Starke County, Indiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Starke County
U.S. county
Starke County courthouse in Knox
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	February 7, 1835 (authorized) 1850 (organized)
Named for	General John Stark
Seat	Knox
Largest city	Knox
Area
• Total	312.21 sq mi (808.6 km2)
• Land	309.13 sq mi (800.6 km2)
• Water	3.07 sq mi (8.0 km2)  0.98%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	23,371
• Estimate  (2023)	23,206
• Density	74.8567/sq mi (28.9023/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Indiana county number 75

Starke County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 23,371. The county seat is Knox.

History

The Indiana State Legislature passed an omnibus county bill on February 7, 1835, that authorized the creation of 13 counties in northeast Indiana, including Starke. The county government organization commenced in 1850. It was named for Gen. John Stark, who commanded New Hampshire troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775 in the American Revolutionary War, and who defeated the British at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.

Before white settlement, all of the land that forms modern-day Starke County and adjacent LaPorte County to the north was inhabited by the Potawatami Indian nation. These groups were forcibly removed to Kansas by the United States government in 1838, and many died on what has been called the Potawatomi Trail of Death.

When Starke County was created, it included the present LaPorte County townships of Cass, Dewey, Hanna, and Prairie. Residents in this area had to travel some distance east to Lemon's Bridge to cross the Kankakee River to travel south to the center of the county, the future site of the county seat at Knox. Therefore, because they were effectively isolated from the rest of Starke County, residents north of the river petitioned to be annexed to LaPorte county and this was done on January 28, 1842.

Name

Despite being named for General John Stark and originally being known and appearing on maps as Stark County when initially created and organized, an e was added to the county's name fairly early in its history. No solid evidence has been found to clearly explain this alteration. Three possible explanations have been advanced - an early scribe had "fancy lettering", including a k with a long tail or flourish that appeared to others as ke, with the new spelling sticking; General Stark himself may have used a similar flourish at the end of his signature; which became a point of confusion to Indiana officials (unlikely, since Stark County, Ohio (1808) and Illinois (1839) both preceded Starke County, Indiana, not to mention numerous other smaller midwestern toponyms spelled "Stark"); or an Indianapolis official's clerical error around 1860.

Geography

Starke County consists of low, rolling hills covered with vegetation or brush. Its boundaries include three prominences that rise to 780 ft (240 m) above sea level - two adjacent swells 0.6 miles (0.97 km) northeast of Bass Lake, and a small ridge 3.0 miles (4.8 km) east-southeast of Bass Lake.

According to the 2010 census, Starke County has a total area of 312.21 square miles (808.6 km²), of which 3.07 square miles (8.0 km²) (or 0.98%) are covered by water. The northwestern boundary of Starke County is defined by the Kankakee River; the Yellow River, a tributary of the Kankakee, flows through the central part of the county, past Knox.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Municipalities

The municipalities in Starke County, and their populations as of the 2010 Census, are:

Cities and towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Townships

The nine townships of Starke County, with their populations as of the 2010 Census, are:

Education

Public schools in Starke County are administered by four different districts:

• Culver Community Schools
• Knox Community School Corporation
• North Judson-San Pierre Schools
• Oregon-Davis School Corporation

Hospitals

• Northwest Health Starke

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Knox have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −29 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 102 °F (39 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.68 inches (43 mm) in February to 4.09 inches (104 mm) in June.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, 23,363 people, 9,038 households, and 6,484 families lived in the county. The population density was 75.6 inhabitants per square mile (29.2/km²). The 10,962 housing units had an average density of 35.5 per square mile (13.7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.1% White, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.2% were German, 16.3% were Irish, 8.9% were English, 8.7% were American, and 6.9% were Polish.

Of the 9,038 households, 32.7% had children under 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.3% were not families, and 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.58, and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 40.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and for a family was $44,044. Males had a median income of $37,507 versus $28,628 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,991. About 12.9% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under 18 and 7.0% of those 65 or over.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Starke para niños