Indiana Prevention Resource Center GIS in Prevention County Profiles Series, No. 4 Perry County, Indiana Barbara Seitz de Martinez, PhD, MLS, CPP, Project Director 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. 4 Perry County, Indiana Barbara Seitz de Martinez, PhD, MLS, CPP Project Director Project Staff: Ritika Bhawal, MPH Ryan Chopra, MPH Kyoungsun Heo, MPA Tuba M. Pervin Altay, MPH 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.

Perry County Map The maps and tables in this publication were prepared using PCensus for MapInfo and MapInfo Professional.

3. Geographic and Historical Notes Perry County is located in Southern Indiana and is bordered by the State of Kentucky and the following Indiana counties: Crawford to the north and northeast, Dubois to the north and northwest, and Spencer to the west. State Highways 37 and 145 and Interstate Highway 64 cross the county. Elevation is 370-850 feet. There is a wide variation in terrain with most being steeply sloping, some areas along creeks nearly flat, some slightly sloping south and east, and some moderately sloping in the central region. The landscape features hickory and oak trees. The county pertains to the Kentucky and Indiana Sandstone and Shale Hills and Valleys land resource area. Perry county is in the Ceantral Time Zone and observes DST. Average daily temperatures are 24٥/42٥ in January and 66٥/89٥ in July. Annual precipitation is about 45 and snowfall about 13 inches. Approximate dates of the first freeze vary from the middle to the end of October, being earliest in the far northwest (October 15-20) and latest in the southern regions (October 25-30). The last freeze varies from April 5-25, coming first in the far southwest (April 5-10) and last in the northern quarter (April 15-20). The growing season lasts about 178-208 days. Agricultural activity is mainly in livestock and corn for grain. About one third of the land is in farms and about two-thirds of that is in cash crops. Almost two-thirds of the cash income is from livestock. Additional crops include hay, soybeans, and winter wheat. Perry County is a tobacco producing county. Livestock include cattle/calves and hogs/pigs. Main natural resources include petroleum and forestland. Water resources include lakes/reservoirs (Abbey, Calina, Deer Creek, Echo valley, Mill, Saddle, Tipsaw Lakes; and Middle Fork Lakes Nos. 6 and 7), several rivers (Ohio, Anderson, and Middle Fork Anderson Rivers), and streams (Deer, Oil, and Poison Creeks). Communities include the cities of Cannelton and Tell City, which is also the county seat; and the town of Troy. Sources: Map from PCensus for MapInfo; Geographic Notes from Indiana Facts: Flying the Colors by John Clements, 1995.

Perry 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 Perry 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, Perry County ranks 22nd in the State for the percent of all farms that produce tobacco (1.0%). As of 1997, a total of 6 acres in Perry County were devoted to tobacco production on 5 farms. For those 5 farms, tobacco income per farm ($6,078) expressed as a percentage of the Average Household Income for the county ($34,365) was 17.7% in 1997. Latest figures (from 1997 USDA Census): Rank for acres in tobacco production: 26th Acres in tobacco production: 6 Number of farms producing tobacco: 5 As a Percent of all farms: 1.0% Rank in IN for percent of all farms: 22nd Tobacco income per farm producing: $6,078 Percent of County’s Ave. Household Income: 17.7% [See appendices for more information.]

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

Perry County Block Groups