Ripley County, Indiana

County in Indiana, United States

U.S. county in Indiana

Ripley County

U.S. county

Ripley County Courthouse in Versailles

Location within the U.S. state of Indiana

Error creating thumbnail:

Indiana's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State| File:Flag of Indiana.svg Indiana
Founded| December 27, 1816
Named for| Eleazer Wheelock Ripley
Seat| Versailles
Largest city| Batesville
Area

• Total| 448.06 sq mi (1,160.5 km2)
• Land| 446.43 sq mi (1,156.2 km2)
• Water| 1.64 sq mi (4.2 km2)  0.37%%
Population

• Estimate

(2018)

| 28,521
• Density| 65/sq mi (24.93/km2)
Time zone| UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district| 6th
Website| http://www.ripleycounty.com/
Indiana county number 69
FIPS Code 137

Ripley County is a county located at the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Indiana. According to the 2010 Census, the population was 28,818.[1] The county seat is Versailles.[2]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Unincorporated towns
* 2.2 Ghost towns
* 2.3 Adjacent counties
* 2.4 Major highways
* 2.5 National protected area
* 3 Climate and weather
* 4 Government
* 5 Demographics
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## History

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Ripley County was formed on December 27, 1816, in the same legislative act that created Jennings County. It was named for Gen. Eleazer Wheelock Ripley, an officer in the War of 1812, who figured in the Battle of Lundy's Lane and the Siege of Fort Erie during 1814.[3]

## Geography

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The county seat of Ripley County is Versailles, Indiana. It was selected as the county seat in 1818, and was laid out in 1819.

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 448.06 square miles (1,160.5 km2), of which 446.43 square miles (1,156.2 km2) (or 99.64%) is land and 1.64 square miles (4.2 km2) (or 0.37%) is water.[4]

Overview of townships[5] Township  | Established Year  | Area mi2 | Area km2 | Population  | Incorporated Towns

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|
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Adams | 1858  | 43.79  | 113.42  | 5119  | Batesville (part), Sunman
Brown | 1823  | 53.67  | 139  | 1597  |
Center | 1858  | 29.51  | 76.43  | 2657  | Osgood
Delaware | 1823  | 33.27  | 86.17  | 1437  |
Franklin | 1823  | 36.6  | 94.79  | 3773  | Milan (part)
Jackson | 1823  | 29.87  | 77.36  | 965  | Napoleon
Johnson | 1823  | 54.98  | 142.4  | 3685  | Versailles
Laughery | 1819  | 25.97  | 67.26  | 4736  | Batesville (part)
Otter Creek | 1858  | 41.69  | 107.98  | 1410  | Holton
Shelby | 1823  | 69.39  | 179.72  | 999  |
Washington | 1823  | 29.33  | 75.96  | 2440  | Milan (part)
Ripley County | 1816 | 448.06 | 1160.471 | 28,181 |

### Unincorporated towns

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* Allen Crossing
* Ballstown
* Behlmer Corner
* Benham
* Clinton
* Correct
* Cross Plains
* Cross Roads
* Dabney
* Delaware
* Dewberry
* Elrod
* Friendship
* Haney Corner
* Jackson
* Jolleyville
* Laugheryville
* Lookout
* Morris
* Negangards Corner
* New Carrollton
* New Marion
* Old Milan
* Olean
* Otter Village
* Penntown
* Pierceville
* Prattsburg
* Rexville
* Spades
* Stringtown
* Stumpke Corner

### Ghost towns

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* Saint Magdalen

### Adjacent counties

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* Dearborn County (east)
* Decatur County (northwest)
* Franklin County (north)
* Jefferson County (south)
* Jennings County (west)
* Ohio County (east–southeast)
* Switzerland County (at southeast tip)

### Major highways

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* Interstate 74 – runs east–west across northern tip of county.
* US Route 50 – runs east–west across middle of county, through Holton and Versailles.
* US Route 421 \- enters from Decatur County near northwest tip of Ripley County. Runs SSE to Versailles, then SSW into Jefferson County.
* State Road 46 – runs east–west across northern tip of county, paralleling Interstate 74 on its south side.
* State Road 48 – runs east–west across upper portion of county, through Napoleon.
* State Road 62 – begins at intersection with State Road 129, north of Cross Plains. Runs east through Friendship to Dearborn County.
* State Road 101 – begins at intersection with US Route 50 near east county line. Runs north to Penntown.
* State Road 129 – begins at intersection with State Road 46 east of Batesville, runs south to Versailles, then SSE through Cross Plains into Switzerland County.
* State Road 229 – enters from Franklin County at Batesville, runs SSW to Ballstown then south and west to Napoleon. Runs west to Decatur County.
* State Road 350 – begins at intersection with US 421 at Osgood, runs east through Delaware and Pierceville into Dearborn County.[6]

### National protected area

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* Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge (part)

## Climate and weather

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Versailles, Indiana

Climate chart (explanation)

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3.1

2.7

3.8

4.1

5.3

3.9

4.6

2.9

3.1

3.5

Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[7]
| Metric conversion

104

134

102

100

116

Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Versailles have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −28 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 100 °F (38 °C) was recorded in July 1999. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.71 inches (69 mm) in February to 5.27 inches (134 mm) in May.[7]

## Government

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See also: Government of Indiana

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 are elected from county districts, serving four-year terms. 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.[8][9]

Board of Commissioners: The Board of Commissioners is the executive body of the county. Commissioners are elected county–wide in staggered four–year terms. One commissioner serves as board president. They are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.[8][9]

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor and circuit court clerk. Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.[9]

State Government: At the State level, Ripley County is divided in its representation. Adams and Laughery Townships are located in the 55th House District which is represented by Rep. Cindy Ziemke. The rest of Ripley County is located in the 67th district represented by Rep. Randy Frye. Adams and Laughery Townships are in the 42nd Senate District represented by State Senator Jean Leising. The rest of Ripley County is in Senate District 43 represented by Senator Chip Perfect.

Federal Government: Ripley County is part of Indiana's 6th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Republican Greg Pence. Along with the rest of Indiana, its senators are Mike Braun and Todd Young.

United States presidential election results for Ripley County, Indiana[10] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

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|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 11,261  | 78.79% | 2,774  | 19.41%  | 257  | 1.80%
2016 | 9,806  | 75.81% | 2,471  | 19.10%  | 658  | 5.09%
2012 | 7,484  | 67.94% | 3,241  | 29.42%  | 290  | 2.63%
2008 | 7,794  | 63.71% | 4,187  | 34.22%  | 253  | 2.07%
2004 | 8,224  | 69.49% | 3,510  | 29.66%  | 100  | 0.85%
2000 | 6,988  | 65.46% | 3,498  | 32.77%  | 189  | 1.77%
1996 | 5,303  | 49.67% | 4,097  | 38.38%  | 1,276  | 11.95%
1992 | 5,033  | 46.02% | 3,480  | 31.82%  | 2,424  | 22.16%
1988 | 6,414  | 63.81% | 3,605  | 35.87%  | 32  | 0.32%
1984 | 7,143  | 67.99% | 3,336  | 31.75%  | 27  | 0.26%
1980 | 5,770  | 56.39% | 4,022  | 39.30%  | 441  | 4.31%
1976 | 5,293  | 52.11% | 4,792  | 47.18%  | 72  | 0.71%
1972 | 6,594  | 64.45% | 3,601  | 35.20%  | 36  | 0.35%
1968 | 5,389  | 51.82% | 3,787  | 36.42%  | 1,223  | 11.76%
1964 | 4,587  | 43.47%  | 5,933  | 56.23% | 32  | 0.30%
1960 | 6,053  | 55.95% | 4,730  | 43.72%  | 35  | 0.32%
1956 | 6,577  | 61.85% | 4,026  | 37.86%  | 30  | 0.28%
1952 | 6,650  | 62.00% | 4,031  | 37.59%  | 44  | 0.41%
1948 | 5,313  | 53.34% | 4,574  | 45.92%  | 74  | 0.74%
1944 | 5,642  | 59.12% | 3,835  | 40.18%  | 67  | 0.70%
1940 | 6,061  | 55.44% | 4,834  | 44.21%  | 38  | 0.35%
1936 | 4,919  | 45.98%  | 5,546  | 51.84% | 233  | 2.18%
1932 | 4,240  | 40.97%  | 5,987  | 57.86% | 121  | 1.17%
1928 | 5,059  | 53.39% | 4,387  | 46.30%  | 30  | 0.32%
1924 | 4,694  | 49.02% | 4,257  | 44.45%  | 625  | 6.53%
1920 | 5,372  | 56.83% | 3,976  | 42.07%  | 104  | 1.10%
1916 | 2,686  | 49.88% | 2,549  | 47.34%  | 150  | 2.79%
1912 | 1,492  | 29.43%  | 2,431  | 47.95% | 1,147  | 22.62%
1908 | 2,660  | 47.65%  | 2,749  | 49.25% | 173  | 3.10%
1904 | 2,850  | 52.29% | 2,457  | 45.08%  | 143  | 2.62%
1900 | 2,737  | 49.20% | 2,732  | 49.11%  | 94  | 1.69%
1896 | 2,690  | 49.60%  | 2,714  | 50.05% | 19  | 0.35%
1892 | 2,250  | 45.17% | 2,442  | 49.03%  | 289  | 5.80%
1888 | 2,404  | 49.77% | 2,381  | 49.30%  | 45  | 0.93%

## Demographics

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Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1820| 1,822| | —
1830| 3,989| | 118.9%
1840| 10,392| | 160.5%
1850| 14,820| | 42.6%
1860| 19,054| | 28.6%
1870| 20,977| | 10.1%
1880| 21,627| | 3.1%
1890| 19,350| | −10.5%
1900| 19,881| | 2.7%
1910| 19,452| | −2.2%
1920| 18,694| | −3.9%
1930| 18,078| | −3.3%
1940| 18,898| | 4.5%
1950| 18,763| | −0.7%
1960| 20,641| | 10.0%
1970| 21,138| | 2.4%
1980| 24,398| | 15.4%
1990| 24,616| | 0.9%
2000| 26,523| | 7.7%
2010| 28,818| | 8.7%
2018 (est.)| 28,521| [11]| −1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
1790-1960[13] 1900-1990[14]
1990-2000[15] 2010-2013[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 28,818 people, 10,789 households, and 7,910 families residing in the county.[16] The population density was 64.6 inhabitants per square mile (24.9/km2). There were 11,952 housing units at an average density of 26.8 per square mile (10.3/km2).[4] The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.5% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population.[16] In terms of ancestry, 43.4% were German, 14.2% were American, 13.9% were Irish, and 8.7% were English.[17]

Of the 10,789 households, 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.7% were non-families, and 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age was 39.2 years.[16]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $57,305. Males had a median income of $41,711 versus $31,927 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,025. About 7.5% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.[18]

## See also

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* List of counties in Indiana
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Ripley County, Indiana
* \- Ripley County website
* Ripley County in Indiana portal

## References

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1. ^ a b "Ripley County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & Co. pp. 572.
4. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
5. ^ Bureau, U.S. Census. "American FactFinder - Results". factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
6. ^ Ripley County IA Google Maps (accessed 16 August 2018)
7. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Versailles, Indiana". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
8. ^ a b Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
9. ^ a b c Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
10. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
11. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved July 26, 2019.
12. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
13. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
14. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
15. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
16. ^ a b c "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
17. ^ "Selected Social Characteristics in the United States – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
18. ^ "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.

## External links

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* Ripley County, Indiana collection, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library

Places adjacent to Ripley County, Indiana

| Decatur County | Franklin County |

|
|

|  |
Jennings County |

File:Pfeil links.svgRipley County, Indiana

| Dearborn County
|  |
| Jefferson County | Ohio County and Switzerland County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Ripley County, Indiana, United States

County seat: Versailles

City|

* Batesville‡

Map of Indiana highlighting Ripley County

Towns|

* Holton
* Milan
* Napoleon
* Osgood
* Sunman
* Versailles

Townships|

* Adams
* Brown
* Center
* Delaware
* Franklin
* Jackson
* Johnson
* Laughery
* Otter Creek
* Shelby
* Washington

Unincorporated
communities|

* Ballstown
* Behlmer Corner
* Benham
* Clinton
* Correct
* Cross Plains
* Cross Roads
* Dabney
* Delaware
* Dewberry
* Elrod
* Friendship
* Haney Corner
* Jackson
* Jolleyville
* Laugheryville
* Lookout
* Morris
* Negangards Corner
* New Carrollton
* New Marion
* Old Milan
* Olean
* Otter Village
* Penntown
* Pierceville
* Prattsburg
* Rexville
* Spades
* Stringtown
* Stumpke Corner

Ghost town|

* Saint Magdalen

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Indiana

Indianapolis (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Geography
* History
* City nicknames
* National Historic Landmarks
* State parks
* Symbols
* Transportation
* Tourist attractions
* Index of Indiana-related articles
* Outline

Government|

* Constitution
* Code of Law
* Governor (List)
* Congressional districts (Delegations)
* General Assembly (House & Senate)
* Supreme Court

Society|

* Hoosiers
* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Ghostlore
* Politics
* Party strength
* Sports

Regions|

* Central Indiana
* East Central Indiana
* Wabash Valley
* Northern Indiana
* Northeast Indiana
* Northwest Indiana
* Michiana
* Southern Indiana
* Indiana Uplands
* Kentuckiana
* Southwestern Indiana

Largest cities|

* Anderson
* Bloomington
* Carmel
* Columbus
* Crown Point
* Elkhart
* Evansville
* Fishers
* Fort Wayne
* Gary
* Goshen
* Greenwood
* Hammond
* Indianapolis
* Jeffersonville
* Kokomo
* Lafayette
* Lawrence
* Michigan City
* Mishawaka
* Muncie
* New Albany
* Noblesville
* Portage
* Richmond
* South Bend
* Terre Haute
* Valparaiso
* Westfield
* West Lafayette

Largest towns|

* Avon
* Brownsburg
* Clarksville
* Highland
* Merrillville
* Munster
* St. John
* Plainfield
* Schererville
* Zionsville

Counties|

* Adams
* Allen
* Bartholomew
* Benton
* Blackford
* Boone
* Brown
* Carroll
* Cass
* Clark
* Clay
* Clinton
* Crawford
* Daviess
* Dearborn
* Decatur
* DeKalb
* Delaware
* Dubois
* Elkhart
* Fayette
* Floyd
* Fountain
* Franklin
* Fulton
* Gibson
* Grant
* Greene
* Hamilton
* Hancock
* Harrison
* Hendricks
* Henry
* Howard
* Huntington
* Jackson
* Jasper
* Jay
* Jefferson
* Jennings
* Johnson
* Knox
* Kosciusko
* LaGrange
* Lake
* LaPorte
* Lawrence
* Madison
* Marion
* Marshall
* Martin
* Miami
* Monroe
* Montgomery
* Morgan
* Newton
* Noble
* Ohio
* Orange
* Owen
* Parke
* Perry
* Pike
* Porter
* Posey
* Pulaski
* Putnam
* Randolph
* Ripley
* Rush
* Saint Joseph
* Scott
* Shelby
* Spencer
* Starke
* Steuben
* Sullivan
* Switzerland
* Tippecanoe
* Tipton
* Union
* Vanderburgh
* Vermillion
* Vigo
* Wabash
* Warren
* Warrick
* Washington
* Wayne
* Wells
* White
* Whitley

Coordinates: 39°06′N 85°16′W﻿ / ﻿39.10°N 85.26°W﻿ / 39.10; -85.26
*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
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