Union County, Indiana Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Union County
U.S. county
Union County Courthouse in Liberty
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	January 5, 1821 (created) February 1, 1821 (organized)
Seat	Liberty
Largest town	Liberty
Area
• Total	165.18 sq mi (427.8 km²)
• Land	161.22 sq mi (417.6 km²)
• Water	3.95 sq mi (10.2 km²) 2.39%%
Population (2020)
• Total	7,087
• Density	43.6/sq mi (16.8/km²)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th
Indiana county number 81

Union County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 7,087. The county seat is Liberty.

Since 2018, Union County has been included in the Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located on the Indiana-Ohio border.

History
Geography
Climate and weather
Demographics
- 2010 Census
Education
Notable people
See also

History

Prior to cession to the United States government, this area belonged to and was inhabited by peoples of the Chippewa, Delaware, Eel River, Kaskaskia, Kickapoo, Miami, Ottawa, Piankishaw, Potawatomi, Shawnee, Wea, and Wyandot tribes.

The future state of Indiana was first regulated by passage of the Northwest Ordinance in 1787. In 1790 the Territory was divided into two counties, with Knox covering much of present-day Indiana. The area later known as Union County was included in lands ceded to the U.S. government in two treaties: in 1795 with the Treaty of Greenville and in 1809 with the Treaty of Fort Wayne.

In 1810, a portion of Knox was partitioned to create Wayne County; in 1811 a portion further south was partitioned to create Franklin. The area between those two counties was partitioned in 1818 to create Fayette; by the 1820s the eastern part of Fayette County was sufficiently populated to warrant separate representation. Thus on January 5, 1821, the state legislature authorized the creation of Union County, with areas ceded from Wayne County, Fayette County and Franklin County. The organization of the new county's governing structure began on February 1, 1821.

Liberty from the air, looking east

It was so named because it united parts of Fayette, Franklin and Wayne counties. The first non-native settlers were from Laurens District, South Carolina. John Templeton was the first settler to enter land at the Cincinnati land office in what would become Harmony Township, Union County, Indiana. The first county seat was Brownsville, a small community on the East Fork of the Whitewater River. The seat was moved in 1824 to Liberty, a central location. The primary industry of Union County was and is farming.

Geography

Union County lies on the east side of Indiana; its east border abuts the state of Ohio. Its low rolling hills have now been cleared of timber, although drainage areas are still largely brush-filled. The area is devoted to agricultural or recreational uses. The highest point on the terrain (1,140 feet/350 meters ASL) is a rise near the county's north border, 1.0 mile (1.6 km) ENE from Witts Station.

Silver Creek flows southwestward through the northeastern part of the county, discharging into Whitewater Lake. The East Fork of Whitewater River flows southward through the upper western part of the county, discharging into Brookville Lake. The lower part of the county is drained by Dubois Creek, flowing westward into Brookville Lake.

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 165.18 square miles (427.8 km²), of which 161.22 square miles (417.6 km²) (or 97.60%) is land and 3.95 square miles (10.2 km²) (or 2.39%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Wayne County – north
Preble County, Ohio – east
Butler County, Ohio – southeast
Franklin County – south
Fayette County – west

Major highways

U.S. Route 27
Indiana State Road 44
Indiana State Road 101
Indiana State Road 227

Lakes

Brookville Lake (part)
Whitewater Lake

Protected areas

Whitewater Memorial State Park

Quakertown State Recreation Area

Incorporated towns

Liberty (county seat)
West College Corner

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Brownsville
Center
Harmony
Harrison
Liberty
Union

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Liberty, Indiana

2.7

3.8

4.9

4.1

4.3

3.9

2.7

3.7

3.3

temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

Metric conversion

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
76 2 -8	68 6 -7	97 12 -2	101 18 3	124 23 9	104 28 14	108 31 17	99 29 16	68 26 11	77 19 4	93 12 0	84 5 -5
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Liberty have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −31 °F (−35 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in September 1951. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.68 inches (68 mm) in September to 4.90 inches (124 mm) in May.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	7,944	—
1840	8,017	0.9%
1850	6,944	−13.4%
1860	7,109	2.4%
1870	6,341	−10.8%
1880	7,673	21.0%
1890	7,006	−8.7%
1900	6,748	−3.7%
1910	6,260	−7.2%
1920	6,021	−3.8%
1930	5,880	−2.3%
1940	6,017	2.3%
1950	6,412	6.6%
1960	6,457	0.7%
1970	6,582	1.9%
1980	6,860	4.2%
1990	6,976	1.7%
2000	7,349	5.3%
2010	7,516	2.3%
2020	7,087	−5.7%
2023 (est.)	6,973	−7.2%
US Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2013

2010 Census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 7,516 people, 2,938 households, and 2,117 families in the county. The population density was 46.6 inhabitants per square mile (18.0/km²). There were 3,239 housing units at an average density of 20.1 per square mile (7.8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.5% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.3% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.2% were German, 16.0% were Irish, 11.9% were English, and 11.6% were American.

Of the 2,938 households, 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.9% were non-families, and 23.9% 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 40.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $49,815. Males had a median income of $39,603 versus $27,394 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,243. About 8.2% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

All of Union County is served by the Union County–College Corner Joint School District, the only joint state school district in the state.

Notable people

Ambrose Everett Burnside (1824–1881), soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, politician
Thomas W. Bennett (territorial governor) (1831–1893), governor of Idaho Territory 1871–1875; born in Union County
Hiram Rhodes Revels (1827–1901), first African-American member of the US Senate, representing Mississippi 1870–1871; attended the Union County Quaker Seminary.
Bill Bartlett (fl. 1970s-2010s), musician, guitarist for Ram Jam
Jay Hall Connaway (1893–1970), Realist painter
Mary Alice Smith (1850-_), aka Little Orphant Annie
Bob Jenkins (1947–2021), television and radio sports announcer for ESPN/ABC Sports
Edward E. Moore (1866–1940), Indiana state senator and Los Angeles City Council member
Joaquin Miller American poet, author, and frontiersman

Union County, Indiana facts for kids

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