Allen County, Indiana | |
|---|---|
 Allen County Courthouse in Fort Wayne | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIndiana | |
| Coordinates:41°05′N85°04′W / 41.09°N 85.06°W /41.09; -85.06 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Indiana |
| Founded | April 1, 1824 |
| Named after | John Allen |
| Seat | Fort Wayne |
| Largest city | Fort Wayne |
| Area | |
• Total | 660.02 sq mi (1,709.4 km2) |
| • Land | 657.31 sq mi (1,702.4 km2) |
| • Water | 2.71 sq mi (7.0 km2) 0.41% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 385,410 |
• Estimate (2024)[1] | 399,295 |
| • Density | 607/sq mi (234/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www |
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Allen County is a county in theU.S. state ofIndiana. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 385,410,[2] making it thethird-most populous county in Indiana. Thecounty seat and largest city isFort Wayne, the second largest city in Indiana.[3]
Allen County is included in theFort Wayne Metropolitan Statistical Area and theFort Wayne–Huntington–AuburnCombined Statistical Area. Allen County is the cultural and economic center ofnortheastern Indiana. The county is within a 200-mile (320 km) radius of major population centers, includingChicago,Cincinnati,Cleveland,Columbus,Detroit,Indianapolis,Louisville,Milwaukee, and within a one-day drive of one-third of the U.S. population and one-fifth of Canadians.[4]
Occupied for thousands of years by cultures ofindigenous peoples, Allen County was organized by European Americans on December 17, 1823, from Delaware and Randolph counties, and formed on April 1, 1824, at theEwing Tavern. The county is named forColonel John Allen, an attorney andKentucky state senator who was killed in theWar of 1812.[5] Fort Wayne, founded at the confluences of theMaumee,St. Joseph, andSt. Marys rivers was chosen as the county seat in May 1824.
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 660.02 square miles (1,709.4 km2), the largest county in Indiana, of which 657.31 square miles (1,702.4 km2) (or 99.59%) is land and 2.71 square miles (7.0 km2) (or 0.41%) is water.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 996 | — | |
| 1840 | 5,942 | 496.6% | |
| 1850 | 16,919 | 184.7% | |
| 1860 | 29,328 | 73.3% | |
| 1870 | 43,494 | 48.3% | |
| 1880 | 54,763 | 25.9% | |
| 1890 | 66,689 | 21.8% | |
| 1900 | 77,270 | 15.9% | |
| 1910 | 93,386 | 20.9% | |
| 1920 | 114,303 | 22.4% | |
| 1930 | 146,743 | 28.4% | |
| 1940 | 155,084 | 5.7% | |
| 1950 | 183,722 | 18.5% | |
| 1960 | 232,196 | 26.4% | |
| 1970 | 280,455 | 20.8% | |
| 1980 | 294,335 | 4.9% | |
| 1990 | 300,836 | 2.2% | |
| 2000 | 331,849 | 10.3% | |
| 2010 | 355,329 | 7.1% | |
| 2020 | 385,410 | 8.5% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 399,295 | 3.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010-2019[2] 2024[1] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 385,410. The median age was 36.2 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.5 males age 18 and over.[11][12]
The racial makeup of the county was 71.9%White, 11.5%Black or African American, 0.4%American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.7%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 4.3% from some other race, and 7.1% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.5% of the population.[12]
87.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 12.9% lived in rural areas.[13]
There were 151,690 households in the county, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.4% were married-couple households, 19.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
There were 162,431 housing units, of which 6.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.6% were owner-occupied and 32.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.5%.[11]
Since 1852, Allen County has been home to anOld Order Amish community that speaks anAlsatian dialect, which is quite rare among Amish. There are about 3,190 Amish living aroundGrabill andNew Haven as of 2017.[14]
As of the2010 United States census, there were 355,329 people, 137,851 households, and 90,892 families residing in the county.[15] The population density was 540.6 inhabitants per square mile (208.7/km2). There were 152,184 housing units at an average density of 231.5 per square mile (89.4/km2).[6] The racial makeup of the county was 79.3% white, 11.7% black or African American, 2.7% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.9% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.5% of the population.[15] In terms of ancestry, 33.4% wereGerman, 11.4% wereIrish, 10.7% wereAmerican, and 8.1% wereEnglish.[16]
Of the 137,851 households, 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.1% were non-families, and 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.12. The median age was 35.3 years.[15]
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $60,184. Males had a median income of $45,294 versus $33,685 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,532. About 9.1% of families and 12.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.[17]
In 2007, Fort Wayne was cited as having the highestBurmeserefugee population in the United States, with between 3,000 and 3,500.[18]
| Allen County Sheriff's Department | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Allen County, Indiana, Indiana, United States |
| Legal jurisdiction | As per operations jurisdiction |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Agency executive |
|
The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by theConstitution of Indiana, and by theIndiana Code.
County Council: The seven member county council has the ultimate decision-making power regarding fiscal affairs of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Four representatives are elected from county districts, and three members are elected at large. The council members serve four-year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also 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.[19][20]
Board of Commissioners: The executive and administrative body of the county is made of a three-member board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners serves as president of the board. The commissioners are charged with enacting and executing legislation, the collection of revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.[19][20]
Court: The county maintains a Circuit Court and a Superior Court.[21] These are the trial courts ofgeneral jurisdiction. Allen Superior Court hears the vast majority of cases, and has several divisions with multiple courtrooms. There are 9 judges hearing cases on the Allen Superior Court; the Chief Judge of the Allen Superior Court is the Honorable Frances "Fran" C. Gull, first elected as a judge in 1996.
County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, includingsheriff,coroner,auditor, treasurer,recorder,surveyor, and circuitcourt clerk. Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare a party affiliation and to be residents of the county.[20]
The county government operates thejail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintainsvital records, administerspublic health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services.
Allen County is part ofIndiana's 3rd congressional district and is represented byMarlin Stutzman in theUnited States Congress. It is part ofIndiana Senate districts 14, 15, 16, 17 and 19;[22] andIndiana House of Representatives districts 50, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84 and 85.[23]
Over the last 100 years, Allen County has been a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. The Democratic national landslides ofFranklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936 as well asLyndon B. Johnson in 1964 constitute the only occasions since then that a Republican presidential candidate failed to carry the county, and even in 1964, Johnson only won the county by 1.4% and less than 1,500 votes. As of 2020,Joe Biden was the highest vote earner for a Democratic candidate in the history of the county with 73,189 votes.Donald Trump achieved the same feat for his party, with 92,083 votes.
Although Allen County is rather conservative for an urban county, the presence of Fort Wayne makes the county one of the Democrats' strongest counties in Indiana. In 2008,Barack Obama became the first Democratic president after Johnson to receive 40% of the county's vote. While he lost the county by 4 points, the closest that a Democrat has come to carrying the county, he won the city of Fort Wayne itself by six points.[24] However, in 2016,Donald Trump won the county by 19 points and city by 6, but in 2020, whileJoe Biden lost the county by 11 points, he recaptured Fort Wayne.[25][26] The last Democratic Governor to win the county wasFrank O'Bannon in2000 and the last Senator wasEvan Bayh during his2004 landslide.[27][28]
Following the 1930 Census, Fort Wayne was drawn intoIndiana's 4th congressional district, which essentially became the 3rd district following 2000 Census. Fort Wayne has been represented in House by Republicans for all but 20 years since 1932. The streak was only broken by four Democrats:James Indus Farley from 1933 to 1939,Edward H. Kruse for a single term in 1949–1951,J. Edward Roush from 1971 to 1977 andJill Long Thompson from 1989 to 1995.[29]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1888 | 5,455 | 35.41% | 9,692 | 62.92% | 257 | 1.67% |
| 1892 | 5,486 | 34.03% | 10,010 | 62.09% | 625 | 3.88% |
| 1896 | 8,467 | 45.44% | 9,909 | 53.18% | 256 | 1.37% |
| 1900 | 8,250 | 42.73% | 10,764 | 55.75% | 295 | 1.53% |
| 1904 | 10,261 | 50.38% | 9,250 | 45.42% | 856 | 4.20% |
| 1908 | 9,468 | 42.06% | 12,145 | 53.95% | 900 | 4.00% |
| 1912 | 3,423 | 18.43% | 8,659 | 46.63% | 6,487 | 34.93% |
| 1916 | 10,169 | 46.03% | 9,470 | 42.87% | 2,451 | 11.10% |
| 1920 | 24,208 | 57.40% | 13,804 | 32.73% | 4,165 | 9.88% |
| 1924 | 25,207 | 54.12% | 17,244 | 37.03% | 4,122 | 8.85% |
| 1928 | 34,234 | 56.38% | 26,292 | 43.30% | 194 | 0.32% |
| 1932 | 27,065 | 40.66% | 38,447 | 57.76% | 1,050 | 1.58% |
| 1936 | 24,765 | 37.44% | 39,151 | 59.19% | 2,230 | 3.37% |
| 1940 | 40,430 | 57.18% | 29,967 | 42.38% | 312 | 0.44% |
| 1944 | 41,907 | 57.64% | 30,445 | 41.87% | 357 | 0.49% |
| 1948 | 37,494 | 54.00% | 31,239 | 44.99% | 703 | 1.01% |
| 1952 | 54,877 | 66.16% | 27,506 | 33.16% | 558 | 0.67% |
| 1956 | 58,210 | 69.43% | 25,444 | 30.35% | 190 | 0.23% |
| 1960 | 60,103 | 60.33% | 39,235 | 39.39% | 280 | 0.28% |
| 1964 | 49,284 | 49.11% | 50,706 | 50.53% | 363 | 0.36% |
| 1968 | 59,211 | 54.34% | 40,411 | 37.09% | 9,332 | 8.57% |
| 1972 | 76,924 | 66.20% | 38,621 | 33.24% | 654 | 0.56% |
| 1976 | 71,321 | 60.56% | 44,744 | 37.99% | 1,704 | 1.45% |
| 1980 | 68,524 | 57.63% | 37,765 | 31.76% | 12,609 | 10.60% |
| 1984 | 75,505 | 65.67% | 38,462 | 33.45% | 1,008 | 0.88% |
| 1988 | 74,638 | 64.94% | 39,238 | 34.14% | 1,059 | 0.92% |
| 1992 | 55,003 | 45.24% | 39,629 | 32.60% | 26,945 | 22.16% |
| 1996 | 59,255 | 53.55% | 41,450 | 37.46% | 9,940 | 8.98% |
| 2000 | 70,426 | 61.60% | 41,636 | 36.42% | 2,258 | 1.98% |
| 2004 | 82,013 | 63.28% | 46,710 | 36.04% | 886 | 0.68% |
| 2008 | 77,793 | 51.67% | 71,263 | 47.34% | 1,491 | 0.99% |
| 2012 | 84,613 | 57.46% | 60,036 | 40.77% | 2,597 | 1.76% |
| 2016 | 83,930 | 56.47% | 55,382 | 37.26% | 9,320 | 6.27% |
| 2020 | 92,083 | 54.31% | 73,189 | 43.16% | 4,288 | 2.53% |
| 2024 | 90,283 | 55.17% | 69,960 | 42.75% | 3,407 | 2.08% |
(information as of January 2024)
TheAllen County Courthouse was designed byBrentwood S. Tolan of Fort Wayne, and was built by James Stewart and Company ofSaint Louis, Missouri. When the cornerstone was laid in 1897, the oldest man in the county, Louis Peltier, was present; he remembered Fort Wayne when it was a fort. The courthouse was completed in 1902 at a total cost of $817,553. At its dedication, MayorHenry C. Berghoff and GovernorWinfield T. Durbin were present. PresidentTheodore Roosevelt was scheduled to attend as well, although he ultimately did not. Built in theBeaux-Arts architecture style, it was one of the most expensive courthouses in the state. It also was filled with artwork that cost more than other entire courthouses of the time. The courthouse has been protected as aNational Historic Landmark since 2003. The building is now used primarily by the civil and felony courts, as most of the other county government offices were moved across Main Street to the Edwin J. Rousseau Centre in 1971.[32]
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In recent years, average temperatures in Fort Wayne have ranged from a low of 16 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −24 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1918 and a record high of 106 °F (41 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.94 inches (49 mm) in February to 4.04 inches (103 mm) in June.[33]
In the latter half of the 20th century, shifts in manufacturing patterns led to the reduction of the number of manufacturing plants and jobs in Allen County. However, Allen County's economy has diversified with time to include defense and security, healthcare, and insurance.[34] Agriculture is also a vital part of the county's economy. In 2009,Forbes ranked the Fort Wayne metropolitan area 67th on its list of 200 metropolitan areas in the "Best Places For Business And Careers" report. Individually, Fort Wayne was ranked 5th in cost of living and 12th in cost of doing business.[35]
Notable companies headquartered in Allen County includeBrotherhood Mutual Insurance Company,Do it Best,Franklin Electric,Global Van Lines,Indiana Michigan Power,K&K Insurance,Lutheran Health Network,MedPro Group,North American Van Lines,Parkview Health,Rea Magnet Wire Company,Steel Dynamics,Sweetwater Sound, andVera Bradley.
Allen County is home ofPurdue Fort Wayne (PFW), with an enrollment of 14,192, it is the fifth-largestpublic university campus in Indiana. The county also holds the main campus of the Northeast Region ofIvy Tech Community College, the second-largest publiccommunity college campus in Indiana.Indiana University maintains the third public higher educational facility in the city with the Fort Wayne Center for Medical Education, a branch of the IU School of Medicine.
Religious-affiliated schools in the county include theUniversity of Saint Francis (Roman Catholic),Concordia Theological Seminary (Lutheran), andIndiana Wesleyan University (Wesleyan Church). Business and technical schools includeIndiana Institute of Technology (IIT) as well as regional branches ofTrine University,Brown Mackie College,Harrison College,ITT Technical Institute, andInternational Business College.
Public education is offered in the four districts:East Allen County Schools,Fort Wayne Community Schools,Northwest Allen County Schools, andSouthwest Allen County Schools.[36] By means of private education, theRoman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend operate 13 schools within Allen County, whileLutheran Schools of Indiana operate 14 schools within the county. In addition,Blackhawk Christian School andCanterbury School offer private K-12 education in Fort Wayne, while Amish Parochial Schools of Indiana has schools through eighth grade in rural eastern Allen County.[37]
Fort Wayne and Allen County residents have been served by theAllen County Public Library (ACPL) and its thirteen branches since its founding in 1895 as the Fort Wayne Public Library. The entire library system began an $84.1 million overhaul of its branches in 2002, finishing work by 2007.[38] The centerpiece, the Main Library Branch, now covers 367,000 square feet (34,100 m2), featuring an art gallery, underground parking garage, bookstore, café, and community auditorium.[39] According to data from 2005, 5.4 million materials were borrowed by patrons, and 2.5 million visits were made throughout the library system.[40] The Fred J. Reynolds Historical Genealogy Department, located in the Main Library Branch, is the largest publicgenealogy department in the United States, home to more than 350,000 printed volumes and 513,000 items ofmicrofilm andmicrofiche.[41]
In addition to the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation department (seeList of parks in Fort Wayne, Indiana), Allen County Parks operates four parks:
Allen County Parks are only partially tax supported. Operating expenses must be met through user and program fees. Admission is $2.00 per person age 7 and older. Passes are available on an annual basis (good for one year from purchase date) starting at $15.00. Activities at various parks include hiking, swimming, fishing, sledding, cross-country skiing (rentals available), playgrounds, picnic areas, play fields, and many nature-based programs for all ages. Wheeled vehicles (except wheelchairs) are not permitted on trails, and pets are not permitted in the state nature preserve areas (clearly marked).[42]
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