1. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 4 (2007) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes 1 Indiana Prevention Resource Center GIS in Prevention County Profiles Series, No. 4 Hancock 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.

2. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 4 (2007) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes GIS in Prevention County Profile Series, No. 4 Hancock County, Indiana Barbara Seitz de Martinez, PhD, MLS, CPP Project Director Project Staff : 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. Ritika Bhawal, MPH Ryan Chopra, MPH Kyoungsun Heo, MPA Tuba M. Pervin Altay, MPH

3. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 4 (2007) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Hancock County Map The maps and tables in this publication were prepared using PCensus for MapInfo and MapInfo Professional.

4. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 4 (2007) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Hancock County is located in Central Indiana. It is bordered by the following counties: Marion to the west, Hamilton to the northwest, Madison to the north, Henry to the east, Rush to the southeast, and Shelby to the south. U.S. Highways 40 and 52, and Interstate Highway 70 cross the county. Elevation is 750-950 feet. The terrain is nearly level except in areas along waterways, where it is slightly sloping. The landscape features maple, beech, oak and birch trees. The county pertains to the Indiana and Ohio Till Plain land resource area. Hancock county is in the Eastern Time Zone and observes DST. Average daily temperatures are 18٥/36٥ in January and 63٥/86٥ in July. Annual precipitation is about 40 and snowfall about 26 inches. Typically the first freeze of the season occurs October 10-15 (north) and October 15-20 (south). The last freeze varies from April 25-30. The growing season lasts about 163-178 days. Agricultural activity is diversified with corn for grain, soybeans, and hogs/pigs. About four-fifths of the land is in farms and around nine- tenths of that land is in cash crops. An additional crop is winter wheat. A main vegetable is sweet corn. Other livestock include cattle/calves and sheep/lambs. Main natural resources include construction sand, gravel, petroleum, and forestland. Water resources include the Geist Reservoir and the Big Blue River. Communities include the city of Greenfield (the county seat) and the towns of Cumberland (which extends into Marion County), New Palestine, Shirley (which extends into Henry County), Spring Lake, and Wilkinson. 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Sources: Map from PCensus for MapInfo; Geographic Notes from Indiana Facts: Flying the Colors by John Clements, 1995.

5. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 4 (2007) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Hancock County The maps and tables in this publication were prepared using PCensus 7.06 for MapInfo and MapInfo Professional 7.0.

6. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 4 (2007) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Famous sons and daughters of Hancock County include James Whitcomb Riley and Jaycie Phelps. In his poetry, James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916) described his Indiana home during his career as a spellbinding performer of storytelling and poetry reading across the U.S. and Europe. As a youth he seemed rather lost and drifted around Indiana, until he found his nitch as performer, author and resident poet for the Indianapolis Journal. The Riley Children’s Hospital is named in his honor. Jaycie Phelps gained renown as an Olympic gymnast, member of the “Magnificent Seven” who captured the first gold metal for U.S. women gymnasts in 1996 in Atlanta. (Nelson Price, Indiana Legends, Carmel: Guild Press of Indiana, Inc., 1997, p. 71-73, 262) Hancock 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):http://www.in.gov/oca/grants/valueadd/VAFinalReports.html 3. Location and Historical Notes

7. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 4 (2007) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Don’t Know Your Block Group Number? You can find it easily at the American Factfinder Web Site (www.census.gov) 3. Hancock County Block Group Maps

8. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 4 (2007) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Hancock County Block Groups