LaGrange County, Indiana THE INDIANA PREVENTION RESOURCE CENTER GIS in Prevention County Profiles Series, No. 3 LaGrange County, Indiana Barbara Seitz de Martinez, PhD, MLS, CPP The Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University is funded, in part, by a contract with the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, financially supported through HHS/Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant. The IPRC is operated by the Department of Applied Health Science and The School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.

GIS in Prevention County Profile Series, No. 3 Lagrange County, Indiana Barbara Seitz de Martinez, PhD, MLS, CPP Project Staff: Ritika Bhawal, MPH Solomon Briggs Kyoungsun Heo, MPA Srinivasa Konchada Indiana Prevention Resource Center Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of the Trustees of Indiana University or the Division of Mental Health and Addiction. Indiana University accepts full Responsibility for the content of this publication. ©2005 The Trustees of Indiana University. Permission is extended to reproduce this County Profile for non-profit educational purposes. All other rights reserved.

Lagrange County The maps and tables in this publication were prepared using PCensus 7.06 for MapInfo and MapInfo Professional 7.0.

3. Geographic and Historical Notes LaGrange County borders Michigan in northeastern Indiana and is bordered by the following counties: Steuben to the east, DeKalb to the southeast, Noble to the south, and Elkhart to the west. U.S. Highway 20 and Interstate Highways 80 and 90 cross the county. Elevation is 800-1,100 feet. The terrain is nearly flat in the north and southwest and slightly sloping in the rest of the south. The landscape features oak, beech, birch, ash, and hickory trees. All of the county is in the Southern Michigan and Northern Indiana Drift Plain land resource area, except the south-central region, which is in the Indiana and Ohio Till Plain land resource area. LaGrange county is in the Eastern Time Zone and observes DST. Average daily temperatures are 14٥/32٥ in January and 61٥/84٥ in July. Annual precipitation is about 34 and snowfall about 33 inches. The first freeze of the season typically occurs around October 5-10. The last freeze occurs around May 1-5. The growing season lasts about 153-158 days. Agricultural activity is diversified and livestock is very important. Primary crops are corn for grain, soybeans, hay and oats. About three-fourths of the land is in farmland and about three-fifths of that is in cash crops. Apples are an important fruit. Important vegetables include sweet corn. Popcorn is a special crop. Livestock include hens/pullets, cattle/calves, milk cows, hogs/pigs, and sheep/lambs. Forestland is a natural resource. The county has abundant water resources including the following lakes: Adams, Appleman, Atwwod, Big Long Lake, Big Turkey Lake, Blackman, Brokesha, Cass, Cedar, Cotton Lake, Dallas, Emma, Eve, Fish, Green, Hackenberg, Lake of the Woods, Little Turkey, McClish, Messick, Olin, Oliver, Ontario, Pigeon, Pretty, Royer, Shipshewana, Star mill Dam, Stone, South Twin, Wall, Westler, Witmer; and the Pigeon, Little Elkhart, and Fawn Rivers. Communities include the towns of LaGrange (the county seat), Shipsewana, Topeka, Wolcottville (which extends into Noble County). Sources: Map from PCensus for MapInfo; Geographic Notes from Indiana Facts: Flying the Colors by John Clements, 1995.

3. Location and Historical Notes LaGrange County is not a tobacco-producing county, according to the Strategic Development Group’s “Alternative Agricultural Strategy” (Bloomington, March 15, 2001) report, which is part of Governor Joseph E. Kernan’s “Recipient Final Reports for Office of the Commissioner of Agriculture Grant Programs” (http://www.in.gov/oca/grants/valueadd/VAFinalReports.html): Sources: Map from PCensus for MapInfo; Geographic Notes from Indiana Facts: Flying the Colors by John Clements, 1995.

Don’t Know Your Block Group Number? 3. LaGrange County Block Group Maps Don’t Know Your Block Group Number? You can find it easily at the American Factfinder Web Site (www.census.gov)

LaGrange County Block Groups