Huntington County: A Heritage of Location, Workforce, Value--Poised for the 21st Century

Mark Wickersham
Executive Director of Huntington County United Economic Development
As Published March 27, 2009 in the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly
Abbreviated Edition

Generations of Hoosiers have long appreciated Huntington County for its location, people, commerce and lifestyle. Native Americans of the Miami Tribe were the first to enjoy the County named in honor of Samuel Huntington, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. This region was the key center connecting historic trade routes between the Upper Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Basin.

Today, Huntington County is connected to the world via the NAFTA Corridor of I-69, the U.S. Highway 24 Hoosier Heartland Industrial Corridor, and Norfolk-Southern's Class 1 line. Huntington Municipal Airport with its 5,001 foot runway, new terminal and low fuel costs welcomes pilots from throughout North America. Its economic heritage often put Huntington County on center stage as the Nation's economy grew.

Huntington's heritage of location, workforce, and value contribute to local strengths in several economic clusters including, advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, distribution centers, food processing, metal and steel fabrication, mineral aggregates and petroleum refining and distribution. The County saw ten new industrial projects during 2008, earning it recognition by former Indiana Secretary of Commerce Nathan Feltman as one of Indiana's best performing economic development efforts among County's of its size.

The City continues to make improvements to its water supply by developing new wells, long before demand outpaces their existing capacity. Huntington is constructing new storm and sanitary sewer systems to address historic combined systems. And Huntington hopes to become a leader in the production of renewable energy by working with Nature's Fuels Company on a project to utilize municipal waste to produce fuel and electricity.

Local communities are also moving forward with several infrastructure projects. The Town of Markle is adding additional water capacity to its industrial park on I-69. The Town of Warren will complete its downtown streetscape project this year and is preparing infrastructure improvements for a project at local employer Heartland Aluminum. The Town of Roanoke continues to develop its comprehensive strategic plan, evaluating commercial and residential growth in a balancing act with transportation needs and wetlands resources and opportunities.

Huntington County has proven that our heritage of location, workforce, and value are leading the way to a bright future for Huntington County.

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