Starke County, Indiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Starke County, Indiana
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Starke County Courthouse in Knox
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Location in the state of Indiana
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Indiana's location in the U.S.
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Country | United States |
State | Indiana |
Region | Michiana |
Established | February 7, 1835 |
Named for | General John Stark |
County seat | Knox |
Largest city | Knox (population and total area) |
Incorporated Municipalities |
Three cities and towns
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Government | |
• Type | County |
• Body | Board of Commissioners |
Area | |
• Total | 312.21 sq mi (808.6 km2) |
• Land | 309.13 sq mi (800.6 km2) |
• Water | 3.07 sq mi (8.0 km2) |
Area rank | 65th largest county in Indiana |
Elevation | 712 ft (217 m) |
Population
(2010)
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• Total | 23,363 |
• Estimate
(2013)
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23,197 |
• Rank | 78th largest county in Indiana 1,679th largest county in U.S. |
• Density | 75.6/sq mi (29.2/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (Central) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (Central) |
ZIP Codes |
46348, 46366, 46374, 46511, 46531-32, 46534, 46574, 46960
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Area code | 574 |
Congressional district | 2nd |
Indiana Senate district | 5th |
Indiana House of Representatives district | 17th |
FIPS code | 18-149 |
GNIS feature ID | 0450389 |
U.S. Routes |
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State Routes |
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Airport | Starke County
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Waterways | Kankakee River – Yellow River |
Website | www.co.starke.in.us |
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Demographics (2010) | |||
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White | Black | Asian | |
97.1% | 0.3% | 0.2% | |
Islander | Native | Other | Hispanic (any race) |
0.0% | 0.3% | 2.1% | 3.3% |
Starke County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 23,363. The county seat is Knox.
Contents
History
Starke County was created in 1835 and organized in 1850. It was named for Gen. John Stark, who commanded New Hampshire troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775 in the Revolutionary War and defeated the British at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.
Before white settlement, all of the land that forms modern-day Starke County and adjacent LaPorte County to the north belonged to the Potawatami Indian nation. These Indians were forcibly removed to Kansas by the United States government in 1838, and many died on what has been called the Trail of Death.
When Starke County was created, it included the area of land that today comprises the LaPorte County townships of Cass, Dewey, Hanna, and Prairie. It was necessary for residents in this area to travel some distance east to Lemon's Bridge to cross the Kankakee River in order to travel south to the center of the county, the future site of the county seat at Knox. Therefore, because they were effectively isolated from the rest of Starke county, residents north of the river petitioned to be annexed to LaPorte county and this was done on January 28, 1842.
Name
Despite being named after General John Stark and originally being known and appearing on maps as Stark County when initially created and organized, an e was added to the county's name fairly early in its history. There does not seem to be any solid evidence to clearly explain this alteration. There are at least three as yet unsubstantiated explanations for the change. It is possible that an early scribe had 'fancy lettering', including a k with a long tail or flourish that appeared to others as ke, the new spelling sticking. It has also been said that General Stark himself used a similar flourish at the end of his signature which became a point of confusion to Indiana officials. This seems most unlikely when one considers that Stark County in Ohio (1808) and Illinois (1839) both preceded Starke County, Indiana and offered clear precedence and guidance on the spelling of the name, not to mention other numerous settlements within the United States named after the General also preceding Starke County. Lastly, and possibly most plausibly, it is thought that the change occurred around 1860 as the result of a clerical error by an official in Indianapolis.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 312.21 square miles (808.6 km2), of which 309.13 square miles (800.6 km2) (or 99.01%) is land and 3.07 square miles (8.0 km2) (or 0.98%) is water. The northwestern boundary of Starke County is defined by the Kankakee River; the Yellow River, a tributary of the Kankakee, flows through the central part of the county, past Knox.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
Municipalities
The municipalities in Starke County, and their populations as of the 2010 Census, are:
Cities and towns
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
Townships
The nine townships of Starke County, with their populations as of the 2010 Census, are:
Climate and weather
Weather chart for Knox, Indiana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1.9
31
14
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1.7
36
18
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2.7
47
28
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3.5
60
38
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3.8
72
50
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4.1
80
59
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3.9
84
63
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3.9
82
61
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3.3
75
53
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2.9
64
42
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3.1
49
31
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2.6
36
20
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temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches source: The Weather Channel |
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Metric conversion
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In recent years, average temperatures in Knox have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −29 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 102 °F (39 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.68 inches (43 mm) in February to 4.09 inches (104 mm) in June.
Demographics
Historical population | |||
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Census | Pop. | %± | |
1840 | 149 | — | |
1850 | 557 | 273.8% | |
1860 | 2,195 | 294.1% | |
1870 | 3,888 | 77.1% | |
1880 | 5,105 | 31.3% | |
1890 | 7,339 | 43.8% | |
1900 | 10,431 | 42.1% | |
1910 | 10,567 | 1.3% | |
1920 | 10,278 | −2.7% | |
1930 | 10,620 | 3.3% | |
1940 | 12,258 | 15.4% | |
1950 | 15,282 | 24.7% | |
1960 | 17,911 | 17.2% | |
1970 | 19,280 | 7.6% | |
1980 | 21,997 | 14.1% | |
1990 | 22,747 | 3.4% | |
2000 | 23,556 | 3.6% | |
2010 | 23,363 | −0.8% | |
2018 (est.) | 22,935 | −1.8% | |
US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 |
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 23,363 people, 9,038 households, and 6,484 families in the county. The population density was 75.6 inhabitants per square mile (29.2/km2). There were 10,962 housing units at an average density of 35.5 per square mile (13.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.1% white, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.2% were German, 16.3% were Irish, 8.9% were English, 8.7% were American, and 6.9% were Polish.
Of the 9,038 households, 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.3% were non-families, and 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 40.4 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $44,044. Males had a median income of $37,507 versus $28,628 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,991. About 12.9% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public schools in Starke County are administered by four different districts:
- Culver Community Schools
- Knox Community School Corporation
- North Judson-San Pierre Schools
- Oregon-Davis School Corporation
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Starke para niños