
Rush 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
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
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 ...
. In the
2020 United States census, the population was 16,752. 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 ...
(and only city) is
Rushville.
History
When the Indiana Territory was granted statehood (December 20, 1816), there were no settlers on the lands of the future Rush County. However, this changed quickly, and by 1821 the newly founded settlements were desirous of being organized into a county unit. Accordingly, the state legislature passed an act dated December 31, 1821, which authorized Rush County, effective April 1, and further authorized the first commissioners (pro tem) to begin organizing the county's governing structure on June 3, 1822. The act also authorized six townships to cover the county; subsequent growth through the years has caused the number of townships to double. It was named for Dr.
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush (April 19, 1813) was an American revolutionary, a Founding Father of the United States and signatory to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, social refor ...
, one of the signers of the 1776
Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...
. That same summer (1822) the future town (and county seat) of
Rushville was platted and laid out.
Geography
In the 1820s the low rolling hills of Rush County were generously covered with trees, usually walnut and sugar maples. By 1879 Rush County was the state's largest producer of maple syrup. However, logging and clearing for agriculture have completely removed the trees, except for stands in drainages, and the available land is completely devoted to agriculture or urban development. The
Big Blue River drains the upper part of the county, flowing to the southwest. The Little Blue River flows southwest to drain the central part of the county, and
Flatrock River flows south-southwest through the lower central part of the county. The terrain's highest point (1,135 feet/346 m ASL) is an isolated rise at the county's east boundary, SSW of
Glenwood.
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.92%) is land and (or 0.08%) is water.
[
]
Adjacent counties
* Henry County - north
* Fayette County - east
* Franklin County - southeast
* Decatur County Decatur County is the name of various past and present counties in the United States, all named for Stephen Decatur
Commodore (United States), Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was a United States Navy of ...
- south
* Shelby County - west
* Hancock County - northwest
Cities and towns
* Carthage
Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...
* Glenwood
* Rushville (city/county seat)
Census-designated places
* Arlington
* Manilla
* Milroy
Unincorporated towns
* Boyd
* Charlottesville
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Quee ...
* Circleville
* Fairview
* Falmouth
* Farmers
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mi ...
* Farmington
* Gings
* Gowdy
* Henderson
* Henry
Henry may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters
* Henry (surname)
* Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone
Arts and entertainmen ...
* Homer
Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...
* Mauzy
* Mays
* Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
* New Salem
* Occident
The Occident is a term for the West, traditionally comprising anything that belongs to the Western world. It is the antonym of the term ''Orient'', referring to the Eastern world. In English, it has largely fallen into disuse. The term occidental ...
* Raleigh
Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...
* Richland
* Sexton
* Sulphur Spring
* Williamstown
Townships
* Anderson
* Center
* Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
Places Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson oil field in Durham, ...
* Noble
A noble is a member of the nobility.
Noble may also refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Noble Glacier, King George Island
* Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Noble Peak, Wiencke Island
* Noble Rocks, Graham Land
Australia
* Noble Island, Gr ...
* Orange
* Posey
* Richland
* Ripley
* Rushville
* Union
* Walker
Walker or The Walker may refer to:
People
*Walker (given name)
*Walker (surname)
*Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer
Places
In the United States
*Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County
*Walker, Mono County, California
* ...
* Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
Major highways
* / Interstate 74
Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa; the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchange with I-75 in ...
/U.S. Route 421
U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highwa ...
**
* U.S. Route 52
U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major U.S. Highway in the Central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows a north ...
* Indiana State Road 3
* Indiana State Road 44
Indiana State Road 44 (SR 44) in the State of Indiana begins in the west at Interstate 69 in Martinsville and runs eastward to the Ohio state line in Union County in two broken sections. It is broken in Franklin from Indiana State Road 1 ...
* Indiana State Road 140
* Indiana State Road 244
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in Rushville have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of was recorded in July 1901. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in May.[
]
Government
The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana
The Constitution of Indiana is the highest body of state law in the U.S. state of Indiana. It establishes the structure and function of the state and is based on the principles of federalism and Jacksonian democracy. Indiana's constitution is su ...
, and by the Indiana Code
The Indiana Code is the code of laws for the U.S. state of Indiana. The contents are the codification of all the laws currently in effect within Indiana. With roots going back to the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the laws of Indiana have been rev ...
.
County Council: The legislative branch of the county government; controls spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected to four-year terms from county districts. They set 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 acts legislated by the council, collect revenue, and manage the county government.[
County Officials: The county has other elected offices, including ]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
A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
, 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
Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the ...
and circuit court clerk
A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court and administering oaths ...
. These officers are 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.[
]
Demographics
2010 Census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 17,392 people, 6,767 households, and 4,803 families in the county. The population density was . There were 7,508 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.4% white, 0.8% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population.[ In terms of ancestry, 23.4% were ]German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, 16.8% were American, 12.0% were Irish, and 11.9% were English.
Of the 6,767 households, 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.0% were non-families, and 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age was 40.6 years.[
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $52,874. Males had a median income of $41,581 versus $30,035 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,215. About 10.3% of families and 12.8% 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 17.4% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Rush County, Indiana
* Edward E. Moore
Edward E. Moore (March 12, 1866 – October 23, 1940) was a teacher, newspaper editor and publisher, author and lawyer who served in the Indiana Senate from 1905 to 1913. He was also a Los Angeles, California, City Council member from 1925 to 192 ...
, Indiana state senator and Los Angeles City Council member
References
External links
County website
''History of Rush County, Indiana''
{{Authority control
Indiana counties
1822 establishments in Indiana
Populated places established in 1822