Howard County, Indiana

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 1846 to commemorate General Tilghman Ashurst Howard.

Howard County comprises the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 293.92 sqmi, of which 293.06 sqmi (or 99.71%) is land and 0.86 sqmi (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.

Notable locations

 * Kokomo Reservoir (Wildcat Creek Reservoir)
 * Western Days Festival: First week of June, in Russiaville, Indiana
 * Howard County 4-H Fair, in Greentown, Indiana
 * Koh-Koh-Mah & Foster Living History Encampment, mid-September
 * Kokomo-Howard County Public Library

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
 * Darrough Chapel
 * 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 in January to a high of 84 °F in July, although a record low of -26 °F was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 110 °F was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.29 in in February to 4.37 in in July.

Airports

 * Kokomo Municipal Airport

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.

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)

Government
The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code.

County Council: The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four-year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes.

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.

Court: The county maintains five courts. Circuit Court, Superior Court I, Superior Court II Superior Court III and Superior Court IV. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be admitted to practice law in the State of Indiana. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the Indiana Court of Appeals.

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.

Howard County is part of Indiana's 2nd congressional district and Indiana's 5th congressional district; Indiana Senate districts 7 and 21; and Indiana House of Representatives districts 30, 32 and 38.

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 PD/sqmi. There were 38,679 housing units at an average density of 132.0 /sqmi. 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.