Kosciusko County, Indiana

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Kosciusko County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. At the 2020 United States census, its population was 80,240.<ref name=new-census/> The county seat (and only incorporated city) is Warsaw.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county was organized in 1836. It was named after the Polish general Tadeusz Kościuszko who served in the American Revolutionary War and then returned to Poland.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The county seat is named after Warsaw, the capital of Poland.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

History

The Indiana State Legislature passed an omnibus county bill<ref>John W Tyndall & OE Lesh, Standard history of Adams and Wells Counties, Indiana. pp. 284-6 (accessed 9 August 2020)</ref> on February 7, 1835, that authorized the creation of thirteen counties<ref>The counties are Dekalb, Fulton, Jasper, Jay, Kosciusko, Marshall, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, Stark, Steuben, Wells, and Whitley. Newton County was merged with Jasper County in 1839, and was re-authorized as a separate county in 1859.</ref> in northeast Indiana, including Kosciusko. The county government was organized beginning in 1836. The county's boundary lines have remained unchanged since 1835.

Geographical features

Kosciusko County terrain consists of low rolling hills dotted with bodies of water and drainages, with all available area devoted to agriculture or urban development.<ref name=KCI>Kosciusko County IN (Google Maps, accessed 30 July 2020)</ref> Its highest point (1025'/312 meters ASL) is a hill NE of Dewart Lake.<ref>Kosciusko County High Point, Indiana (PeakBagger.com, accessed 30 July 2020)</ref> The Tippecanoe River flows westward through the central part of the county, while the Eel River flows southwestward through the county's SE corner.<ref name=KCI/>

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (or 95.85%) is land and Template:Convert (or 4.15%) is water.<ref name=DC/>

Banning Lake
Beaver Dam Lake
Big Barbee Lake
Big Chapman Lake
Carr Lake
Center Lake
Dewart Lake
Diamond Lake
Fish Lake
Goose Lake
Hoffman Lake
Hill Lake
Irish Lake
James Lake
Kuhn Lake
Lake Wawasee
Little Barbee Lake
Little Chapman Lake
Loon Lake
McClures Lake
Muskellunge Lake
Palestine Lake
Papakeechie Lake
Pike Lake
Ridinger Lake
Rock Lake (part)
Sechrist Lake
Shoe Lake
Silver Lake
Stanton Lake
Syracuse Lake
Tippecanoe Lake
Waubee Lake
Winona Lake
Yellow Creek Lake<ref name=KCI/>

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Protected areas

Center Lake Wetland Conservation Area
Edmund and Virginia Ball Nature Preserve
Pisgah Marsh Nongame Area (part)<ref name=KCI/>

City and towns

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Unincorporated communities

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Townships

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Climate and weather

Template:Climate chart In recent years, average temperatures in Warsaw have ranged from a low of Template:Convert in January to a high of Template:Convert in July, although a record low of Template:Convert was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of Template:Convert was recorded in July 1976. Average monthly precipitation ranged from Template:Convert in February to Template:Convert in June.<ref name=WX/>

Demographics

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As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 77,358 people, 29,197 households, and 20,740 families in the county.<ref name=DP>Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 37,038 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name=DC>Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 93.3% white, 0.8% Asian, 0.7% black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.4% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.3% of the population.<ref name=DP/> In terms of ancestry, 33.5% were German, 11.5% were Irish, 10.8% were English, and 8.2% were American.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 29,197 households, 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.0% were non-families, and 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 37.7 years.<ref name=DP/>

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $56,305. Males had a median income of $44,358 versus $29,320 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,019. About 7.0% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Community

File:Kosciusko-county-lakes.jpg

Southern Kosciusko County is dotted with small lakes like Beaver Dam Lake (foreground) near Silver Lake.

Newspapers

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Radio Stations

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Government

Template:See also 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 legislative branch of the county government; controls spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives, elected to four-year terms from county districts, are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council 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.<ref name=inc3623>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=inc2102>Template:Cite web</ref>

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county; commissioners are elected countywide to staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners execute the acts legislated by the council, collect revenue, and manage the county government.<ref name=inc3623/><ref name=inc2102/>

Court: The county maintains a small claims court that handles civil cases. The county also maintains a Circuit and Superior Court. The judge on each court is elected to a term of six years and must be a member of the Indiana bar.

County Officials: The county has other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. The officials are elected countywide to four-year terms. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.<ref name=inc2102/>

Kosciusko County is part of Indiana's 2nd and 3rd congressional districts. It is also part of Indiana Senate districts 9, 13, 17 and 18<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Indiana House of Representatives districts 18, 22 and 23.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Elected officials:

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Jim Smith - Sheriff
Daniel Hampton - Prosecutor
Susan Engelberth - Assessor
Michelle Puckett - Auditor
Ann Torpy - Clerk
Joetta Mitchell - County Recorder
Sue Ann Mitchell - Treasurer
Cary P. Groninger - Middle District Commissioner
Robert M. Conley, President - Southern District Commissioner
Bradford Jackson - Northern District Commissioner
Tony Ciriello, Certified Death Investigator, Coroner

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Kosciusko County is a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. Woodrow Wilson in 1912 and Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 are the only two Democratic Party candidates to win the county from 1888 to the present day. Roosevelt is the only Democrat since 1888 to win the county with a majority. The county is very Republican even by the standards of traditionally Republican Indiana. For example, Roosevelt actually lost the county by eight percentage points in 1936 even as he went on to carry 46 states. Further underlining the county's Republican bent, it rejected Lyndon Johnson in 1964 even in the midst of Johnson's 44-state national landslide. Johnson is the last Democrat to manage even 40 percent of the county's vote.