St. Joseph County, commonly called St. Joe County by locals, is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of Census 2010, the population was 266,931, making it the fifth-most populous county in Indiana. Formed in 1830, it was named for the St. Joseph River which flows through it toward Lake Michigan. The county seat is South Bend.
St. Joseph County is part of the South Bendâ€"Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 461.38 square miles (1,195.0Â km2), of which 457.85 square miles (1,185.8Â km2) (or 99.23%) is land and 3.54 square miles (9.2Â km2) (or 0.77%) is water.
Cities
- Mishawaka
- South Bend
Towns
Census-designated places
- Granger
- Notre Dame
Other unincorporated places
Townships
Adjacent counties
- Berrien County, Michigan (north)
- Cass County, Michigan (northeast)
- Elkhart County (east)
- Marshall County (south)
- Starke County (southwest/CST Border)
- LaPorte County (west/CST Border)
Major highways
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in South Bend have ranged from a low of 16 °F (âˆ'9 °C) in January to a high of 83 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of âˆ'22 °F (âˆ'30 °C) was recorded in January 1943 and a record high of 109 °F (43 °C) was recorded in July 1934. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.98 inches (50 mm) in February to 4.19 inches (106 mm) in June.
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 are elected from county districts. The council members serve 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.
Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.
Court: The county maintains a small claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.
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.
St. Joseph County is part of Indiana's 2nd congressional district and is represented by Jackie Walorski in the United States Congress. Indiana's US Senators are Dan Coats and Joe Donnelly. Donnelly represented the 2nd district immediately before Walorski and actually defeated Walorski in the 2010 General Election.
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 266,931Â people, 103,069Â households, and 66,365Â families residing in the county. The population density was 583.0 inhabitants per square mile (225.1/km2). There were 114,849 housing units at an average density of 250.8 per square mile (96.8/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 78.7% white, 12.7% black or African American, 1.9% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.4% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.3% were German, 15.5% were Irish, 12.0% were Polish, 8.5% were English, and 4.5% were American.
Of the 103,069Â households, 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.6% were non-families, and 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 36.2 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $57,510. Males had a median income of $45,269 versus $31,667 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,082. About 10.7% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
Education
School districts
John Glenn School Corporation
- North Liberty Elementary
- Walkerton Elementary
- Urey Middle School
- John Glenn High School
New Prairie United School Corporation
- Olive Township Elementary
- New Prairie Middle School
- New Prairie High School
Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation
- Bittersweet Elementary
- Elm Road Elementary
- Elise Rogers Elementary
- Horizon Elementary
- Madison Elementary
- Mary Frank Elementary
- Meadow's Edge Elementary
- Moran Elementary
- Northpoint Elementary
- Prairie Vista Elementary
- Walt Disney Elementary
- Discovery Middle School
- Grissom Middle School
- Schmucker Middle School
- Penn High School
School City of Mishawaka
- Battell Elementary
- Beiger Elementary
- Emmons Elementary
- Hums Elementary
- LaSalle Elementary
- Liberty Elementary
- Twin Branch Elementary
- John Young Middle School
- Mishawaka High School
- Bingham Elementary School (closed)
South Bend Community School Corporation
High schools
- John Adams High School Bird's Eye
- Clay High School Bird's Eye
- James Whitcomb Riley High School Bird's Eye
- Washington High School Bird's Eye
Intermediate Centers
- Brown Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
- Clay Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
- Dickinson Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
- Edison Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
- Greene Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
- Jackson Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
- Jefferson Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
- Lasalle Intermediate Academy Bird's Eye
- Marshall Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
- Navarre Intermediate Center Bird's Eye
Primary centers
- Coquillard Primary Center Bird's Eye
- Darden Primary Center Bird's Eye
- Hamilton Primary Center Bird's Eye
- Harrison Primary Center Bird's Eye
- Hay Primary Center Bird's Eye
- Kennedy Academy Bird's Eye
- Lafayette Early Childhood Center Bird's Eye
- Lincoln Primary Center Bird's Eye
- Madison Primary Center Bird's Eye
- Marquette Primary Center Bird's Eye
- McKinley Primary Center Bird's Eye
- Monroe Primary Center Bird's Eye
- Muessel Primary Center Bird's Eye
- Nuner Primary Center Bird's Eye
- Perley Primary Center Bird's Eye
- Swanson Primary Center Bird's Eye
- Tarkington Traditional Primary Center Bird's Eye
- Warren Primary Center Bird's Eye
- Wilson Primary Center Bird's Eye
Union-North United School Corporation
- LaVille Elementary
- LaVille Junior-Senior High School
Private Schools
- Christ the King [Grades K-8]
- Corpus Christi [Grades K-8]
- Covenant Christian School [Grades K-8]
- Granger Christian School [Grades K-12]
- Holy Cross Elementary [Grades K-8]
- Holy Family Elementary [Grades K-8]
- Ironwood Christian School [Grades K-12]
- Mishawaka Catholic School (St. Bavo Campus, St. Joseph Campus & St. Monica Campus) [Grades ECD-8]
- Michiana Christian School [Grades K-5]
- Mishawaka First Baptist School [Grades K-12]
- Marian High School [Grades 9-12]
- North Liberty Christian School [Grades K-5]
- Our Lady of Hungary [Grades K-8]
- Queen of Peace School [Grades K-6]
- Resurrection Lutheran Academy [Grades Pre K-8]
- St. Adalbert Elementary [Grades K-8]
- St. Anthony de Padua School [Grades K-8]
- St. John the Baptist Elementary [Grades K-8]
- St. Joseph Grade School (South Bend) [Grades K-8]
- St. Jude Elementary [Grades K-8]
- St. Mary of the Assumption School [Grades K-8]
- St. Matthew Elementary [Grades K-8]*St. Patrick School [Grades K-6]
- St. Pius X School [Grades Pre K-8]
- South Bend Christian Center [Grades K-12]
- South Bend Junior Academy [Grades 2-8]
- South Bend St. Joseph's High School [Grades 9-12]
- South Bend Trinity School [Grades 7-12]
- Stanley Clark School [Grades K-8]
Colleges & universities
- Bethel College
- Brown Mackie College
- Holy Cross College
- Ivy Tech North Central
- Indiana University South Bend
- St. Mary's College
- University of Notre Dame
See also
- List of public art in St. Joseph County, Indiana
- National Register of Historic Places listings in St. Joseph County, Indiana
References
External links
- St. Joseph County Public Library
- St. Joseph County Website