Gibson County, Indiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gibson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 32,500. The county seat is Princeton6.
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,293 km² (499 mi²). 1,266 km² (489 mi²) of it is land and 27 km² (10 mi²) of it (2.06%) is water.
[edit] History
The first white settler of Gibson County was John Severns. He was a native of Wales and came with his parents to America several years before the Revolutionary War. He settled in Gibson County in 1789-90 on the south bank of the Patoka river at a place now known as Severns bridge. One of the first settlers of Gibson County was William Hargrove, who came from Kentucky by pack mule in 1803. Capt. William Hargrove commanded a company of militia from Gibson County at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811.
The Rev. Joseph Milburn, along with his son, Robert Milburn, also arrived in 1803. They settled near Princeton, between the Patoka and White Rivers. The Milburns were from around Washington County, Kentucky. Rev. Milburn, a Baptist, established the first church, while his son, Robert, established the first distillery in Indiana.
In 1805, Jacob Warrick arrived, along with his father-in-law, Thomas Montgomery. They burned out the last Indian village in 1807, chasing the inhabitants into the Illinois Territory. Capt. Jacob Warrick was killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811.
Gibson County was organized in 1813 out of Knox County. The County was named for John Gibson, an officer in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. Gibson was Secretary of the Indiana Territory, serving as acting Governor on two occasions.
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Knox County (north)
- Pike County (east)
- Warrick County (southeast)
- Vanderburgh County (south [1])
- Posey County (south [2])
- White County, Illinois (southwest)
- Edwards County, Illinois (at a single point)
- Wabash County, Illinois (west)
[edit] Demographics
| Gibson County Population by year |
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2000 32,500 |
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As of the census² of 2000, there were 32,500 people, 12,847 households, and 9,095 families residing in the county. The population density was 26/km² (66/mi²). There were 14,125 housing units at an average density of 11/km² (29/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.46% White, 1.91% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 0.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 12,847 households out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.80% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,515, and the median income for a family was $44,839. Males had a median income of $35,511 versus $21,284 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,169. About 6.60% of families and 8.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.40% of those under age 18 and 7.20% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Cities and towns
[edit] External references
History of Gibson County, Indiana, Gil R. Storment, 1914
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- 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.
