Starke

Formed February 7, 1835 (78^th county)

Starke County (23,370), Knox (3,661)                

The classic stone courthouse was built in 1897 to replace the 1863 courthouse.  It is sited on a square at Washington, Main, Mound, and Pearl streets.  United States Highway 35 is one block to the east of the site.  Wing and Mahurin were the designers of this Romanesque structure.  The building features a tower.  The grounds have veteran memorials and a canon.  The county was founded on February 7, 1835 from parts of Saint Joseph County and Native American Territory as the 78^th county.  Knox has always been the county seat.  The county is named for Revolutionary War General John Stark.  The county seat is named for United States Secretary of War Henry Knox.  He is also the namesake for Knox County.  Starke County was the birthplace of 1 Indiana Governor, Henry F. Schricker. 

Starke 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 and a prosecutor serve Starke County (judicial.) The county is in northwest Indiana.  South Bend, Indiana is northeast and Gary, Indiana is northwest of the county.  The county center is 1.9 miles Southwest of Knox.  The county is surrounded clockwise by La Porte, Saint Joseph, Marshall, Fulton, Pulaski, Jasper, Porter. 

The area of the county is 309 square miles.  It is 77 out of 92 in the state.  It ranks 66 out of 92 in population in the state.  It has a density of 75.6 persons per square mile making it 52 out of 92 in the state.  Starke County has 26.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 30 crosses the county east to west from Marshall County to La Porte County.  United States Highway 35 goes north to south from La Porte County to Pulaski County.  United States Highway 421 cuts the southwest tip of the county from La Porte County, north, to Pulaski County, south.  The county is shaped like a slide.  Knox is slightly east of center in the county.  Knox is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 15.7% of the county population.  The Kankakee River forms its northwest border.