Ohio County, Indiana THE INDIANA PREVENTION RESOURCE CENTER GIS in Prevention County Profiles Series, No. 3 Ohio 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 Ohio 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.

3. Geographic and Historical Notes Ohio County is located in southeastern Indiana and is bordered by the State of Kentucky and the following Indiana counties: Dearborn to the north, Ripley to the northeast, and Switzerland to the south and southwest. State Highways 262 and 56 cross the county. Elevation is 500-850 feet. The county’s landscape is mainly moderately and steeply sloping, except for very steep slopes along the northern and eastern borders and more level land near the eastern border. The landscape features oak, hickory, birch, beech, and maple trees. The county pertains to the Kentucky Bluegrass land resource area. Ohio county is in the Eastern Time Zone and observes DST. Average daily temperatures are 19٥/41٥ in January and 62٥/89٥ in July. Annual precipitation is about 43 and snowfall about 15 inches. Typically the first freeze of the season occurs October 15-20, and the last freeze April 20-25. The growing season lasts about 173-183 days. Agricultural activity is mainly in tobacco and livestock. Additional crops include corn for grain, soybeans and hay. A little over half of the land is in farms and about a third of that is in cash crops. About half of cash income is from livestock. Tobacco is considered a special crop. Livestock include cattle/calves and hogs/pigs. Main natural resources include forestland. Water resources include the lake/reservoir of Arnold’s Creek Embayment, the Ohio River, and the Laughtery Creek. Communities include the city of Rising Sun, which is also the county seat; and townships of Cass, Pike, Randolph and Union. Sources: Map from PCensus for MapInfo; Notes from Indiana Facts: Flying the Colors by John Clements, 1995.

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

3. Location and Historical Notes Ohio County Tobacco Production & Revenue: Source: 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): According to the most recent data available, Ohio County ranks 4th in the State for the percent of all farms that produce tobacco (59.8%). A total of 478 acres in Ohio County are devoted to tobacco production on 132 farms. For those 132 farms, average tobacco income per farm ($12,759) expressed as a percentage of the Average Household Income for the county ($38,937) was 32.8% in 1997. Latest figures (from 1997 USDA Census): Rank for acres in tobacco production: 5th Acres in tobacco production: 478 Number of farms producing tobacco: 132 As a Percent of all farms: 52.4% Rank in IN for percent of all farms: 4th Tobacco income per farm producing: $12,759 Percent of County’s Ave. Household Income: 32.8% [See appendices for more information.]

Don’t Know Your Block Group Number? 3. Ohio County Block Group Maps Don’t Know Your Block Group Number? You can find it easily at the American Factfinder Web Site

Ohio County Block Groups