Seniors Enjoy The “City of Firsts”

This senior has always loved that name…”Kokomo.”  The settler tradition says Kokomo was named for Kokomoko or Ma-Ko-K0-Mo (meaning “black walnut”), shortened to Kokomo.

David Foster, known as the “Father of Kokomo,” claimed that he named the town Kokomo after the “ornriest Indian on earth” because Kokomo was “the ornriest town on earth.”

Kokomo is the county seat of Howard County, Indiana and the population runs just over 60,000. Kokomo has twice been recognized by the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns for the Community Achievement Award. “Stop Light City”  is the name given by truckers driving through Kokomo, infamous for its many traffic stop signals.

Senior visitors to Kokomo will enjoy the Kokomo Automotive Museum, Seiberling Mansion, Kokomo Opalescent Glass Factory, Elwood Haynes Museum, Kokomo Art Center, IU Kokomo Art Gallery, Kokomo Beach Family Aquatic Center, Greentown Glass Museum, great dining, lodging and shopping.

The Howard County Historical Society is a major attraction in Kokomo. It occupies the Seiberling Mansion, the Elliot House, and their carriage houses. The Seiberling Mansion, originally the residence of one of Kokomo’s richest citizens, Monroe Seiberling, has been on the National Register for Historic Places since 1972.

 Seniors Find a City of Innovations

Substantial growth came after the discovery of large natural gas reserves, which produced a 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. Much of the town was destroyed on April 11, 1965, by an F4 tornado that was part of the Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak.

Senior visitors will find plenty of fun things to see and do in Kokomo. It is known as the “City of Firsts” thanks to its world-renowned automotive heritage and history of technological inventions.

Kokomo is home to Elwood Haynes, who along with the Apperson Brothers, built America’s first gasoline-powered car in 1894. Some of the other ‘firsts’ in Kokomo are the first stainless steel flatware, the first push button car radio, and the first canned tomato juice.

Kokomo’s historic downtown offers a wide variety of interesting attractions, which include family friendly parks, the Wildcat Creek Walk of Excellence walking and biking trail, intercity bikeways, farmers’ market, and summertime open-air concerts in Foster Park.

There are art and glass studios, unique restaurants, and places of historical interest, many within a short walk of the center of town. The local institutions for higher education include a regional campus that is part of Indiana University and Ivy Tech State College.

Off the beaten track and away from the hustle and bustle of cities, Kokomo is an excellent choice for a vacation spot,  a serene place to get away from it all. You will surely enjoy the friendly folks and all the Indiana hospitality.  jeb