Howard County, Indiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Howard County
U.S. county
Howard County courthouse in Kokomo, Indiana
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	1844
Named for	Tilghman Howard
Seat	Kokomo
Largest city	Kokomo
Area
• Total	293.92 sq mi (761.2 km2)
• Land	293.06 sq mi (759.0 km2)
• Water	0.86 sq mi (2.2 km2)  0.29%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	83,658
• Density	284.628/sq mi (109.8957/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	4th, 5th
Indiana county number 34

Howard County is one of 92 counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,658. The county seat is Kokomo. Originally named Richardville County, it was renamed in 1844 to commemorate General Tilghman Ashurst Howard.

Howard County is part of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 293.92 square miles (761.2 km²), of which 293.06 square miles (759.0 km²) (or 99.71%) is land and 0.86 square miles (2.2 km²) (or 0.29%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Miami County, Indiana (North)
• Grant County, Indiana (East)
• Tipton County, Indiana (South)
• Clinton County, Indiana (Southwest)
• Carroll County, Indiana (West)
• Cass County, Indiana (Northwest)

History

This county was organized in 1844. It was first known as Richardville County. Its first name honored Jean Baptiste Richardville, a chief of the Miami. Richardville's name was Pe-che-wa, which translates to “Wildcat”, hence Wildcat Creek.

In 1846, the name was changed to Howard County, in honor of Gen. Tilghman Howard, U.S. Representative from Indiana, who died in 1844.

Places to See

• Kokomo Reservoir (Wildcat Creek Reservoir)
• Western Days Festival: First week of June, in Russiaville, Indiana
• Howard County 4-H Fair [1], in Greentown, Indiana

Localities

City

• Kokomo

Towns

• Greentown
• Russiaville

Former census-designated place

• Indian Heights

Townships

• Center
• Clay
• Ervin
• Harrison
• Honey Creek
• Howard
• Jackson
• Liberty
• Monroe
• Taylor
• Union

Other places

• Alto
• Cassville
• Center
• Hemlock
• New London
• Oakford
• Phlox
• West Middleton

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Kokomo have ranged from a low of 15 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 110 °F (43 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.29 inches (58 mm) in February to 4.37 inches (111 mm) in July.

Transportation

Airports

• Kokomo Municipal Airport

Highways

• US 31
• US 35
• SR 19
• SR 22
• SR 26
• SR 213
• SR 931

Bus services

• City-Line Trolley Serves the city of Kokomo. It is a fixed transportation route that is free to ride and has free wifi.
• Trailways A service running from Indianapolis through Kokomo, and then to South Bend.
• Greyhound Lines A nationwide service, the Kokomo stop is at the Marathon gas station on North Reed Road, and Gano Street.

Walking trails

• Walk Of Excellence – serves the city of Kokomo.
• Industrial Heritage Trail – serves the city of Kokomo.
• Nickel Plate Trail – ends in northern Howard County in unincorporated community, Cassville. Connects directly to Industrial Heritage Trail in Kokomo.
• Cloverleaf Trail - Serves the West side to downtown of the city of Kokomo.
• Comet Trail – serves the town of Greentown, and is exactly one mile in length.
• Historic Downtown Trail – serves the city of Greentown, marked with information about Greentown's history.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 82,752 people, 34,301 households, and 22,604 families residing in the county. The population density was 282.4 inhabitants per square mile (109.0/km²). There were 38,679 housing units at an average density of 132.0 per square mile (51.0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.6% white, 6.9% black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.8% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 22.4% were German, 15.3% were American, 10.8% were English, and 10.2% were Irish.

Of the 34,301 households, 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.1% were non-families, and 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 40.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $55,479. Males had a median income of $50,838 versus $33,196 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,759. About 13.1% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.9% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Colleges and universities

• Indiana University Kokomo (IUK)
• Indiana Wesleyan University – Kokomo Campus
• Ivy Tech Community College
• Purdue College of Technology

Public school districts

• Kokomo-Center Township Consolidated School Corporation (K–12, Kokomo, Indiana) Kokomo High School (NCC)
• Eastern Howard School Corporation (K–12, Greentown, Indiana) (MIC)
• Northwestern School Corporation (K–12) (MIC)
• Taylor Community School Corporation (K–12, Indian Heights, Indiana) (MIC)
• Western School Corporation (K–12, Russiaville, Indiana) (MIC)

Private schools

• Redeemer Lutheran School (K–8)
• Sts. Joan of Arc and St. Patrick Catholic School (K–8)
• Temple Christian School (K–12)
• Victory Christian Academy (K–12)
• Acacia Academy (K–8)

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Howard (Indiana) para niños