Elkhart County, Indiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Elkhart County, Indiana | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Indiana |
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 Indiana's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1830 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Goshen |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
468 sq mi (1,212 km²) 464 sq mi (1,202 km²) 4 sq mi (10 km²), 0.86% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
182,791 394/sq mi (152/km²) |
| Website: www.elkhartcountyindiana.com | |
Elkhart County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 182,791. The county seat is Goshen.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 468 square miles (1,212 km²), of which 464 square miles (1,201 km²) is land and 4 square miles (10 km²) (0.86%) is water.
Elkhart County is located in the Northern Indiana region known as Michiana, 150 miles north/northeast of Indianapolis, 100 miles east of Chicago and 50 miles northwest of Fort Wayne.
[edit] History
Elkhart County was formed on April 1, 1830 with the original county seat being in Dunlap. After some reorganizing of the county borders, the seat was moved to Goshen near the center of the county.[1]
There are many stories for the origin of this name. One is that there was an island in the St. Joseph River that was shaped like the heart of an elk, so that the French named the place "heart of the stag", which became "elkhart" in English.
Another story says the County was named for the Elkhart tribe, however, no reference to such a tribe can be found.
Another story, and the most likely origin of the name, is that the County was named for Shawnee Chief Elkhart. In 1801, a Shawnee Chief Elkhart attacked the Potawatomi, driving them out of nearby St. Joseph County, Michigan. In the process, the Potawatomi took his daughter, Princess Mishawaka. The neighboring tribes eventually united against Chief Elkhart and sent him back to the Wabash Valley to the south.[2]
[edit] Demographics
| Elkhart County Population by year |
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2000 182,791 |
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As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 182,791 people, 66,154 households, and 47,630 families residing in the county. The population density was 394 people per square mile (152/km²). There were 69,791 housing units at an average density of 150 per square mile (58/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.40% White, 5.23% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.36% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races. 8.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 27.9% were of German, 14.7% American, 6.3% English and 6.2% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 66,154 households out of which 36.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the county the population was spread out with 28.90% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 20.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,478, and the median income for a family was $50,438. Males had a median income of $35,907 versus $24,051 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,250. About 5.80% of families and 7.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.20% of those under age 18 and 6.50% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Political Boundaries
[edit] Cities and towns
[edit] Townships
- Baugo
- Benton
- Cleveland
- Clinton
- Concord
- Elkhart
- Harrison
- Jackson
- Jefferson
- Locke
- Middlebury
- Olive
- Osolo
- Union
- Washington
- York
[edit] Adjacent counties
- St. Joseph County, Michigan (northeast)
- Lagrange County (east)
- Noble County (southeast)
- Kosciusko County (south)
- Marshall County (southwest)
- St. Joseph County (west)
- Cass County, Michigan (northwest)
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Roads
The Indiana Toll Road (Interstates 80/90) runs through the northern fringes of the county. Ellkhart has two interchanges (exits 92 & 96) while Bristol and Middlebury have one apiece (exits 101 and 107 respectively.) US Highway 20 skirts the southern edges of Elkhart as the St. Joseph Valley Parkway until that highway ends at County Road 17. CR 17 continues as part of the "Michiana Parkway"/M-217 connecting the Elkhart East interchange on the Toll Road with US 12 in Michigan. U.S. 20 continues eastward as a regular surface highway. U.S. Highways 6, 33, and 131 also run through the county along with Indiana State Highways 4, 13, 15, 19, 119, 120, and 219. U.S. 33 was once part of the original Lincoln Highway.
[edit] Other Forms
A bus system known as the Inter-Urban Trolley runs through Elkhart and Goshen with buses that look like trolley cars.
Elkhart and Goshen both have municipal airports and Amtrak makes four daily stops in Elkhart.
[edit] Education
The county has seven public school districts, three private schools, and one college. Other colleges have satilite campuses located in the city of Elkhart.
[edit] Public Schools
[edit] Baugo Community Schools
- Jimtown North Elementary
- Jimtown South Elementary
- Jimtown Intermediate School
- Jimtown Junior High School
- Jimtown High School
[edit] Concord Community Schools
- Concord East Side Elementary
- Concord Ox Bow Elementary
- Concord South Side Elementary
- Concord West Side Elementary
- Concord Junior High School
- Concord High School
[edit] Elkhart Community Schools
- Beardsley Elementary
- Bristol Elementary
- Cleveland Elementary
- Eastwood Elementary
- Hawthorne Elementary
- Mary Beck Elementary
- Mary Daly Elementary
- Mary Feeser Elementary
- Monger Elementary
- Osolo Elementary
- Pinewood Elementary
- Riverview Elementary
- Roosevelt Primary
- Woodland Elementary
- North Side Middle School
- Pierre Moran Middle School
- West Side Middle School
- Elkhart Central High School
- Elkhart Memorial High School
- Tipton Street Center [Alternative School]
- Elkhart Area Career Center
[edit] Fairfield Community Schools
- Benton Elementary
- Millersburg Elementary
- New Paris Elementary
- Fairfield Junior-Senior High School
[edit] Goshen Community Schools
- Chamberlain Elementary
- Chandler Elementary
- Model Elementary
- Parkside Elementary
- Prairie View Elementary
- Waterford Elementary
- West Goshen Elementary
- Goshen Middle School
- Goshen High School
[edit] Middlebury Community Schools
- Jefferson Elementary
- Middlebury Elementary
- Orchard View Elementary
- York Elementary
- Heritage Middle School
- Northridge High School
[edit] Wa-Nee Community Schools
- Nappanee Elementary
- Wakarusa Elementary
- Woodview Elementary
- NorthWood Middle School
- NorthWood High School
[edit] Private Schools
- Bethany Christian High School [Grades 6-12]
- Clinton Christian School [Grades K-12]
- Elkhart Christian Academy [Grades K-12]
[edit] Higher Education
Goshen College is a small Mennonite college of 1000 students located in Goshen.
Ivy Tech Community College is a statewide system of community colleges and has a campus in Elkhart.
Bethel College in Mishawaka has a small satellite campus in Elkhart.
Indiana University South Bend has an Elkhart Center located in the city's downtown area.
Indiana Tech also has a campus located in Elkhart.
[edit] Claims to Fame
Elkhart County is known as the RV capital of the world. A regional center of entrepreneurship and innovation, Elkhart County is rapidly becoming a technological center in a wide variety of industries which would include health & life sciences, information technology, logistics, and advanced manufacturing.[citation needed]
The area is also known for its large Amish population. For this reason, the county teams up with neighboring Lagrange County to promote tourism by referring to the area as Northern Indiana Amish Country.[4]
[edit] Infamy
On Palm Sunday, 1965, a flury of severe weather moved through the county. After 3 tornadoes (one was a twin tornado) 66 people had died in Elkhart County alone. 137 would die on this day statewide.[5]
The Indiana Toll Road in recent years has seen more than its share of deadly accidents within the Elkhart County lines.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Forstall, Richard L. (editor) (1996). Population of states and counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990 : from the twenty-one decennial censuses. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division. ISBN 0-934213-48-8.
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