Allen County, Indiana

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.^[5]

The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana 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.^[28][29]

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.^[28][29]

Court: The county maintains a Circuit Court and a Superior Court.^[30] These are the trial courts of general 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, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court 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.^[29]

The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services.

Allen County is part of Indiana's 3rd congressional district and is represented by Marlin Stutzman in the United States Congress. It is part of Indiana Senate districts 14, 15, 16, 17 and 19;^[31] and Indiana House of Representatives districts 50, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84 and 85.^[32]

Over the last 100 years, Allen County has been a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. The Democratic national landslides of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936 as well as Lyndon 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.^[33] However, in 2016, Donald Trump won the county by 19 points and city by 6, but in 2020, while Joe Biden lost the county by 11 points, he recaptured Fort Wayne.^[34][35] The last Democratic Governor to win the county was Frank O'Bannon in 2000 and the last Senator was Evan Bayh during his 2004 landslide.^[36][37]

Following the 1930 Census, Fort Wayne was drawn into Indiana'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 and Jill Long Thompson from 1989 to 1995.^[38]

The Allen County Courthouse was designed by Brentwood S. Tolan of Fort Wayne, and was built by James Stewart and Company of Saint 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, Mayor Henry C. Berghoff and Governor Winfield T. Durbin were present. President Theodore Roosevelt was scheduled to attend as well, although he ultimately did not. Built in the Beaux-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 a National 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.^[41]

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.^[42]

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.^[43] 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.^[44]

Allen County's largest employers in 2025:

• Parkview Health (8,986)
• Amazon (4,756)
• General Motors Fort Wayne Assembly (4,255)
• Lutheran Health Network (4,075)
• Sweetwater Sound (2,513)
• Lincoln Financial Group (1,700)
• BFGoodrich (1,500)
• Fort Wayne Metals (1,500)
• Shambaugh & Son (1,500)
• Steel Dynamics (1,200)

Other notable companies with headquarters in Allen County include Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company, Do it Best, Franklin Electric, Global Van Lines, Indiana Michigan Power, K&K Insurance, MedPro Group, North American Van Lines, Rea Magnet Wire Company, and Vera Bradley.

Public education is offered across four school districts: East Allen County Schools, Fort Wayne Community Schools, Northwest Allen County Schools, and Southwest Allen County Schools.^[45] By means of private education, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend operate 13 schools within Allen County, while Lutheran Schools of Indiana operate 14 schools within the county. In addition, Blackhawk Christian School and Canterbury 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.^[46]

Public institutions in Allen County include Purdue University Fort Wayne, Ivy Tech Community College, and Indiana University Fort Wayne, home to the Fort Wayne Center for Medical Education, a branch of the IU School of Medicine. Private institutions in Allen County include Concordia Theological Seminary, Indiana Tech, and the University of Saint Francis, as well as branch campuses of Indiana Wesleyan University, Manchester University, and Trine University.

Libraries

Library services are provided to county residents by the Allen County Public Library across 13 branches. The Main Library in downtown Fort Wayne covers 367,000 square feet (34,100 m²) and features an art gallery, underground parking garage, bookstore, café, and auditorium.^[47] According to data from 2005, 5.4 million materials were borrowed by patrons, and 2.5 million visits were made throughout the library system.^[48] The Fred J. Reynolds Historical Genealogy Department at the Main Library is the largest public genealogy department in the United States.^[49]

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).^[50]

Allen County Parks manage six park properties:

• Cook's Landing (north)
• Deer Run (northeast, near Spencerville)
• Fox Island (southwest, near Aboite)
• Hanauer Reserve (northwest)
• Metea (northeast, near Leo-Cedarville)
• Payton (north, near Huntertown)

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Allen County, Indiana