Dearborn County, Indiana

In 1803, following Ohio's admission to the Union, a wedge, or pie shaped, remnant of the former Northwest Territory along Ohio's southwestern border was ceded to Indiana Territory and organized as Dearborn County. It was named after Henry Dearborn who was U.S. Secretary of War at that time. Lawrenceburg was then designated as the county seat. All or part of seven other present day counties were carved from the original county with the present boundaries being established in 1845. The region, nicknamed the "Gore", slices through the present-day counties of Dearborn, Franklin, Ohio, Randolph, Switzerland, Union, Wayne and Fayette. Subdivision of Dearborn County began in 1811 with the formation of Franklin and Wayne Counties, followed by Switzerland in 1814. A contention existed between the towns of Lawrenceburg and the mostly German-speaking immigrants that dominated Rising Sun over the favored status of Lawrenceburg as the county seat. The rivalry between the two towns was resolved in 1844 when the Indiana State legislature separated the portion of Dearborn County south of Laughery Creek and created the last and smallest Indiana county, county of Ohio on March 1, 1844, with Rising Sun designated as its county seat. ==Geography==

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.22%) is land and (or 0.77%) is water.}} ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 50,679. The median age was 42.5 years. 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.7 males age 18 and over. The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.7% from some other race, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.4% of the population. There were 19,562 households in the county, of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 55.0% were married-couple households, 16.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was . There were 20,171 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.5% white, 0.6% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.3% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. Of the 18,743 households, 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.5% were non-families, and 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 40.0 years. ==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.) and two Superior Courts, the Honorable Jonathan Cleary, presiding over Dearborn County Superior Court No. 1 and the Honorable Sally McLaughlin, presiding over Dearborn County z Superior Court No. 2. Judges are elected to six-year terms. Lawrenceburg also has City Courts, presided over by the Honorable Joseph R. Johns. The Lawrenceburg City Court Judge serves a four-year term. County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, prosecuting attorney, 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 a party affiliation and to be residents of the county. and Indiana House of Representatives districts 55 and 68. ==Infrastructure==

Major highways • Interstate 74 • Interstate 275 • U.S. Route 50 • U.S. Route 52 • State Road 1 • State Road 46 • State Road 48 • State Road 56 • State Road 62 • State Road 148 • State Road 262 • State Road 350 ==Notable people==

• Erwin "Cannonball" Baker, motorcycle and auto racer, 1989 inductee in Motorsports Hall of Fame of America • Nick Goepper professional slopestyle skier, three-time winter Olympic medalist • Jim Lyttle, professional baseball player • Lonnie Mack, influential guitar soloist of early rock 'n' roll • Louis Skidmore, architect that co-founded Skidmore, Owings & Merrill • John Whiteaker, first state Governor of Oregon from 1859 until 1862 and Oregon's Congressman from 1879 to 1881 ==See also==