Allen County, Indiana facts for kids

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Allen County

U.S. county

Allen County Courthouse in Fort Wayne

Flag

Location within the U.S. state of Indiana

Indiana's location within the U.S.

Country

United States

State

Indiana

Founded

April 1, 1824

Named for

John Allen

Seat

Fort Wayne

Largest city

Fort Wayne

Area

• Total

660.02 sq mi (1,709.4 km²)

• Land

657.31 sq mi (1,702.4 km²)

• Water

2.71 sq mi (7.0 km²) 0.41%%

Population

(2020)

• Total

385,410

• Estimate

(2023)

394,545

• Density

583.937/sq mi (225.459/km²)

Time zone

UTC−5 (Eastern)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−4 (EDT)

Congressional district

3rd

Indiana county number 2
Largest county in Indiana by area
Third largest county in Indiana by population

Allen County is a county located in the state of Indiana in the United States. In 2020, about 385,410 people lived here. This makes it the third-most populated county in Indiana. The biggest city and the main government center is Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne is also the second largest city in all of Indiana.

Allen County is a very important place for culture and business in northeastern Indiana. It is close to many big cities like Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Indianapolis. This means it's easy to reach a large part of the U.S. population.

People have lived in this area for thousands of years. The county was officially started on April 1, 1824. It is named after Colonel John Allen. He was a lawyer and a state senator from Kentucky who died in the War of 1812. Fort Wayne was chosen as the county seat in May 1824. It was built where the Maumee, St. Joseph, and St. Marys rivers meet.

Exploring Allen County's Geography

Allen County townships.

Allen County is the largest county in Indiana by land size. It covers about 660 square miles. Most of this area, about 657 square miles, is land. The rest, about 2.7 square miles, is water.

Neighboring Counties

Allen County shares its borders with several other counties:

Noble County (to the northwest)
DeKalb County (to the north)
Defiance County, Ohio (to the northeast)
Paulding County, Ohio (to the east)
Van Wert County, Ohio (to the southeast)
Adams County (to the south)
Wells County (to the south)
Huntington County (to the southwest)
Whitley County (to the west)

Cities and Towns in Allen County

Allen County has several cities and towns where people live and work.

Cities

Towns

Grabill
Huntertown
Leo-Cedarville
Monroeville
Zanesville (partially in Allen County)

Census-Designated Places

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities or towns.

Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller communities that are not part of any city or town government.

Aboite
Academie
Ari (partial)
Bluecast
Boston Corner
Cedar Canyons
Cuba
Dixon (partial)
Dunfee (partial)
East Liberty
Eastland Gardens
Edgerton
Ellison
Ellisville
Five Points
Halls Corners
Hursh
River Haven
Royville
Sunnymede Woods
Tanglewood
Tillman
Timbercrest
Townley
Wayne Trace Roundabout
Yoder
Zulu

Townships

Townships are smaller divisions of the county, often including rural areas and smaller communities.

Aboite Township
Adams Township
Cedar Creek Township
Eel River Township
Jackson Township
Jefferson Township
Lafayette Township
Lake Township
Madison Township
Marion Township
Maumee Township
Milan Township
Monroe Township
Perry Township
Pleasant Township
Scipio Township
Springfield Township
St. Joseph Township
Washington Township
Wayne Township

People of Allen County

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	996	—
1840	5,942	496.6%
1850	16,919	184.7%
1860	29,328	73.3%
1870	43,494	48.3%
1880	54,763	25.9%
1890	66,689	21.8%
1900	77,270	15.9%
1910	93,386	20.9%
1920	114,303	22.4%
1930	146,743	28.4%
1940	155,084	5.7%
1950	183,722	18.5%
1960	232,196	26.4%
1970	280,455	20.8%
1980	294,335	4.9%
1990	300,836	2.2%
2000	331,849	10.3%
2010	355,329	7.1%
2020	385,410	8.5%
2023 (est.)	394,545	11.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2019

In 2010, there were 355,329 people living in Allen County. Most people were white (79.3%), followed by black or African American (11.7%). About 6.5% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino background. Many people in the county have German, Irish, or English family roots.

Fort Wayne is known for having a large population of Burmese refugees. Between 3,000 and 3,500 Burmese people live there.

2020 Census Information

Here's a look at the different groups of people living in Allen County in 2020:

Allen County Racial Composition
Race	Number	Percentage
White (not Hispanic)	270,149	70.1%
Black or African American (not Hispanic)	43,629	11.32%
Native American (not Hispanic)	883	0.23%
Asian (not Hispanic)	18,191	4.72%
Pacific Islander (not Hispanic)	138	0.04%
Other/Mixed (not Hispanic)	19,497	5.1%
Hispanic or Latino	32,923	8.54%

Amish Community

Since 1852, Allen County has been home to an Old Order Amish community. They speak a special Alsatian dialect, which is rare among Amish groups. As of 2017, about 3,190 Amish people live around Grabill and New Haven.

Historic Allen County Courthouse

The Allen County Courthouse, looking west in 2012.

The Allen County Courthouse was designed by Brentwood S. Tolan. It was finished in 1902 and cost over $800,000 to build. This was a lot of money back then! The courthouse was built in the Beaux-Arts architecture style. It was one of the most expensive courthouses in Indiana. It even had artwork that cost more than other entire courthouses.

Since 2003, the courthouse has been a National Historic Landmark. This means it's a very important historical building. Today, it is mostly used for government offices.

Allen County's Climate

Weather chart for Fort Wayne, Indiana

2.1

1.9

2.9

3.5

3.8

3.6

2.8

2.6

2.8

temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

Metric conversion

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
52 -1 -9	49 2 -7	73 8 -2	90 16 3	95 22 9	103 27 15	91 29 17	91 28 16	71 24 12	67 17 6	76 9 1	70 2 -6
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

The weather in Fort Wayne changes with the seasons. In January, the average low temperature is about 16°F (about -9°C). In July, the average high temperature is about 84°F (about 29°C). The coldest temperature ever recorded was -24°F (-31°C) in January 1918. The hottest was 106°F (41°C) in June 1988.

The amount of rain and snow also changes throughout the year. February usually has the least precipitation, while June has the most.

Economy and Jobs in Allen County

In the past, Allen County had many manufacturing jobs. Over time, the economy has changed. Now, it includes different types of businesses. These include defense and security, healthcare, and insurance. Farming is also a very important part of the county's economy.

Many companies have their main offices in Allen County. Some well-known ones are:

Do it Best
Franklin Electric
Indiana Michigan Power
North American Van Lines
Steel Dynamics
Sweetwater Sound
Vera Bradley

Education in Allen County

Allen County offers many choices for education, from colleges to K-12 schools.

Colleges and Universities

Purdue Fort Wayne (PFW) is a large public university campus. It has about 14,000 students.
Ivy Tech Community College has a large campus here.
Indiana University has a medical education center in Fort Wayne.

There are also several private and specialized schools:

University of Saint Francis (Indiana) (a Catholic university)
Concordia Theological Seminary (a Lutheran seminary)
Indiana Wesleyan University
Indiana Institute of Technology (IIT)
Branches of other colleges like Trine University and International Business College.

K-12 Schools

Public schools are managed by four main districts:

East Allen County Schools
Fort Wayne Community Schools
Northwest Allen County Schools
Southwest Allen County Schools

There are also many private schools. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend runs 13 schools. Lutheran schools operate 14 schools. Other private schools include Blackhawk Christian School and Canterbury School. Amish communities also have their own schools for younger students.

Libraries

The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) serves residents with its main branch and thirteen other locations. The main library is very large, covering about 367,000 square feet. It has an art gallery, a bookstore, and a cafe. The library's Fred J. Reynolds Historical Genealogy Department is the largest public genealogy department in the U.S. It has many books and microfilms to help people research their family history.

Parks and Outdoor Fun

Allen County Parks manages four parks where you can enjoy nature and outdoor activities:

Fox Island (in the southwest part of the county)
Metea (in the northeast part of the county)
Payton (in the northern part of the county)
Cook's Landing (in the northern part of the county)

These parks offer many activities like hiking, swimming, fishing, and sledding. You can also go cross-country skiing in winter. There are playgrounds and picnic areas too. A small fee is usually charged for entry to help maintain the parks.