Jay County, Indiana
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Jay County is a
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
in the U.S. state of
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
. As of 2020, the population was 20,478. The
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is Portland.


History

The Indiana State Legislature passed an omnibus county bill on February 7, 1835 that authorized the creation of thirteen counties in northeast Indiana, including Jay - the only county in the United States named for
John Jay John Jay (, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, diplomat, signatory of the Treaty of Paris (1783), Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served from 1789 to 1795 as the first chief justice of the United ...
, co-author of ''
The Federalist Papers ''The Federalist Papers'' is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the Constitution of the United States. The ...
'', Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the
Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, which served as the nation's first Constitution, frame of government during the Ameri ...
, and first
Chief Justice of the United States The chief justice of the United States is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States and is the highest-ranking officer of the U.S. federal judiciary. Appointments Clause, Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution g ...
. John Jay had died in 1829.


Geography

Jay County lies on the east side of Indiana; its east border abuts the western border of
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
. Its low, rolling terrain is entirely devoted to agriculture or urban development. Its highest point ( ASL) is a small rise on the east border with Ohio, 2,600 feet north of the county's SE corner. The Salamonie River originates near Salamonia in southeastern Jay County and flows generally northwestwardly into Blackford County (It joins the Wabash River from the south in Wabash County). According to the 2010 United States Census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.95%) is land and (or 0.05%) is water.


Adjacent counties

* Adams County - north * Mercer County,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
- east * Darke County,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
- southeast * Randolph County - south * Delaware County - southwest * Blackford County - west * Wells County - northwest


Cities & Towns

* Bryant *
Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...
* Pennville * Portland * Redkey * Salamonia


Townships

* Bearcreek * Greene * Jackson * Jefferson * Knox * Madison * Noble * Penn * Pike * Richland * Wabash * Wayne


Unincorporated communities

*
Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...
* Balbec * Bellfountain * Blaine * Bloomfield * Bluff Point * Boundary City * College Corner * Collett * Como *
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...
* Greene * Jay City * Liber * New Corydon * New Mount Pleasant * Noble * Pleasant Ridge * Poling * Powers * Ridertown * Salem * West Liberty * Westchester


Major highways

Sources: National Atlas, US Census Bureau * * * * * *


Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Portland 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 June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in July.


Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 21,253 people, 8,133 households, and 5,647 families in the county. The population density was . There were 9,221 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.0% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 34.1% were German, 13.1% were American, 11.7% were English, and 11.6% were Irish. Of the 8,133 households, 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age was 39.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $47,926. Males had a median income of $38,142 versus $26,928 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,946. About 10.0% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.


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, elected to four-year terms from county districts, are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council 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; commissioners are elected county-wide to staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners execute the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government. Court: The county maintains circuit and superior courts with the latter having a small claims division. Both courts have general jurisdiction with the circuit court having exclusive jurisdiction of juvenile and probate matters. The court's judges are elected to six-year terms, and must be admitted to practice law before the state supreme court. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court. County Officials: The county has other elected offices, including prosecuting attorney, assessor,
sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
, coroner,
auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting an ...
,
treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...
, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk Each officer is elected to four-year terms. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare
party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...
affiliations and to be residents of the county. Jay County is part of Indiana's 3rd congressional district; Indiana Senate district 19; and
Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House mem ...
district 33.


Literary reference

''Jens looked at a map he'd filched from an abandoned gas station. If he was where he thought he was, he'd soon be approaching the grand metropolis of Fiat, by God, Indiana. He managed a smile when he saw that, and declaimed, "And God said,'' Fiat, Indiana, ''and there was Indiana."'' --
Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed his ...
, ''Worldwar: In the Balance'', New York: Random House (1994), Chapter 14, copyright 1994 by Harry Turtledove. The reference is to the unincorporated town of Fiat near the intersection of Indiana State Routes 1 and 18 in Jay County.


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Jay County, Indiana


Further reading

* ( , also republished by Kessinger Publishing as ) * () * () * ( ) * ()


References


External links


Jay County, Indiana
{{Authority control Indiana counties 1836 establishments in Indiana Populated places established in 1836