Howard County, Indiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Howard County, Indiana | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of Indiana |
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 Indiana's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1844 |
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| Seat | Kokomo |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
294 sq mi (761 km²) 293 sq mi (759 km²) 1 sq mi (3 km²), 0.29% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
84,964 290/sq mi (112/km²) |
| Website: www.co.howard.in.us | |
Howard County is one of 92 counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is part of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Howard and Tipton counties. Originally named Richardville County, it was rechristened in 1844 to commemorate General Tilghman Ashurst Howard. As of 2000, the population was 84,964. The county seat is Kokomo.[1]. The license plate number for Howard County is 34.
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 294 square miles (761 km²), of which 293 square miles (759 km²) is land and 1 square mile (2 km²) (0.29%) is water.
[edit] Highways
US-31 to South Bend (North) and Indianapolis (South)
US-35 to Logansport (North) and Muncie (South)
IN-19 to Kokomo Reservoir (North) and Tipton (South)
IN-22 to Burlington (West) and Hartford City (East)
IN-26 to Lafayette (West) and Hartford City (East)
IN-213 to Greentown (North) and near Noblesville (South)
[edit] 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)
[edit] 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.
In June 1985 a school in the county known as Western School Corporation became famous for refusing to allow Ryan White (December 6, 1971 - April 8, 1990) to attend classes. White was a severe hemophiliac, becoming infected with HIV when receiving a tainted batch of blood products as part of his hemophilia treatment. At the time state law required sufferers of communicable diseases to seek a health certificate from the country health commission in order to attend school, and AIDS was considered a communicable disease covered by this law. Unsubstantiated rumors spread of antagonistic and unhealthful actions Ryan White may have taken, raising concerns about possible transmission of AIDS. This was before it was understood how difficult HIV transmission is through casual contact, only that infection was a virtual death sentence. Western School Corporation board members had taken an oath of office requiring them to uphold all state laws, so they banned White from school. State health officials visited the school and agreed that state law required this decision, although state health commissioner Woodrow Myers called for the school to allow White to attend anyway. Lengthy legal and publicity campaigns followed. Many news stories portraying the school as closed minded, backward, bigoted, etc. were published, including reports of school board proceedings that were published before the meetings even took place, naturally totally erroneous in their details. Eventually court rulings set aside state law preventing AIDS sufferers from receiving county health certificates. This satisfied the school board's objections, however over 117 parents and 50 teachers signed a petition encouraging school leaders to ban White from the school, and private legal proceedings ensued, which failed, and White finally began to attend school. Ultimately there was a movie produced. Some protestors persisted in demonstrations, but Ryan White's time as a student at Western proved uneventful.
[edit] Demographics
| Howard County Population by year |
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2000 84,964 |
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As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 84,964 people, 34,800 households, and 23,559 families residing in the county. The population density was 290 people per square mile (112/km²). There were 37,604 housing units at an average density of 128 per square mile (50/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.73% White, 6.55% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 1.01% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.85% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. 2.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.6% were of American, 20.9% German, 9.7% English and 8.0% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 34,800 households out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.60% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,487, and the median income for a family was $53,051. Males had a median income of $43,767 versus $26,566 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,049. About 6.60% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.20% of those under age 18 and 6.50% of those age 65 or over.
Howard County is Indiana's second most wealthy county, only Hamilton County is wealthier.
[edit] 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
- Koh-Koh-Mah & Foster Living History Encampment, mid-September
[edit] Localities
[edit] City
[edit] Towns
[edit] Census-designated place
[edit] Townships
[edit] Other places
[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.
[edit] External links
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