Wells County, Indiana THE INDIANA PREVENTION RESOURCE CENTER GIS in Prevention County Profiles Series, No. 3 Wells 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 Wells 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 Wells County is located in Northeastern Indiana and is bordered by the following Indiana counties: Allen to the north, Huntington to the west, Grant to the west/southwest, Blackford to the south, Jay to the south/southeast, and Adams to the east. State Highways 1 and 116 and U.S. Highway 224 cross the county. Elevation is 750 to 850 feet. The landscape of the county is mostly nearly level, except for slightly sloping land near the largest rivers and creeks. The landscape features hickory, oak, beech, birch, and maple trees. The county pertains to the Indiana and Ohio Till Plain land resource area. Wells county is in the Eastern Time Zone and observes DST. Average daily temperatures are 18٥/33٥ in January and 62٥/85٥ in July. Annual precipitation is about 37 and snowfall about 30-35 inches. The first freeze occurs between October 5-10, and the last freeze occurs between May 1-5 in the far southwest corner and a bit later (may 5-10) elsewhere. The growing season lasts 153-168 days. Agricultural activity is diversified. Main crops are corn for grain, winter wheat, hay, and soybeans. Tomatoes are an important vegetable, and popcorn is a special crop. Livestock include hens/pullets, cattle/calves, milk cows, and hogs/pigs. Nearly four-fifths of the land is in farms and about four-fifths of that land is in cash crops. Important natural resources include construction sand and gravel, crushed stone, petroleum, and forestland. Water resources include lakes/reservoirs (Kunkle and Moser Lakes), the Wabash and Salamonie Rivers, and streams (Rock, Eightmile and Prairie Creeks). Communities include the city of Bluffton, which is the county seat; and the towns of Markle (which extends into Huntington county), Ossian, Poneto, Uniondale, and Vera Cruz. Sources: Map from PCensus for MapInfo; Geographic Notes from Indiana Facts: Flying the Colors by John Clements, 1995.

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

Don’t Know Your Block Group Number? 3. Wells 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)

Wells County Block Groups