GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes 1 GIS in Prevention County Profiles Series, No. 3 Elkhart County, Indiana Barbara Seitz de Martinez, PhD, MLS, CPP The Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University is funded, in part, by a contract with the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, financially supported through HHS/Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant. The IPRC is operated by the Department of Applied Health Science and The School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. THE INDIANA PREVENTION RESOURCE CENTER

GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes GIS in Prevention County Profile Series, No. 3 Elkhart County, Indiana Barbara Seitz de Martinez, PhD, MLS, CPP Project Staff: Indiana Prevention Resource Center Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of the Trustees of Indiana University or the Division of Mental Health and Addiction. Indiana University accepts full Responsibility for the content of this publication. ©2005 The Trustees of Indiana University. Permission is extended to reproduce this County Profile for non-profit educational purposes. All other rights reserved. Ritika Bhawal, MPH Solomon Briggs Kyoungsun Heo, MPA Srinivasa Konchada

GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Elkhart County is located in Northern Indiana on border with the State of Michigan. It is bordered by the State of Michigan to the north, La Grange County to the east, Noble to the southeast, Kosciusko to the south, Marshall to the southwest, and St. Joseph to the west. U.S. Highways 33 and 20, Interstate Highways 80 and 90 cross the county. Elevation is feet. The landscape features beech, birch, maple, hickory, and oak trees. The topography is nearly level except for slightly sloping terrain along the Elkhart River and in areas in the northeast, southeast and west-central zones. Most of the county pertains to the Southern Michigan and Northern Indiana Drift Plain land resource area, except the southwestern corner which is part of the Indiana and Ohio Till Plain land resource area. Elkhart county is in the Eastern Time Zone and observes DST. Average daily temperatures are 17٥/32٥ in January and 61٥/84٥ in July. Annual precipitation is approximately 38 and snowfall 70 inches. Typically the first freeze of the season occurs October The last freeze varies from around May The growing season lasts about days. Agriculture is diversified, but livestock is the largest source of farm income. About three-fifths of the land is farmland, of which three- fourths is commercial crops. Main crops are hay, oats, corn for grain, soybeans, and winter wheat. Fruits and vegetables include strawberries, cantaloupes, pumpkins and sweet corn. Popcorn is a special crop. Livestock includes hens/pullets, cattle/calves, milk cows, hogs/pigs, and sheep/lambs. Main natural resources include construction sand, gravel, and forestland. Lakes include Boot, Dock, East, Heaton, Hunter, Indian, Round, Simonton, Wolf and Yellow Creek Lakes and Goshen Pond. Major rivers include the St. Joseph, Little Elkhart, and Elkhart Rivers. Communities include the cities of Goshen (the county seat), Elkhart, and Nappanee (which extends into Kosciusko County). Towns include Bristol, Middlebury, Millersburg and Wakarusa. Larger townships include Elkhart, Concord, Osolo, Baugo, Cleveland and Washington 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Sources: Map from PCensus for MapInfo; Geographic Notes from Indiana Facts: Flying the Colors by John Clements, 1995.

GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Elkhart County The maps and tables in this publication were prepared using PCensus 7.06 for MapInfo and MapInfo Professional 7.0.

GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Elkhart County is not a tobacco-producing county, according to the Strategic Development Group’s “Alternative Agricultural Strategy” (Bloomington, March 15, 2001) report, which is part of Governor Joseph E. Kernan’s “Recipient Final Reports for Office of the Commissioner of Agriculture Grant Programs” ( 3. Location and Historical Notes

GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Don’t Know Your Block Group Number? You can find it easily at the American Factfinder Web Site ( 3. Elkhart County Block Group Maps

GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Elkhart County Block Groups LayoutSlide #1

GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Elkhart County Block Groups Slide #2

GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Elkhart County Block Groups Slide #3 2

GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Elkhart County Block Groups Slide #4 3

GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Elkhart County Block Groups Slide #5 4

GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Elkhart County Block Groups Slide #6 5

GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Elkhart County Block Groups Slide #5 4