Map of Adams County, Indiana

Adams County lies in northeastern Indiana in the United States and shares its eastern border with Ohio. It was officially established in 1836. The county seat is Decatur.

According to the 2020 census, its population was 35,809, an increase of 4.1% from 34,387 in 2010. The county has four incorporated cities and towns with a total population of over 15,000, as well as many small unincorporated communities. The county is divided into 12 townships which provide local services. There are four Indiana state roads in the county, as well as three U.S. Routes and one railroad line.

In 2017, about a quarter of the county’s population (estimated 8,600) was Swiss Amish that settled in the Southern half of the county around Berne.

Adams County overview:
Name:Adams County
FIPS code:18-001
State:Indiana
Founded:March 1, 1836
Named for:John Quincy Adams
Seat:Decatur
Largest city:Decatur
Total Area:339.97 sq mi (880.5 km²)
Land Area:339.03 sq mi (878.1 km²)
Total Population:35,809
Population Density:110/sq mi (41/km²)

Adams County location map. Where is Adams County?

Adams County location on the U.S. Map. Where is Adams County.
Location of Adams County in the the United States.
Adams County location on the Indiana map. Where is Adams County.
Location of Adams County in Indiana.

History

The statute that mandated creation of this county was passed on February 7, 1835, and the organization itself was authorized on March 1, 1836. Its name honors the sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams. Selection of the county seat was finalized on 18 May of that year.

The first non-Native settlers arrived in what is now Adams County in 1835, encouraged by the new Erie Canal and by the end of the Black Hawk War. They consisted entirely of settlers from New England. These were “Yankee” settlers, that is to say they were descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the colonial era. They were primarily members of the Congregational Church although due to the Second Great Awakening many of them had converted to Methodism and some had become Baptists before coming to what is now Adams County. The Congregational Church subsequently has gone through many divisions and some factions are now known as the Church of Christ and the United Church of Christ. When these settlers arrived they found dense forest and wild prairie.

The first Amish settlers arrived in 1840; most came directly from Switzerland, preserving their Bernese German dialect, not adopting the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect of the majority of the Amish.

The Yankee settlers commissioned the first courthouse in 1839, a two-story frame building. The log-building jail was completed in 1837. The present Adams County courthouse was built in Decatur in 1872–1873 at a cost of $78,979. The designer was J. C. Johnson, who had been trained as a carpenter and joiner and became a self-taught architect; he won second place in the Indiana State Capitol design competition. The construction was done by Christian Boseker of Fort Wayne. It is built of red brick with stone ornamentation.

Adams County Road Map

Adams CountyStreet Map.
Street map of Adams County, Indiana. Source: OpenStreetMap (OSM)

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 339.97 square miles (880.5 km), of which 339.03 square miles (878.1 km) (or 99.72%) is land and 0.94 square miles (2.4 km) (or 0.28%) is water.

Adams County Topographic Map

Topographic Map of Adams County, Indiana
Adams County Topo map.

Adams County Satellite Map

Satellite Map of Adams County, Indiana
Adams County satellite map.

Adams County Outline Map

Outline Map of Adams County, Indiana
Adams County outline map.
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Parent Unit Map

Map of United States
The United States (US) covers a total area of 9,833,520 sq. km. Of this area, the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia cover 8,080,470 sq. km. The archipelago of Hawaii has an area of 28,311 sq. km while the remaining area is part of the US territories. The greatest east-west distance in the ... Read more
Map of United States
Political map of Indiana State – Printable Collection
Indiana (/ˌɪndiˈænə/ (listen)) is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th state on December 11, 1816. It is bordered by Lake Michigan to ... Read more
Political map of Indiana State – Printable Collection

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