Elkhart

Formed January 29, 1830 (62^nd county)

Elkhart County (207,054), Goshen (34,509), Elkhart (53,919)

A classic domed Renaissance Revival courthouse for Elkhart County was constructed in 1870 and remodeled in 1909.  The courthouse is made of stone and red brick.  The building designers were J. H. Barrow and George O. Garnsey.  It is located on a square surrounded by 3^rd, Lincoln, Main, and Clinton streets.  United States Highway 33 is Main Street in the town.  There is an augmenting 1994 courthouse in Elkhart.  The grounds feature veteran memorials.  The county was formed on January 29, 1830 as the 62^nd county with Dunlap as the county seat followed by Goshen in 1831.  The county was taken from Native American Territory.  The county name comes from a Native American chief or an island in the St. Joseph River named by the French for “heart of the elk” or for the Native American tribe.  The county seat is named for either Goshen, New York or the Biblical town. 

Elkhart County government consists of a sheriff, an auditor, a clerk, a coroner, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 7 Council Members (legislative.)  A Circuit Court Judge, Six Superior Court Judges, and a prosecutor serve Elkhart County (judicial.) The county is in north Indiana on the border with Michigan.  South Bend, Indiana is west and Fort Wayne, Indiana is southeast of the county.  The county center is 2.2 miles Northwest of Goshen.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Michigan and La Grange, Noble, Kosciusko, Marshall, and Saint Joseph counties. 

The area of the county is 463 square miles.  It is 16 out of 92 in the state.  It ranks 6 out of 92 in population in the state. It has a density of 447.2 persons per square mile making it 9 out of 92 in the state.  Elkhart County has 50.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highways 80/90 cross east to west from La Grange County to Saint Joseph County.  United States Highway 20 parallels Interstate Highway 80 from La Grange to Saint Joseph counties.  United States Highway 33 originates in the county and heads southeast into Noble County.  The county is a rectangle with Goshen being located south of center in the county.  Elkhart is in the northwest corner of the county.  Goshen is the county seat and Elkhart is the largest city.  Goshen is 16.7% of the county population while Elkhart is 26.0% of the county population.  The county and largest city are pronounced EL-KART.  The county seat is pronounced GOE-SHEN.  This county is in the Elkhart-Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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