Elkhart County, Indiana


Elkhart County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana., the county's population was 207,047. The county seat is Goshen. Elkhart County is part of the Elkhart-Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend-Elkhart-Mishawaka Combined Statistical Area. It is also considered part of the broader region of Northern Indiana known as Michiana, and is east of South Bend, Indiana, east of Chicago, Illinois, and north of Indianapolis, Indiana. The area is referred to by locals as the recreation vehicle capital of the world and is known for its sizable Amish and Old Order Mennonite population.

History

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the area now within Elkhart County boundaries was mainly inhabited by the Potawatomi tribe. Pioneers began settling in the Elkhart Prairie in 1829 and in April 1830, Elkhart County was officially established with its original county seat in Dunlap. After reorganizing the county borders, the seat was moved to Goshen near the county's geographical center.
Elkhart County was founded by immigrants from New England. These were old-stock "Yankee" immigrants, descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the 1600s. The completion of the Erie Canal in 1821 sparked a surge in immigration from New England to northern Indiana, which had become a state five years earlier. The end of the Black Hawk War in 1832 increased the immigration surge of immigration, again coming from New England as a result of overpopulation combined with land shortages in that region. Some of these later settlers were from upstate New York, whose relatives had moved to that region from New England shortly after the American Revolutionary War. New Englanders and New England transplants from upstate New York were the vast majority of Elkhart County's inhabitants during the first several decades of its history. These settlers were primarily members of the Congregational Church though due to the Second Great Awakening many of them had converted to Methodism and some had become Baptists before moving west. The Congregational Church subsequently has gone through many divisions, and some factions, including those in Elkhart County, are now known as the Church of Christ and the United Church of Christ. As a result of this heritage, most of Elkhart County supported the abolitionist movement before the American Civil War. Elkhart County provided substantial recruits for the Union Army. During the end of the nineteenth century, Irish and German migrants came to Elkhart County, although most did not come directly from Europe, but had stopped in other areas in the Midwest, such as Ohio.

Name

The name Elkhart is a euphemization of "Elks-heart", which refers to the now extinct Eastern elk. The name has been attached to the Elkhart River and surrounding area since at least 1749, when it was recorded in French as Coeur de cerf as the name of a Miami village there. The place name in Miami-Illinois is mihšiiwiateehi. Later in the 18th century the area was inhabited by the Potawatomi; in the Potawatomi language, the place is likewise known as mzewəodeʔig, "at the elk heart". The name may reflect a prehistoric association of the Elkhart area with the Kaskaskia people, whom the Miami called "elk hearts".
Other explanations have been suggested. According to an account by two Miami leaders recorded in 1824, the name arose from two women fighting over an elk's heart that had been hung up to dry. Alternatively, some historians including Jacob Piatt Dunn have associated the name with the shape of an island in the Elkhart River that is stated to resemble an elk's heart. This theory has been carried on the city's website.
A popular but non-historical account claims that the county was named after a Shawnee Indian chief named "Elkhart", who was ostensibly a cousin of the famous Chief Tecumseh, and father of "princess Mishawaka". This story originated in Legends of Michigan and the Old North West, an 1875 collection of historical fiction by Michigan politician Flavius J. Littlejohn.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The county sits in mostly rural farmland with rolling hills in its northeast corner. Those hills were formed by glaciers and are part of the St. Lawrence Seaway Continental Divide.
The St. Joseph River, which flows from Michigan, across the Michigan border north of Bristol, is the main waterway in Elkhart County. The Elkhart River enters the county east of Millersburg and winds its way through Goshen and Dunlap to Island Park in Elkhart where it meets the St. Joseph. The Little Elkhart River flows into the county southeast of Middlebury and creates some scenic views in Bonneyville Mills County Park before emptying into the St. Joseph near Bristol. Numerous creeks wind their way through the countryside and several lakes, including Simonton Lake, dot the landscape.
Fifteen unincorporated communities also exist in the county. They are Benton, Bonneyville Mills, Dunlap, Foraker, Garden Village, Jimtown, Locke, Midway, New Paris, Nibbyville, Simonton Lake, Southwest, Vistula, and Waterford Mills.

Adjacent counties

Elkhart County is one of the few counties in the US to border two counties of the same name in different states.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

  • Dunlap
  • New Paris
  • Simonton Lake

    Other unincorporated communities

  • Benton
  • Bonneyville Mills
  • Foraker
  • Jimtown
  • Locke
  • New Paris
  • Southwest
  • Vistula
  • Waterford Mills

    Economy

Elkhart County is known as "The RV Capital of the World" because of its substantial recreational vehicle-based economy. Farming also plays a big role in the local economy. Tourism boosts the county's economy. Destinations such as Das Dutchman Essenhaus in Middlebury and Amish Acres in Nappanee along with annual events such as the Elkhart Jazz Festival, the Amish Acres Arts & Crafts Festival, and the Elkhart County 4-H Fair draw thousands of tourists annually. The Fair is the second largest county fair in the United States.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Goshen have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1984 and a record high of was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 207,047. The median age was 35.7 years. 27.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.2 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 73.2% White, 5.5% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 10.6% from some other race, and 8.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 19.1% of the population.
76.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 23.3% lived in rural areas.
There were 74,631 households in the county, of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.2% were married-couple households, 17.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 79,594 housing units, of which 6.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.2% were owner-occupied and 30.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.6%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 197,559 people, 70,244 households, and 50,542 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 77,767 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 82.9% white, 5.7% black or African American, 1.0% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 7.5% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 14.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.4% were German, 10.2% were Irish, 7.6% were English, and 7.6% were American.
Of the 70,244 households, 38.1% had children under 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.0% were non-families, and 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.76, and the average family size was 3.23. The median age was 34.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697, and the median income for a family was $53,742. Males had a median income of $41,891 versus $29,496 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,187. About 10.2% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.5% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Amish and Mennonite communities

In 2020, the Amish and Mennonite population was 11,006 or 5.3% of the total population.

Government

The county is led by a board of three elected commissioners that serve as the executive branch of county government. The board also serves as the legislative branch in that it is responsible for ordinances. The county council is made of seven elected members - one from each of the four council districts and three at large. The council is in charge of all monetary issues including appropriations and taxes. There are Township Assessors for Baugo, Cleveland, Concord, Elkhart, Middlebury, and Osolo townships and a County Assessor to handle the remaining townships.
Elkhart County is part of Indiana's 2nd congressional district; Indiana Senate districts 9, 11, and 12; and Indiana House of Representatives districts 21, 22, 48, 49, and 82.
Elkhart County has consistently been a Republican Party stronghold in presidential elections. It is very conservative for an urban county; the GOP has carried it all but three times since that party's first election in 1856. Franklin Roosevelt in 1932 and Lyndon Johnson in 1964 are the only Democrats to win it in the 20th century, both in national landslides that saw the Democrats win over 400 electoral votes. Obama's win in 2008 is the only occasion since 1968 that a Democrat has won 40 percent of the county's vote.