The Indiana State Legislature passed an omnibus county bill[5] on February 7, 1835, that authorized the creation of thirteen counties[6] 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.[7] Its highest point (1025'/312 meters ASL) is a hill NE of Dewart Lake.[8] The Tippecanoe River flows westward through the central part of the county, while the Eel River flows southwestward through the county's SE corner.[7]
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 554.39 square miles (1,435.9 km2), of which 531.38 square miles (1,376.3 km2) (or 95.85%) is land and 23.01 square miles (59.6 km2) (or 4.15%) is water.[9]
In recent years, average temperatures in Warsaw have ranged from a low of 15 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 82 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in July 1976. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.45 inches (37 mm) in February to 4.51 inches (115 mm) in June.[10]
Community
Southern Kosciusko County is dotted with small lakes like Beaver Dam Lake (foreground) near Silver Lake.
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.[11][12]
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.[11][12]
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.[12]
Robert M. Conley, President - Southern District Commissioner
Bradford Jackson - Northern District Commissioner
Tony Ciriello, Certified Death Investigator, Coroner
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.
United States presidential election results for Kosciusko County, Indiana[15]
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 77,358 people, 29,197 households, and 20,740 families in the county.[23] The population density was 145.6 inhabitants per square mile (56.2/km2). There were 37,038 housing units at an average density of 69.7 per square mile (26.9/km2).[9] 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.[23] In terms of ancestry, 33.5% were German, 11.5% were Irish, 10.8% were English, and 8.2% were American.[24]
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.[23]
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.[25]
Notable residents
Ambrose Bierce, Civil War veteran, author, newspaper columnist
^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.
