State Road 162 in the U.S. State

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

 is a 28 miles (45.1 km) route in Dubois

Dubois County, Indiana

Dubois County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. The county seat is Jasper. As of 2010, the population was 41,889.Dubois County is part of the Jasper Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

 and Spencer

Spencer County, Indiana

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,391 people, 7,569 households, and 5,752 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 8,333 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...

 counties. Though an even-numbered route, in practice it is a north–south route for most of its length.

Route description

State Road 162 begins at U.S. Route 231

U.S. Route 231

U.S. Route 231 is a parallel route of U.S. Route 31. It currently runs for 912 miles from St. John, Indiana, at U.S. Route 41 to south of U.S. Route 98 in Downtown Panama City, Florida.One of its most notable landmarks is the William H...

 in Gentryville

Gentryville, Indiana

Gentryville is a town in Jackson Township, Spencer County, Indiana, United States. The population was 268 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Gentryville is located at ....

. Going east, it passes through Lincoln City

Lincoln City, Indiana

Lincoln City is an unincorporated community in Carter Township, Spencer County in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Indiana. It lies five minutes south of Interstate 64, northeast of Evansville, and approximately twenty miles north of the Ohio River. It was laid out in 1872 on the site...

 near the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is a United States Presidential Memorial, a National Historic Landmark District in present-day Lincoln City, Indiana. It preserves the farm site where Abraham Lincoln lived with his family from 1816 to 1830. During that time, he grew from a 7-year-old boy to a...

, then through Santa Claus

Santa Claus, Indiana

Santa Claus is a town in Carter, Clay and Harrison townships, Spencer County in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Indiana, between Interstate 64 and the Ohio River. The population was 2,041 at the 2000 census.Santa Claus was established in 1854...

 (near Holiday World and Splashin' Safari), and then goes north through Ferdinand

Ferdinand, Indiana

Ferdinand is a town in Ferdinand Township, Dubois County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,157 at the 2010 census. It was founded in 1840 by Joseph Kundek and named after Ferdinand I of Austria....

 (near Interstate 64

Interstate 64

Interstate 64 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. 40, and U.S. 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange with I-264 and I-664 at Bowers Hill in Chesapeake, Virginia. As I-64 is concurrent with...

 exit 63). It terminates in Jasper

Jasper, Indiana

- Strassenfest :The Jasper Strassenfest is a four-day event held annually during the first weekend in August. The "Fest" is a celebration between Jasper and its German sister-city Pfaffenweiler, a small village in southwest Germany. Many citizens of Pfaffenweiler travel to Jasper around this time...

 where it re-joins U.S. Route 231.

History

The highway was designated the William A. Koch Memorial Highway in 2002 following the death of Bill Koch

William A. Koch

William Albert "Bill" Koch, Sr. , developed what is today known as Holiday World and Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, the oldest and one of the best-known theme parks in the United States....

, who, along with his father, Louis J. Koch, was instrumental in creating the Holiday World & Splashin' Safari

Holiday World & Splashin' Safari

Holiday World & Splashin' Safari is a family owned and operated combination theme park and water park, located near Interstate 64 and U.S. 231 in Santa Claus, Indiana, USA. The theme park is divided into four sections that celebrate Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July with...

 and the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is a United States Presidential Memorial, a National Historic Landmark District in present-day Lincoln City, Indiana. It preserves the farm site where Abraham Lincoln lived with his family from 1816 to 1830. During that time, he grew from a 7-year-old boy to a...

. He was also the chief developer of the town of Santa Claus, Indiana

Santa Claus, Indiana

Santa Claus is a town in Carter, Clay and Harrison townships, Spencer County in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Indiana, between Interstate 64 and the Ohio River. The population was 2,041 at the 2000 census.Santa Claus was established in 1854...

, which has grown from less than 100 residents in 1960 to over 2,100 today.

Major intersections