Kokomo, Indiana

Kokomo, Indiana
City
Clockwise from top: Downtown Kokomo from Civic Center Tower, Seiberling Mansion, the corner of Walnut and Main St in downtown Kokomo, Kokomo City Building
Seal
Nickname:  City of Firsts
Location of Kokomo in Howard County, Indiana
Kokomo Show map of Indiana Kokomo Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 40°28′56″N 86°7′54″W / 40.48222°N 86.13167°W / 40.48222; -86.13167
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Howard
Named for	Ma-Ko-Ko-Mo
Government
• Type	Mayor-council government
• Mayor	Tyler Moore (R)[1]
Area [2]
• Total	36.79 sq mi (95.29 km2)
• Land	36.68 sq mi (95.00 km2)
• Water	0.11 sq mi (0.29 km2)
Elevation [3]	820 ft (250 m)
Population  (2010)[4]
• Total	45,468
• Estimate  (2020)[5]	59,604
• Density	1,581.75/sq mi (610.72/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	46901-46904
Area code	765
FIPS code	18-40392
GNIS ID	2395560[3]
Website	cityofkokomo.org

Kokomo (⫽ˈkoʊkəmoʊ⫽ KOH-kə-moh) is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Indiana, United States.^[3] Its population was 59,604 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Kokomo metropolitan area, which includes all of Howard County, and it is the largest city and regional center for the North Central Indiana region consisting of ~225,000 people across six counties anchored by the city of Kokomo.^[6] The city is located approximately 60 miles (97 km) north of Indianapolis and 85 miles (137 km) south of South Bend, Indiana.

Named for the Miami Ma-Ko-Ko-Mo who was called "Chief Kokomo",^[7] Kokomo first benefited from the legal business associated with being the county seat. Before the Civil War, it was connected with Indianapolis and then the Eastern cities by railroad, which resulted in sustained growth. Substantial growth came after the discovery of large natural gas reserves, which produced an economic boom in the mid-1880s. Among the businesses which the boom attracted was the fledgling automobile industry. A significant number of technical and engineering innovations were developed in Kokomo, particularly in automobile production, and, as a result, Kokomo became known as the "City of Firsts." A substantial portion of Kokomo's employment still depends on the automobile industry.