LaOtto (sometimes also spelled as Laotto) is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in Swan Township,

Noble County, Indiana Noble County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 47,457. The county seat is Albion. The county is divided into 13 townships which provide local services. Noble County comprises th ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. Located west of the current intersection of

Indiana State Road 3 State Road 3 (SR 3) in the U.S. state of Indiana is a discontinuous state highway running through eastern Indiana from near the Ohio River to near the Michigan state line. The southernmost terminus is at SR 62 in Charlestown, and the ...

and Indiana State Road 205, it is 16 miles north of

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 United S ...

and is also in proximity to Kendallville and Auburn. It is therefore considered a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

to these cities.

History

LaOtto was established in the 1830s as settlers headed north out of

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

, along the Mongoquinong Trail, which would later become Lima Plank Road. From 1856 to 1861, LaOtto was called Simon's Corners, a name taken from the local U.S. Post Office (and so named by cabinet maker and first Postmaster John Miller). Simon's Corners became Simonsville. From 1872 to 1875 it was called Grand Rapids Crossing, because it was the intersection of the north-south Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad and the east-west Eel River Railroad lines and the railroad did not like the name Simonsville. In 1875, the name LaOtto was proposed and petitioned by Lutheran minister Rev. B.F. Shultz and approved by the Noble County commissioners. Though LaOtto is a small

, it played a role in the fight against slavery. LaOtto Wesleyan Church was a stopping point for slaves on the underground railroad during the 1850s and 1860s. Pastor Aaron Worth was a "conductor" on the underground railroad. Originally having State Road 3 go through its town's limits, in 1990 a bypass and upgrade of State Road 3 was complete, and it now has a path just east of the town's limits.

Schools

LaOtto's children attend schools in the East Noble School Corporation. Elementary (Kindergarten-5th grade) students now attend Avilla Elementary School, in

Avilla, Indiana Avilla is a town in Allen Township, Noble County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,401 at the 2010 census. History A post office has been in operation at Avilla since 1846. According to Ronald L. Baker, the town may be name ...

, after LaOtto Elementary School closed in 2008. Middle school (6th-8th grade) students attend East Noble Middle School, in

Kendallville, Indiana Kendallville is a city in Wayne Township, Noble County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 10,222 as of the 2022 census. History Kendallville was founded in 1849, and the post office had already been in operation in the area sin ...

. High school (9th-12th grade) students attend East Noble High School, also in

Demographics

The

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

delineated LaOtto as a

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in the 2022

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

References

Noble County MapHistory of LaOtto, Noble County Answer Book, Kendallville Publishing Company
''Note: This is a .pdf document, and is on pages 13 & 14 in the 2007 edition.'' {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Noble County, Indiana Unincorporated communities in Indiana