Best Web Design in Kokomo, IN (2026)

Web Design for Kokomo, Indiana

Kokomo, the seat of Howard County, calls itself the 'City of Firsts' for a run of early-1900s inventions ranging from one of America's first gasoline automobiles to canned tomato juice and the push-button car radio. A gas-boom-turned-auto-manufacturing town on Wildcat Creek, it still runs on Stellantis transmission plants and Haynes International's specialty alloys, and it gently corrects outsiders who assume its name came from the Beach Boys.

AppWT works with Kokomo, IN businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Kokomo

Also known as. City of Firsts.

History. Named after Miami leader Ma-ko-ko-mo; incorporated as a town on October 1, 1855, and became a city on March 31, 1865. Elwood Haynes test-drove one of America's first successful gasoline automobiles near Kokomo on July 4, 1894. The 1913 flood swelled Wildcat Creek to nearly a mile wide during March 21-26. A 1965 Palm Sunday F4 tornado killed 25 people and damaged the Chrysler transmission plant; an EF3 tornado in August 2016 damaged about 1,000 homes. On July 4, 1923, Kokomo hosted one of the largest Ku Klux Klan gatherings in US history at Malfalfa Park, a dark episode when D.C. Stephenson was elevated to Grand Dragon.

Local economy. Automobile manufacturing anchors the economy, led by Stellantis (Chrysler) transmission, casting, and engine plants. Haynes International, a maker of high-performance alloys, is headquartered in Kokomo, alongside GM Components and BorgWarner operations. Forbes ranked Kokomo among the 'fastest-dying towns' in 2008; it rebounded to appear on 'best cities for jobs' lists after the auto industry's recovery.

Culture and community. The Haynes-Apperson Festival, held over Independence Day weekend, celebrates the city's automotive heritage. Old Ben, billed as the world's largest preserved steer (born 1902), is displayed in Highland Park. KokoMantis, a 17-foot electric-green praying mantis built from WWII fuel pontoons and recycled traffic-light poles, is a downtown scrap-art landmark created by artist Scott Pitcher in 2012. Notable people include AIDS activist Ryan White, 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft, and character actor Strother Martin.

What makes Kokomo distinct. The Beach Boys' 1988 number-one hit 'Kokomo' is about a fictional Caribbean island, not the Indiana city, which predates the song by more than a century. KokoMantis wears a sign reading 'please do not climb me; I'm ticklish!' Kokomo's list of 'firsts' includes the first canned tomato juice (1928) and the first push-button car radio (1938). Inventor Elwood Haynes developed stainless steel in Kokomo in 1912, in addition to building early automobiles.

The county seat of Howard County in north-central Indiana, an industrial city with deep automotive roots that grew during the 1880s natural gas boom.

Kokomo Landmarks and Local Life

• Seiberling Mansion (Howard County Museum) - Victorian mansion housing the Howard County Historical Society museum
• Elwood Haynes Museum - Museum honoring the inventor credited with an early commercially produced U.S. automobile
• Old Ben and the Vermont Covered Bridge - The stuffed 'World's Largest Steer' and a relocated 1876 covered bridge in Highland Park
• Highland Park - Historic city park home to the Vermont Covered Bridge, Old Ben and a giant sycamore stump
• Kokomo Beach Family Aquatic Center - City aquatic center and family recreation facility

Kokomo at a Glance

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023.

• Median household income: About $54,195
• Adults with a bachelor degree or higher: About 17.2%
• Housing: About 65% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied
• Housing: Roughly 70% of housing units are single-family detached homes