Whitley County, Indiana

Whitley County Education, Geography, and History

Whitley County is a county located in the state of Indiana. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 33,292. Whitley County was created on January 29, 1839. The county seat is Columbia City. The county is named for Colonel William Whitley, hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe.

Etymology - Origin of Whitley County Name

The county is named for Colonel William Whitley, a Kentucky pioneer who was distinguished for his bravery, he fell, in the Battle of the Thames at the age of sixty-four.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Whitley County History

Whitley County was organized by an act of the Legislature on January 29, 1839, which became effective April 1, 1839. It was named for Col. William Whitley, who was killed at the decisive American victory at the Battle of the Thames in the War of 1812

Whitley County is divided into 9 Civil Townships as follows: Cleveland, Columbia, Etna-Troy, Jefferson, Richland, Smith, Thorn Creek, Union and Washington; originally Etna-Troy was divided into individual townships named Etna and Troy.

The county has the highest county number (92) on Indiana license plates, as it is alphabetically the last in the list of counties.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 338 square miles (875 km²), of which 336 square miles (869 km²) is land and 2 square miles (6 km²) (0.70%) is water.

Whitley county is located in northeast Indiana.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Noble County
• East: Allen County
• South: Huntington County
• Southwest: Wabash County
• Northwest: Kosciusko County

Education

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