Dig Deeper on Kokomo
Kokomo, an important industrial center mainly tied to the automotive industry, supplies automotive parts for assembly plants nationwide. DaimlerChrysler and the troubled Delphi are the two largest private employers. The city has a long history of auto innovation dating back to the creation of the first American automobile in Kokomo in 1894.
Today the area is known on the world stage for having a prime business, manufacturing and labor climate. Kokomo has a friendly small-town feel with a typically Midwestern downtown, considerable local pride, and is unusually clean and attractive for a town with such a strong industrial presence.
Mississinewa Lake to the northeast offers recreational opportunities. Living and especially housing costs are very attractive, and relatively high incomes give strong buying power. There is some college presence with local campuses of Indiana, Purdue and Indiana Wesleyan universities. While somewhat economically diversified, the area is still tied to the fortunes of the auto industry. Indianapolis is an hour south.
The town is located on a primarily level, agricultural plain extending north to Lake Michigan. To the northeast lies an area of low wooded hills. The climate is continental with four distinct seasons, including warm humid summers and variably cold winters. Weather changes are frequent, and winter and summer alike have rainy periods. Winters also bring windy, snowy days partly arising from Lake Michigan to the north. First freeze is mid-October, last is late April.