Formed January 21, 1818 (26th county)
Vigo County (106,158), Terre Haute (60,785)
The Second Empire style masonry courthouse was built in 1884. It is located on 3rd Street at Ohio Street. Third Street is United States Highway 41 in the city. Samuel L. Hannaford was the architect. The building features a working clock golden dome. The grounds have veteran memorials and a fountain. The courthouse was renovated in 2008. The county was created on January 21, 1818 from Sullivan County as the 26th county with Terre Haute as the only county seat. The county is named for Francis Vigo who helped finance efforts in the Revolutionary War. The county seat’s name is French for “high ground.” Vigo County was the birthplace of 1 Indiana Governor, B. Evans Bayh III.
Vigo County government consists of a sheriff, an auditor, a clerk, a coroner, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive). It has 7 Council Members (legislative.) A Circuit Court Judge, Six Superior Court Judges, and a prosecutor serve Vigo County (judicial.) The county is in western Indiana on the border with Illinois. The Wabash River flows through the county. Indianapolis, Indiana is northeast and Evansville, Indiana is south of the county. The county center is in Terre Haute 1.8 miles Southeast of the city center. The county is surrounded clockwise by Vermillion, Parke, Clay, and Sullivan counties and Illinois.
The area of the county is 403 square miles. It is 42 out of 92 in the state. It ranks 17 out of 92 in population in the state. It has a density of 263.4 persons per square mile making it 18 out of 92 in the state. Vigo County has 58.2% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 70 crosses the county east to west from Clay County to Illinois. United States Highway 40 parallels Interstate Highway 70 from Clay County to Illinois. United States Highway 41 goes north to south from Vermillion County to Sullivan County. United States Highway 150 enters from the west, Illinois, and joins United States Highway 41 to go south into Sullivan County. The county is a rectangle with a handle on the northeast corner and a lump on the southwest corner. Terre Haute is slightly north of center in the county. Terre Haute is the county seat and the largest city. It is 55.04% of the county population. The county is pronounced VEE-GOE. The county seat is pronounced TER-A HOET. This county is in the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Riley
Seelyville
Terre Haute
West Terre Haute
