Huntington County is a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in the
U.S. state of
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
. According to the
2020 United States Census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...
, the population was 36,662.
The
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
(and only city) is
Huntington.
Huntington County comprises the Huntington, Indiana
micropolitan statistical area and is included in the
Fort Wayne–Huntington–Auburn Combined Statistical Area.
History
Huntington County was organized from the previously unorganized
Indiana Territory and lands gained by the
Adams New Purchase of 1818. The county's creation was authorized by an act of the
Indiana state legislature
The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate ...
dated 2 February 1832. Organization of the county's governing structure began on 5 May 1834. The first non–
Native American settlers in what has since become Huntington County were a group of 29 farm families from
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...
who arrived in the early 1830s. These were "Yankee" settlers, meaning they were descended from the English
Puritans
The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. ...
who settled
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
in the colonial era. These settlers were able to get to what has since become Huntington County due to the construction of the
Wabash and Erie Canal, which was a shipping canal that connected the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...
to the
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of ...
by way of a manmade waterway. When they arrived in what has since become Huntington County, the settlers from Connecticut found dense virgin forest and wild prairie. The original 29 "Yankee" families from Connecticut laid out roads; built a post office; established post routes; and built a town hall, a church, and a schoolhouse from the trees in the area that they cut down. The county was named for
Samuel Huntington, who signed the
Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. He was also
president of the Continental Congress under the
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...
.
Geography
The terrain of Huntington County consists of low rolling hills, completely devoted to agriculture or urban development. The
Wabash River
The Wabash River (French: Ouabache) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river that drains most of the state of Indiana in the United States. It flows from ...
flows to the west through the upper-central part of the county, while the
Salamonie River flows to the west through the lower part.
[''Huntington County IN'' (Google Maps, accessed 28 July 2020)]
/ref> Its highest point (about 925 feet (282 m) above sea level) is at the southwest corner.
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 98.69%) is land and (or 1.31%) is water.[
]
Adjacent counties
* Whitley County – north
* Allen County – northeast
* Wells County – east
* Grant County – south
* Wabash County – west
Highways
* Interstate 69
Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of 10 unconnected segments with an original continuous segment from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, ...
* U.S. Route 24
* U.S. Route 224
* State Road 3
* State Road 5
* State Road 9
* State Road 16
* State Road 105
* State Road 114
* State Road 116
* State Road 124
* State Road 218
City and towns
* Andrews Andrews may refer to:
Places Australia
*Andrews, Queensland
*Andrews, South Australia
United States
* Andrews, Florida (disambiguation), various places
*Andrews, Indiana
* Andrews, Nebraska
*Andrews, North Carolina
*Andrews, Oregon
*Andrews, Sout ...
* Banquo
Lord Banquo , the Thane of Lochaber, is a semi-historical character in William Shakespeare's 1606 play '' Macbeth''. In the play, he is at first an ally of Macbeth (both are generals in the King's army) and they meet the Three Witches tog ...
* Bippus
* Goblesville
* Huntington (city)
* Lancaster
* Majenica
* Markle (partial)
* Monument City
* Mount Etna
Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( it, Etna or ; scn, Muncibbeḍḍu or ; la, Aetna; grc, Αἴτνα and ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina ...
* Plum Tree
* Roanoke
* Warren
Townships
* Clear Creek
* Dallas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
* Huntington
* Jackson
* Jefferson
* Lancaster
* Polk
Polk may refer to:
People
* James K. Polk, 11th president of the United States
* Polk (name), other people with the name
Places
* Polk (CTA), a train station in Chicago, Illinois
* Polk, Illinois, an unincorporated community
* Polk, Missour ...
* Rock Creek
* Salamonie
* Union
* Warren
* Wayne
Unincorporated communities
* Banquo
Lord Banquo , the Thane of Lochaber, is a semi-historical character in William Shakespeare's 1606 play '' Macbeth''. In the play, he is at first an ally of Macbeth (both are generals in the King's army) and they meet the Three Witches tog ...
* Bippus
* Bowerstown
* Bracken
Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produ ...
* Buckeye
* Goblesville
* Harlansburg
* Lancaster
* Mahon
* Majenica
* Makin
* Mardenis
* Milo
* Pleasant Plain
* Plum Tree
* Roanoke Station
* Rock Creek Center
* Simpson
Protected areas
* JE Roush Fish and Wildlife Area[
* Lost Bridge State Recreation Area][
]
Notable people
Public servants
* Samuel E. Cook
Samuel Ellis Cook (September 30, 1860 – February 22, 1946) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served one term as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1923 to 1925.
Biography
Born on ...
(1860–1946), U.S. congressman
* J. Danforth Quayle, U.S. representative, senator, vice-president
* J. Edward Roush (1920–2004), U.S. representative, father of "911"
* John R. Kissinger (1877–1946), early malaria test subject
* Elizebeth (Smith) Friedman (1892–1980), author and pioneer in cryptology during WWI to WWII era, called "America's first female cryptanalyst"
Celebrities
* Chris Schenkel
Christopher Eugene Schenkel (August 21, 1923 – September 11, 2005) was an American sportscaster. Over the course of five decades he called play-by-play for numerous sports on television and radio, becoming known for his smooth delivery and ...
(1923–2005), sportscaster
* Archbishop John F. Noll
John Francis Noll (January 25, 1875 – July 31, 1956) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Fort Wayne from 1925 until his death in 1956.
Noll was active in national church organizations. In 1912, he foun ...
(1875–1956), founded Catholic newspaper ''Our Sunday Visitor'', founded Victory Noll and St. Felix Monastery.
* Sandy Thomson, chief weather specialist, WANE-TV Fort Wayne
Artists
* Mick Mars
Robert Alan Deal (born May 4, 1951), known professionally as Mick Mars, is an American musician and the retired lead guitarist and co-founder of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. He is known for his aggressive, melodic solos and bluesy riffs ...
, guitarist for Mötley Crüe.
* Eiffel G. Plasterer (fl. 1950s), pioneer in soap bubble art
Athletes
* Gary Dilley, Tokyo Olympics swimmer
* George Haines
George Frederick Haines (March 9, 1924 – May 1, 2006) was a swimmer and swimming coach who coached at the Santa Clara Swim Club, Stanford University and UCLA. He also coached for seven U.S. Olympic swim teams. He was inducted into the Int ...
, Olympic Women's Swim coach
* Glen S. Hummer, Tokyo Olympics Men's Swim coach
* W.L. Seibold, national horseshoe champion
* Mark Seibold, World horseshoe champion (1966, 1969, 1979, 1986)
* Ned Steele, 1938 national Ping Pong champion.
* Steve Platt, basketball player and former coach at Huntington University. Indiana's all-time collegiate scoring leader (3,700 points), placing him seventh on the list of all-time collegiate scorers at any level. Led the nation in scoring (1973, 1974).
* Lisa Winter, basketball player at Ball State University
Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis.
On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...
and Valparaiso University. Indiana's Miss Basketball 1996.
* Matt Pike, football player at Purdue University
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and ...
and in the Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
, 1999–Present. Won AF2 Title with Peoria in 2002.
* Chris Kramer
Christopher Scott Kramer (כריס קרמר; born April 4, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball with the Purdue University Boilermakers. Kramer participated with the 2010 Milwaukee Bucks train ...
, professional basketball player. Kramer played college basketball at Purdue University
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and ...
where he was two-time Big Ten
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
Defensive Player of the Year.
Points of interest
Huntington County Historical Museum
* Huntington University Arboretum and Botanical Garden
* Huntington University
J. Edward Roush Lake
* Joseph Decuis Restaurant
* Merillat Centre for the Arts Merillat may refer to:
* Merillat Airport, Tecumseh, Lenawee County, Michigan, U.S.
*Merillat Industries Merillat Industries was founded in Adrian, Michigan as an American manufacturer of kitchen cabinets in 1946 by Orville D. Merillat. Now retir ...
* Our Sunday Visitor
Our Sunday Visitor (OSV) is a Catholic publishing company in Huntington, Indiana, which prints the American national weekly newspaper of that name, as well as numerous Catholic periodicals, religious books, pamphlets, catechetical materials, i ...
Corporate Headquarters
* Sheets Wildlife Museum and Learning Center
* Sunken Gardens
* The Forks Of The Wabash
* The Indiana Room Genealogy Center
* Tel-Hy Nature Preserve
* Two-EE's Winery
* United States Vice Presidential Museum
* Victory Noll Center
Education
School district
* Huntington County Community School Corporation
Private schools
Huntington Area Home Educators
Huntington Catholic School
Higher education
* Huntington University
News and media
Newspapers
''The Herald-Press'' daily newspaper
''The Huntington County TAB''
''HuntingtonFreePress''
''Huntingtonian''
Radio
WBZQ 1300 AM
* WQHU-LP Huntington University Radio WQHU 105.5-FM Forester Radio]
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in Huntington have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1982 and a record high of was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June.[
]
Government
The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana
The Constitution of Indiana is the highest body of state law in the U.S. state of Indiana. It establishes the structure and function of the state and is based on the principles of federalism and Jacksonian democracy. Indiana's constitution is su ...
, and by the Indiana Code.
County Council: The fiscal 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.
Board of Commissioners: The executive and legislative body of the county. The commissioners are elected county-wide to staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners are charged with collecting revenue and managing the county government.[
Court: The county maintains a small claims court that handles civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.][
County Officials: The county has other elected offices, including ]sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
, coroner
A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within the coroner's jur ...
, auditor, treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance.
Government
The treasury ...
, recorder
Recorder or The Recorder may refer to:
Newspapers
* ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper
* ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US
* ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...
, surveyor, and circuit court clerk
A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court, administer oaths to witn ...
. These officers are elected to four-year terms. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featu ...
affiliations and to be residents of the county.[
Huntington County is part of ]Indiana's 3rd congressional district
Indiana's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana. Based in Fort Wayne, the district takes in the northeastern part of the state. In 2023, this district will include all of Adams, Allen, Blackford ...
; Indiana Senate districts 17 and 19; and Indiana House of Representatives
The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House me ...
district 50.
Presidential Election Analysis: Huntington County has been strongly Republican; Lyndon B. Johnson was the last Democratic Party candidate to carry the county (1964).
Demographics
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...
, there were 37,124 people, 14,218 households, and 10,074 families in the county. The population density was . There were 15,805 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.1% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.5% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.7% of the population.[ In terms of ancestry, 37.9% were ]German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, 14.9% were Irish, 12.9% were American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
, and 12.1% were English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
.
Of the 14,218 households, 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.1% were non-families, and 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age was 39.0 years.[
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $55,630. Males had a median income of $41,648 versus $30,218 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,575. About 7.7% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the ]poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Huntington County, Indiana
Further reading
*
History of Huntington County, Indiana
'. Walsworth Publishing Co. (1887).
References
External links
Huntington County Chamber of Commerce
Official Web site of Huntington, Indiana
Huntington County Community Network
Huntington Herald Press daily newspaper
Huntington County United Economic Development
{{Authority control
Indiana counties
1832 establishments in Indiana
Populated places established in 1832
Fort Wayne, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area
Sundown towns in Indiana