DeKalb County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 43,265. The county seat is Auburn.
History On February 7, 1835, the Indiana State Legislature passed an omnibus billJohn W Tyndall & OE Lesh, Standard History of Adams and Wells Counties, Indiana. pp. 284-6 (accessed 9 August 2020) that authorized the creation of thirteen counties in northeast Indiana on previously unorganized land (including the recent Wabash New Purchase).The counties are Dekalb, Fulton, Jasper, Jay, Kosciusko, Marshall, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, Stark, Steuben, Wells, and Whitley. Newton County was merged with Jasper County in 1839, and was re-authorized as a separate county in 1859. The organization of the county's government commenced in 1837. It was named for General Johann de Kalb, a Continental Army officer from Bavaria, who was killed at the Battle of Camden in South Carolina. The first settlers in the future DeKalb County were from New England, settling what was then known as the Northwest Territory. These people were "Yankee" migrants, descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the colonial era.Yankee Exodus: An Account of Migration from New England by Stewart Holbrook In the 1870s immigrants from Ireland and Germany began arriving in DeKalb County, in large numbers.
Geography DeKalb County lies on the east side of Indiana; its east border abuts the western border of Ohio. Its low, rolling terrain is entirely devoted to agriculture or urban development.DeKalb County IN (Google Maps, accessed 27 July 2020) Its highest point ( ASL) is a small rise in the NW portion of the county, west of Fairfield Center.DeKalb County High Point, Indiana (PeakBagger.com, accessed 27 July 2020) The Saint Joseph River flows southwestward through the SE portion of the county, while the western part of the county is drained by Cedar Creek.
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.72%) is land and (or 0.28%) is water.
Adjacent counties
LaGrange County - northwest Steuben County - north Williams County, Ohio - northeast Defiance County, Ohio - southeast Allen County - south Noble County - west
Cities and towns
Altona Ashley Auburn (county seat) Butler Corunna Garrett Hamilton Saint Joe Waterloo
Unincorporated communities
Auburn Junction Butler Center Cedar Concord Fairfield Center Hopewell Moore Newville Orangeville Saint Johns Sedan Spencerville Summit
Townships
Butler Concord Fairfield Franklin Grant Jackson Keyser Newville Richland Smithfield Spencer Stafford Troy Union Wilmington
Major highways
Interstate 69 U.S. Route 6 State Road 1 State Road 3 State Road 4 State Road 8 State Road 101 State Road 205 State Road 327 State Road 427
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in Auburn have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1984 and a record high of was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June.
Government
The county government is a constitutional body, granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana and the Indiana Code.
County Council: The fiscal branch of the county government; controls spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected to four-year terms from county districts. 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: A three-member board of commissioners combines executive and non-fiscal legislative powers. Commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners also function as the county drainage board, exercising control over the construction and maintenance of legal drains.
Courts: DeKalb County has a Circuit Court (75th Judicial Circuit) and two Superior Courts. By local rule, approved by the Indiana Supreme Court,Local Rule 17-AR-1-1, approved March 9, 2007, by the Indiana Supreme Court. the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court is currently limited to juvenile and domestic cases. Criminal, civil and domestic cases are heard in the two superior courts. Judges of each court are elected for six-year terms on partisan tickets.
County Officials: The county has other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Each officer is elected to a four-year term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare a party affiliation and to be residents of the county.
DeKalb County is part of Indiana's 3rd congressional district and in 2008 was represented by Mark Souder in the United States Congress. It is in Indiana Senate districts 13 and 14, and Indiana House of Representatives districts 51, 52 and 85.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +DeKalb County, Indiana – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)33,17134,79239,00940,40640,23298.71%98.49%96.83%95.70%92.99%Black or African American alone (NH)28371011411830.08%0.10%0.25%0.33%0.42%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)64907384670.19%0.25%0.18%0.20%0.15%Asian alone (NH)48751301862250.14%0.21%0.32%0.44%0.52%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census191739xx0.05%0.04%0.09%Other race alone (NH)992319790.03%0.03%0.06%0.04%0.18%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2543391,255xx0.63%0.80%2.90%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2863216761,0311,1850.85%0.91%1.68%2.44%2.74%Total33,60635,32440,28542,22343,265 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 43,265. The median age was 39.8 years. 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.1 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 94.0% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.7% of the population.
47.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 53.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 16,868 households in the county, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.0% were married-couple households, 17.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 18,096 housing units, of which 6.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.8% were owner-occupied and 21.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 42,223 people, 15,951 households, and 11,328 families in the county. The population density was . There were 17,558 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.9% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.8% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 36.3% were German, 10.9% were American, 10.8% were Irish, and 9.1% were English.
Of the 15,951 households, 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.0% were non-families, and 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age was 38.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $55,280. Males had a median income of $44,880 versus $30,663 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,779. About 6.7% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
School districts
DeKalb County Central United School District DeKalb County Eastern Community School District Garrett-Keyser-Butler Community School District Hamilton Community Schools
Private schools Lakewood Park Christian School St. Joseph's Catholic School (Garrett) Trinity Lutheran Church Preschool Zion Lutheran Pre-School (Garrett)
See also National Register of Historic Places listings in DeKalb County, Indiana The Star, daily newspaper covering DeKalb County
References
External links
DeKalb County Government Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor DeKalb County Visitors Bureau DeKalb County American History and Genealogy Project