Fulton

Formed February 7, 1836 (83^rd county)

Fulton County (20,480), Rochester (6,274)                

The classic Richardsonian Romanesque stone 1896 courthouse sits on a square at Main, 8^th, Madison, and 9^th streets.  Indiana State Highway 25 is Main Street in the town.  The courthouse was renovated in 2002.  The county was formed on February 7, 1836 as the 83^rd county and a courthouse was built in 1847.  A. W. Rush and Son are the building architects.  The structure has a working clock tower, corner turrets and stone lions guarding the entrances.  The grounds feature veteran memorials.  A County Office Building is across the street.  The county was taken from Native American Territory with Rochester as the only county seat. 

Fulton 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, a Superior Court Judge, and a prosecutor serve Fulton County (judicial.) The county is in north central Indiana.  Indianapolis, Indiana is south and Fort Wayne, Indiana is east of the county.  The county center is 6.6 miles Southwest of Rochester.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Marshall, Kosciusko, Wabash, Miami, Cass, Pulaski, and Starke counties.  Fulton County is named for inventor Robert Fulton.  The county seat is named for Rochester, New York.  Fulton County was the birthplace of 1 Indiana Governor, O. Bowen. 

The area of the county is 368 square miles.  It is 65 out of 92 in the state.  It ranks 70 out of 92 in population in the state.  It has a density of 55.7 persons per square mile making it 69 out of 92 in the state.  Fulton County has 40.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 31 travels north to south through the county from Marshall County to Miami County.  The county’s shape could be described as the number 7 on its face with an extra short leg.  Rochester is slightly east of center in the county.  Rochester is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 30.6% of the county population.

Rochester