County, Indiana. This asset was established to assist in bringing projects to the county. Coupled with The Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Greene County has developed an incentive portfolio to assist potential new employers.
The county has been designated a Labor Surplus Area and an SBA HUB Zone, which provides advantages to county businesses in government contract bidding and eligibility for federal and state assistance. Employee location and screening services are offered by WorkOne Linton, the local branch of the Indiana State Workforce Development office. Worker training programs are available onsite and at the Greene County Community Learning Center, which serves as a local access site for area colleges and universities.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 33,165 people, 13,487 households, and 9,276 families in the county. The population density was. There were 15,211 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.5% were German, 16.8% were Irish, 12.9% were American, and 11.2% were English.
Of the 13,487 households, 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.2% were non-families, and 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 41.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $50,740. Males had a median income of $41,524 versus $31,890 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,676. About 10.0% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.7% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.