| Kokomo, IN | |||
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| Downtown Kokomo in 2008 | |||
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| Nickname(s): City of Firsts | |||
| Location of Kokomo in the state of Indiana | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Indiana | ||
| County | Howard | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Greg Goodnight (D) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 16.3 sq mi (42.1 km2) | ||
| • Land | 16.2 sq mi (42.0 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 811 ft (247 m) | ||
| Population (2010 Census) | |||
| • Total | 45,468 | ||
| • Density | 2,846.4/sq mi (1,099.0/km2) | ||
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP codes | 46901-46904 | ||
| Area code(s) | 765 | ||
| FIPS code | 18-40392[1] | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0437425[2] | ||
| Website | www.CityOfKokomo.org | ||
Kokomo ( /ˈkoʊkəmoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Indiana, United States,[3] Indiana's 13th largest city. It is the principal city of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Howard and Tipton counties.
Kokomo's population was 45,468 at the 2010 census.[4]
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Kokomo was named after a Miami Indian referred to as a chief, but later found to be local legend Ma-Ko-Ko-Mo, which is sometimes spelled as "Koh-Koh-Mah" or "Kokomoko". His name translates to Black Walnut. There was a trading post for commerce between Native Americans and European-Americans here in the early 19th century.[5] David Foster founded the first trading post in Howard County. In 1844, Foster donated 40 acres (160,000 m2) of his land to create a county seat in Kokomo, which was a log courthouse, for use in the community. It was incorporated as a city in 1865.[6]
Kokomo is officially known as the "City of Firsts"[7] for, among other achievements, being a pioneer of United States automobile manufacturing, with Elwood Haynes test-driving his early internal combustion engine auto there on July 4, 1894. Haynes and his associates built a number of other autos over the next few years; the Haynes-Apperson Automobile Company for mass-production of commercial autos was established in Kokomo in 1898.[8] Haynes went on to invent Stainless Steel flatware in 1912 to give his wife tarnish-free dinnerware.[9] In 1938, the Delco Radio Division of General Motors (now Delphi) developed the first push button car radio.[10]
On October 6, 1886, natural gas was discovered in Kokomo, leading to a "boom" in business. This discovery was directly responsible for Elwood Haynes' move to Kokomo, as he was a superintendent with a gas company with interests in Kokomo and Howard County. The Diamond Plate Glass Company began in Kokomo in 1887, lured by the cheap and plentiful natural gas. This company later became part of Pittsburgh Plate Glass, or PPG.[6] The Kokomo Opalescent Glass Works started making stained glass in Kokomo in 1888 and has been in continuous operation ever since.
On July 4, 1923, Kokomo achieved national notoriety when it hosted the largest Ku Klux Klan gathering in history. An estimated 200,000 Klan members and supporters gathered in Malfalfa Park for a mighty Konklave and the elevation of D. C. Stephenson to Grand Dragon of the Indiana Klan.[11][12] A huge flag was used that day to collect a reported $50,000 for construction of a local “Klan hospital” so that Klan members would not have to be treated at the only local hospital, which was Catholic.[13] At that time Indiana was a Klan stronghold, and as much as 50 percent of white males in parts of Indiana were Klan members.[14] Both men’s and women’s Klans held weekly rallies and initiations in Malfalfa Park, and Kokomo’s Klanswomen held meetings at the armory, the local headquarters of the Women of the Ku Klux Klan, and churches. A speech at a Baptist church was attended by 1000 Klanswomen.[15]
Kokomo serves as the "City of Firsts" in the food industry as well. In 1928 Walter Kemp, Kemp Brothers Canning Co. developed the first canned tomato juice because of a request by a physician in search for baby food for his clinic.[16] Kokomo is also home to the first mechanical corn picker which was developed by a man named John Powell in the early 1920s.[17] In modern times, Kokomo was home to the first Ponderosa Steakhouse[18] Kokomo opened the first McDonald's with a diner inside, locally called "McDiner."[19] This McDonald's theme failed nationally. Eventually, the "McDiner" closed and was converted back to a regular McDonald's restaurant.
Much of the town was damaged or destroyed on April 11, 1965, by an F4 tornado that was part of the Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak.[20]
Kokomo served to symbolize the nation's early misunderstanding and ignorance of AIDS in the mid-to-late 1980s when Ryan White (1971–1990) was expelled from school due to his illness. White was a teenage hemophiliac who had been mistakenly infected with HIV during a medical procedure. The teen had been attending Western Middle School but was ostracized by his classmates, and forced to eat lunch by himself and use a separate restroom. Many parents and teachers in Kokomo rallied in support of banning White from attending the school. A lengthy legal battle with the school system ensued, followed by death threats and violence against White and his family, including a bullet being fired through the window their Kokomo home. Media coverage of the case made White into a national celebrity and spokesman for AIDS research and public education.[21] In 1987, the White family left Kokomo for Cicero, Indiana, where Ryan attended Hamilton Heights High School, and was welcomed by faculty and students who had been educated about the disease.
The Kokomo Gas Tower had been a symbol of Kokomo since it was constructed in 1954. The tower was 378 ft (115 m) tall and had a capacity of 12 million cubic feet (340,000 m³). Due to high maintenance costs of $75,000 a year to maintain and up to $1,000,000 to paint, the gas company decided to demolish it in 2003. Other ideas were reviewed before settling on this decision, including a plan to turn the tower into a giant Coca-Cola advertisement. On September 7, 2003, at approximately 7:30 a.m., the Gas Tower was demolished by Controlled Demolition, Inc. (CDI). Pieces of the tower were sold to the public for $20–30, and proceeds went to a planned Kokomo technology incubation center and Bona Vista.[22]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 1,040 |
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| 1870 | 2,177 | 109.3% | |
| 1880 | 4,042 | 85.7% | |
| 1890 | 8,261 | 104.4% | |
| 1900 | 10,609 | 28.4% | |
| 1910 | 17,010 | 60.3% | |
| 1920 | 30,067 | 76.8% | |
| 1930 | 32,843 | 9.2% | |
| 1940 | 33,795 | 2.9% | |
| 1950 | 38,672 | 14.4% | |
| 1960 | 47,197 | 22.0% | |
| 1970 | 44,042 | −6.7% | |
| 1980 | 47,808 | 8.6% | |
| 1990 | 44,962 | −6.0% | |
| 2000 | 46,113 | 2.6% | |
| 2010 | 45,468 | −1.4% | |
| Source: US Census Bureau | |||
Kokomo is the larger principal city of the Kokomo-Peru CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Kokomo metropolitan area (Howard and Tipton counties) and the Peru micropolitan area (Miami County),[23][24][25] which had a combined population of 137,623 at the 2000 census.[1]
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 46,113 people, 20,273 households, and 12,204 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,847.2 people per square mile (1,099.0/km²). There were 22,292 housing units at an average density of 1,376.4 per square mile (531.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.10% White, 10.34% African American, 0.38% Native American, 1.14% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.17% from other races, and 1.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.61% of the population.
There were 20,273 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.
The median income for a households in the city was $36,258, and the median income for a family was $45,353. Males had a median income of $38,420 versus $24,868 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,083. About 9.6% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.5% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
In Dec. 2008 Kokomo was listed third by Forbes in a list of America's fastest dying towns. This is attributed to the financial problems of the automotive industry.[26] However, in May 2011 Forbes listed Kokomo as one of the "Best Cities for Jobs" after the city ascended 177 places in their rankings. The same article in Forbes described Kokomo's success in the past few years as "inspirational.".[27] Forbes was not alone in documenting Kokomo's economic renaissance, in June 2011 Conexus released a report touting Kokomo's "rapid bounce" after the recession.[28]
Kokomo's current mayor is (Democrat) Greg Goodnight (2008–present).[30] The two previous mayors have been (Republican) Matt McKillip (2004–2008)[31] and (Republican) Jim Trobaugh. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote.
The city council is known as the Common Council. It consists of nine members. Six members are elected from individual districts. The other three are elected at-large.
A major roadway traversing through Kokomo, U.S. Route 31 has become one of the state's most congested roadways. In Howard County, there are currently 15 traffic signals on US 31. US 31 connects Indianapolis, Kokomo, and South Bend. In the next decade, Kokomo will see a new interstate-style roadway on the east side of city limits. It will have interchanges at SR 26, Boulevard, Markland Avenue, Touby Pike, as well as where the current US 31 meets the new US 31. There will be similar changes to areas near South Bend and Indianapolis. The construction in Howard County will cost roughly $340 million. Construction started on the County Road 200 South bridge on November 1, 2008 [32] and construction will continue for the next 6 years.
The Howard County Historical Society is a major attraction in the city of Kokomo. It occupies the Seiberling Mansion, the Elliot House, and their carriage houses. The Seiberling Mansion was originally the residence of one of Kokomo's richest citizens, Monroe Seiberling. The Seiberling Mansion has been on the National Registor of Historic Places since 1972. The Elliot House also began as a residence and was then converted into office space. The HCHS campus is a popular venue for weddings, weather permitting. During the winter the HCHS has 'Christmas at the Seiberling' an event which has activities for all ages, Including Santa Claus for children as well as tours of buildings, the lighting of the building and carriage rides through the Old Silk Stocking Neighborhood. The HCHS resides in the Old Silk Stocking Neighborhood which is an attraction in itself. The neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the only neighborhood in Howard County on the register. Howard County Historical Society
Kokomo has a 12-screen movie theater, called AMC Showplace Kokomo 12, located on 1530 East Boulevard. In addition to AMC, Kokomo also has several forms of live entertainment, including choirs, a Park Band Association, and three live theatres. Live entertainment includes:
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