Monroe County, Indiana

Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 1910 the US Census Bureau calculated the nation's mean population center to lie in Monroe County. The population was 139,718 at the 2020 United States census. The county seat is Bloomington. Monroe County is part of the Bloomington, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Monroe County was formed in 1818 from portions of Orange County. It was named for James Monroe, fifth President of the United States, who was in that office from 1817 until 1825.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 139,718. The median age was 31.0 years. 16.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.1 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 81.9% White, 3.7% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.0% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.5% from some other race, and 6.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.6% of the population.

There were 58,268 households in the county, of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.9% were married-couple households, 26.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The median income for a household in the county was $51,945 (in 2021 USD) and the per capita income was $30,609. Males had a median income of $52,263 versus $47,953 for females.

About 10.6% of families and 22.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.7% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 95.91%) is land and (or 4.09%) is water. The county terrain is low rolling hills, covered with vegetation and largely devoted to agricultural use or urban development. The eastern part is carved with drainages and gullies, leading to Griffy Lake. The county's highest point is McGuire Benchmark, just NW of Bloomington, at ASL.

Adjacent counties

Morgan (north)
Brown (northeast)
Jackson (southeast)
Lawrence (south)
Greene (southwest)
Owen (northwest)

Bodies of water

thumb|Griffy Lake, seen from its dam

Monroe County is divided between the basins of the East Fork and West Fork of Indiana's White River. The northern part drains to the West Fork; the southern part of the county drains to the East Fork, primarily via the Salt Creek and its tributaries, such as the Clear Creek (known as the "Campus River" on Indiana University Bloomington campus).

Several artificial reservoirs have been constructed by damming the county's creeks. The largest is Monroe Lake, a large reservoir on Salt Creek in the southeastern part of the county. It is used both for recreational purposes and to supply the city with drinking water.

The third largest is Griffy Lake, on the northern slope of the county. Constructed in 1924 by damming Griffy Creek, it was Bloomington's main water source until 1954; it is now used primarily for recreation although it also serves as an emergency water source. In 2012–2013, the lake was drained, the dam repaired, and the lake was refilled.

A smaller lake, Weimer (Wapehani) in the Clear Creek basin, was constructed for water supply purposes, but during most of its history was used purely for recreation - mainly fishing. In 2017 authorities revealed plans to drain this lake permanently, as it was considered to be unsafe. This was carried out in the summer of 2018.

Limestone has been quarried in Monroe County since 1826.

Communities

Cities

Bloomington

Towns

Ellettsville
Stinesville

Census-designated places

Harrodsburg
Smithville-Sanders

Unincorporated communities

Arlington
Broadview
Buenavista
Cascade
Chapel Hill
Clear Creek
Dolan
Eastern Heights
Elwren
Fairfax
Fleener
Forest Park Heights
Garden Acres
Handy
Highland Village
Hindustan
Hoosier Acres
Kirby
Kirksville
Knight Ridge
Lancaster Park
Leonard Springs
Mount Tabor
New Unionville
Ridgemede
Sanders
Smithville
Stanford
Sunny Slopes
Unionville
Van Buren Park
Victor
Wayport
Woodbridge
Woodville Hills
Yellowstone

Former communities

Paynetown at - flooded by Lake Monroe

Townships

Bean Blossom
Benton
Bloomington
Clear Creek
Indian Creek
Perry
Polk
Richland
Salt Creek
Van Buren
Washington

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Bloomington have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May.

Board of Commissioners: A three-member board serving as the executive and legislative body of the county. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered four-year terms. The president of this board is the county's principal executive officer. The commissioners are charged with setting policy and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government. and Indiana House of Representatives districts 46, 60 and 61.

Courthouse

The Monroe County Courthouse is the seat of government for Monroe County and is the traditional center of Bloomington. The third courthouse to stand on the Downtown Square, the current courthouse was built in 1907 during a time of great prosperity. Wing & Mahurin designed the building.

Politics

Monroe County traditionally leaned Republican. However, like many counties with large universities, it has trended strongly towards Democrats in recent years, voting for the Democratic nominee in 7 out of the last 8 presidential elections. In 2008, Barack Obama won the county by the largest margin for a Democrat running for president since 1912. President Obama also became the first Democrat since Franklin Pierce in 1852 to win the county with over 60% of the vote. Since 2008, the county has gone Democratic by large margins, and is now considered one of the few reliably Democratic counties in traditionally Republican Indiana. In recent years, only Marion County (Indianapolis) has been more Democratic. The county has not supported a Republican for president since 2000, when it narrowly supported George W. Bush over Al Gore by a 4.04% plurality.

Education

Monroe County Public Library operates branches at Bloomington and Ellettsville.

Monroe County is home to Indiana University Bloomington.

Transportation

Major highways

20px Indiana State Road 37
20px Indiana State Road 45
20px Indiana State Road 46
20px Indiana State Road 48
20px Indiana State Road 446

For many years Monroe County was one of the most populous counties in the USA which did not contain any US highways or Interstate highways. However, in December 2015 the I-69 extension was completed into the county and this distinction disappeared. The highway was further extended north into Morgan County in 2018.

Railways

thumb|A trestle on an abandoned railway line (the former Monon Railway mainline) in Perry Township

Although Monroe County has a rich railway history, currently its only railway is the Indiana Rail Road, whose mainline crosses the county from the north-east to the south-west, with branches to a few industrial facilities. There is no passenger service.

Between 1854 and 2004, an important north–south line connecting the Ohio River with Lake Michigan crossed Monroe County as well, serving Stinesville, Elletsville, Bloomington, Smithville, and Harrodsburg. It was operated by the Monon Railroad throughout much of the 20th century, and later by CSX. The last passenger service operating on this line was Amtrak's Floridian Chicago-Miami service, during 1972–1979. With the termination of this service in 1979, Monroe County lost passenger railway service. CSX continued to use this line for freight for another quarter of a century, but in 2004, it stopped using this line. Large parts of it have since been converted to trails.

Air transport

Monroe County Airport, southwest of Bloomington. Scheduled passenger service to this airport was terminated ca. 1997, and since then the airport has been used by general aviation only.

References

External links

Monroe County Government