La Porte (French for "The Door") is a city in

LaPorte County, Indiana LaPorte County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 111,467. The county seat is the city of La Porte, and the largest city is Michigan City. This county is part of the Northwest Indiana and Michiana ...

, United States, of which it is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

. Its population was estimated to be 21,341 in 2022. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

, which is included in the Chicago–

Naperville Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is in the Chicago metro area, west of the city. Naperville was founded in 1831 by Joseph Naper. The city was ...

–Michigan City,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

–

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

–

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...

. La Porte is located in northwest Indiana, east of Gary, and west of

South Bend South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

. It was first settled by European Americans in 1832. The city is twinned with

Grangemouth Grangemouth ( sco, Grangemooth; gd, Inbhir Ghrainnse, ) is a town in the Falkirk council area, Scotland. Historically part of the county of Stirlingshire, the town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, east of Falkirk ...

in Scotland.

History

The settlement of La Porte was established in July 1832. Abraham P. Andrew, one of the purchasers of the site, constructed the first sawmill in that year. The first settler arrived in October, building a permanent cabin just north of what would become the courthouse square. After the US extinguished land claims by the

Potowatomi The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

and other historic tribes of the area by treaty and removal to Indian Territory, in 1833 a Federal Land Office was established in La Porte. People would come to this office from newly established surrounding counties to buy land from the government, including Solon Robinson, founder of Crown Point. The office was moved to

Winamac Winamac was the name of a number of Potawatomi leaders and warriors beginning in the late 17th century. The name derives from a man named Wilamet, a Native American from an eastern tribe who in 1681 was appointed to serve as a liaison between Ne ...

in 1839. By 1835 the settlement had grown to the extent that La Porte was incorporated as a town. A newspaper was established in 1836. La Porte Medical School, the first of its kind in the Midwest, was founded in 1842. An alumnus of school,

William Worrall Mayo William Worrall Mayo (May 31, 1819 – March 6, 1911) was a British-American medical doctor and chemist. He is best known for establishing the private medical practice that later evolved into the Mayo Clinic. He was a descendant of a famous En ...

, established what became the famed

Mayo Clinic The Mayo Clinic () is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 4,500 physicians and scientists, along with another 58,400 administrative and allied health staff, ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

in 1889. By 1852 La Porte had become a well-established settlement of considerable size for its time and vicinity, with 5,000 residents. In that same year it was granted a city charter by the Indiana General Assembly, and the first mayor was elected. La Porte continued to grow, attracting numerous diverse industries, the largest of which became the

Advance-Rumely The Advance-Rumely Company of La Porte, Indiana was an American pioneering producer of many types of agricultural machinery, most notably threshing machines and large tractors. Started in 1853 manufacturing threshers and later moved on to steam e ...

company. Advance-Rumely developed and manufactured the Oil-Pull tractor engine, considered to have played a pivotal role in the agricultural development of the

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...

. By 1869, Advance-Rumely was the largest employer in La Porte. During the 1850s numerous maple trees were planted along Indiana and Michigan avenues in the city by local resident Sebastian Lay. Subsequently, La Porte became known as the "Maple City". Today, Indiana and Michigan Avenues comprise a historic district in the city, containing many homes and other structures of architectural and historical interest. Between 1892 and 1894, the third and current LaPorte county courthouse was erected at a cost of $300,000. The structure is built of red sandstone from

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

, shipped via boat to Michigan City and then by rail to La Porte. The courthouse is considered to be one of La Porte's best known structures. In 2007 the exterior of the building was extensively restored at a cost of $2.9 million.

Historic sites districts

Downtown LaPorte Historic District Downtown LaPorte Historic District is a national historic district located at LaPorte, LaPorte County, Indiana. The district encompasses 70 contributing buildings in the central business district of LaPorte. It developed between about 1860 ...

* Francis H. Morrison House *

Indiana and Michigan Avenues Historic District Indiana and Michigan Avenues Historic District is a national historic district located at LaPorte, LaPorte County, Indiana. The district encompasses 223 contributing buildings and one contributing site in a predominantly residential section o ...

Marion Ridgeway Polygonal Barn The Marion Ridgeway Polygonal Barn located in LaPorte County on the southern edge of LaPorte, Indiana, is a multi-sided barn. Built in 1878 by Marion Ridgeway and called the Door Prairie Barn. The barn sits east of highway 35 surrounded by woo ...

Geography

La Porte is located at (41.609057, −86.717567). According to the 2010 census, La Porte has a total area of , of which (or 94.26%) is land and (or 5.74%) is water. U.S. 35 passes through La Porte. La Porte is accessible from Chicago by the South Shore train line which begins at Millennium Station and ends in Michigan City, Indiana. With multiple stops in between including Chesterton and Hudson Lake, Indiana. Which are both only a short drive from La Porte. La Porte is also accessible by Automobile.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 22,053 people, 8,962 households, and 5,362 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 9,992 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 28.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 13.0%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.5%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 4.9% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 61.2% of the population. There were 8,962 households, of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.2% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age in the city was 36.2 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.7% were from 25 to 44; 24.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 21,621 people, 8,916 households, and 5,545 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 9,667 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.60%

, 1.92%

, 0.37% Native American, 0.38%

, 3.39% from

, and 1.33% from two or more races.

of any race were 6.52% of the population. There were 8,916 households, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.98. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,376, and the median income for a family was $45,784. Males had a median income of $32,319 versus $22,756 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,900. About 7.7% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The government consists of a mayor and a city council. The mayor is elected in citywide vote. The city council consists of seven members. Five are elected from individual districts. Two are elected at-large.

Education

The La Porte Community School Corporation serves approximately 6,500 students.

Primary and secondary education

*Public schools ** La Porte Community Schools *** La Porte High School ***La Porte Middle School ***La Porte Intermediate School ***Crichfield Elementary ***Hailmann Elementary ***Handley Elementary ***Indian Trail Elementary ***Kingsbury Elementary ***Kingsford Heights Elementary ***Lincoln Elementary ***Riley Elementary ***South LaPorte County Special Education Cooperative *Private schools **

La Lumiere School La Lumiere School is a college preparatory boarding and day school located on a 190-acre campus in Springfield Township, LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. About La Lumiere School is affiliated with several educational associations: * C ...

(9–12) **Saint John Lutheran School (K–8) **St. Joseph's School (PK–5) – closed June, 2012 **Door Prairie Adventist Christian School (PK–8) **Renaissance Academy (PK–8) With eight state

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

titles, La Porte High School holds the distinction of winning the greatest number in Indiana.

Public library

The city has a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

, a branch of the La Porte County Public Library.

Features

The famous

tractor company was established in La Porte where it developed steam engines and eponymous green kerosene tractors. La Porte has been featured in an occasional movie, including Prancer (1989),

A Piece of Eden ''A Piece of Eden'' is a 2000 film directed by John D. Hancock. It was filmed at Hancock's home and apple orchard in La Porte, Indiana. His wife wrote the screenplay. The film had a limited release in theaters before being released on video. The ...

(2000), Treadmill (2006), Providence (2009) and Woman's Prison (2009). La Porte was once the home of the world-famous

Parsons Horological Institute Parsons Horological Institute (originally, La Porte School for Watchmakers; also known as Parsons Horological School) was the first horological school in the United States. It was founded in 1886, in La Porte, Indiana. In 1898, it moved to Peo ...

, founded in the 1890s and still extant as part of

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. Th ...

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

. La Porte was the eastern terminus of the

Chicago – New York Electric Air Line Railroad The Chicago – New York Electric Air Line Railroad (CNY) was a proposed high-speed rail, high-speed electric air-line railroad between Chicago and New York City. At roughly it would have been over shorter than the two primary steam railroads on ...

, an ambitious early

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...

project. Author

J. K. Rowling Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and Philanthropy, philanthropist. She wrote ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to ...

has a Portkey (Key to the City) for La Porte. It was presented to her by

Emerson Spartz Emerson James Spartz (born February 17, 1987) is the founder of the viral media company Dose and the founder of MuggleNet, a Harry Potter fansite. Early life Spartz was born in La Porte, Indiana to Tom and Maggi Spartz. He is the oldest of thr ...

Places of interest

* La Porte Little Theatre Club, founded in 1925 is one of the oldest and longest running live community theatre groups in the country. * LaPorte County Historical Society which features several historic displays including the Kesling Automobile Collection which consists of more than 30 vintage and rare automobiles. * The

, Francis H. Morrison House, and

are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Parks and recreation

La Porte has an extensive city park district. *Allesee Park, (Boyd Boulevard) – is a 6-acre neighborhood park on the south side of the city. It was developed adjacent to a housing subdivision to provide recreational facilities to the neighborhood. The Park was named after George Allesee Sr (18989-1968). The City of La Porte designated the land to be a park and named it after George shortly after his passing. George Allesee was the long time Physical Director of the La Porte YMCA, He also broadcast La Porte Slicers Games on the Radio for 50 years, was the PA Announcer for Sunday Baseball at FOX Park, and for Parochial Football at Kiwanis Field in La Porte. George Allesee Coached many Baseball, Basketball, and Volleyball teams for the YMCA that won state championships. George was the founder of the La Porte Old Timers Baseball association and The La Porte Baseball Hall of Fame. He also played Minor League Baseball after playing High School Football, Basketball, and Baseball. His oldest son also named George was also a well known La Portean as a Sub Teacher for many years after being a History Teacher. His youngest son Tom Allesee played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers. The park includes a baseball diamond, basketball half-court, benches, parking, playground, and a walking track. Improvements were made in 2000 thanks to a donation by Richard Allesee (one of his sons) to the La Porte Park Foundation. *Ben Rees Park, (Scott Street) – is a 1.5-acre parcel that is half of a square block located near the Civic Auditorium. The park was the site of the Fourth Ward School in the early 1900s. The school was demolished in the 1920s and the property was donated to the city in the 1940s. The park was named in honor of Ben C. Rees, a local attorney and school board member. A new playground, basketball court and gazebo shelter were installed through the help of community volunteers and contributions. *Bill Reed Tennis Complex (2150 A Street) – features several tennis courts, parking, water fountains and a pavilion. *Charles W. Lindewald Park, (Park Street) – is considered La Porte's first park. A parcel of land, 9.4 acres on Lower Lake, was purchased in 1890. The original parcel contained a notable grove of white oaks, of which a few stands of this native timber still remains. The park today is a popular site for family reunions and picnics. Facilities include a picnic shelter with grills, playground, restrooms, water fountains, ball diamond, basketball half-court and 12 lighted horseshoe pits, which are home to the La Porte Horseshoe Pitches Association. *Clarke Field, (Farrand Avenue) – is a two square block area of 6 acres that was a donation to the city in the late 1930s. The park is generally surrounded with tall, mature fir evergreen trees that provide a buffer for the adjacent residential areas. The main recreational usage at Clarke Field are two ball diamonds, one used primarily by the La Porte High School junior varsity and La Porte Babe Ruth Baseball and the other for younger age levels. The park also contains a playground, ball diamonds, a concession stand, water fountains, and public restrooms. *Fox Memorial Park, (Truesdale Avenue) – originally started in 1911 with only 15 acres, has grown today to 170 acres of scenic beauty. In the early 1900s, flowers, shrubs, and trees were planted to further beautify the hills of mature oak, hawthorn and wild apple. The entire park was landscaped and strolling paths developed. Fox Memorial Park includes Clear Lake, which encompasses approximately 100 acres of the total park. Today, Fox Memorial Park can be considered one of La Porte's finest parks. It still contains much of its scenic beauty. The trees planted in the early 1900s have matured to provide a scenic environment. Active recreational facilities have been developed at the park as the demand for such activities have increased. The park offers ball diamonds, including Ron Reed Field; basketball; playgrounds; picnic shelters with grills; fishing; boating; water fountains; walking and fitness trials; and Thrills ‘n’ Spills Skate Park. The park also contains the Dennis F. Smith Amphitheatre, home to various special events including the Arts in the Park program. *Hastings Park (Monroe St.) – is a small park, featuring a playground and benches. *Kesling Park (2150 A Street) – is located on the southern edge of the community. It started with a small 2-acre land donation and has since grown through additional donations by the Kesling family to the present day size of 90 acres. Today, residents from all of La Porte enjoy the modern facilities including four ball diamonds, six tennis courts, a walking and nature trail, soccer fields, basketball courts, sledding hill and picnic shelters. The park also contains Fort La Play Porte, a large community-built playground. *Koomler Park (Miller Street) – covers 4 acres in southern La Porte. It was initially a play area developed by the federal government in the 1940s for children of the workers at the Kingsbury Ordinance Plant. In 1962, this land was transferred to the city for exclusive use as a park. Today, Koomler Park serves the residents of Maple Terrace and offers a ball diamond, basketball court and playground. *LaPark (1st Street) – is adjacent to Bethany Lutheran Church. *Rumley Park (Home Street) is a 4-acre neighborhood park that was purchased and developed entirely with federal funds in 1980. It was actually a replacement park for the former Marquette Park, which was located four blocks away. Marquette Park was a piece of donated land that was unsuitable and unbuildable for a park. Rumley Park offers a basketball court, playground, picnic facilities and fishing. *Scott Field (Jefferson Avenue) – was the result of another land donation of a developer. Originally, in the layout of Scott's Second Addition, 5 acres in the middle of the new housing development was left as a neighborhood play area. The land was donated to the City of La Porte in 1923. It was not until 1952 that the Park Department entered a 99-year lease, for $1 per year, with the school corporation. The park currently includes a shelter, playground, ball diamond, open play, half-court basketball and picnic facilities. *Soldiers Memorial Park (250 Pine Lake Ave.) – was dedicated in 1928 and contains 556 acres. It is the largest city park and widely known for its forested beauty, water sports and organized recreational activities. The park encompasses all of Stone Lake, 140 acres of water and all but 628 feet of shoreline. Also the park provides a variety of active and passive recreational activities including swimming, playgrounds, diamond sports (softball, baseball and t-ball), volleyball, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, fishing and boating. Within its gently rolling terrain, the property is approximately 85 percent woodlands and water. Access is available to Stone Lake, Pine Lake, Crane Lake and Craven Pond. Nature trails have been developed through a stand of native trees, allowing environmental education opportunities. Soldiers Memorial Park is also the site of the Park Department Office and maintenance facilities, as well as Cummings Lodge. *Stone Lake Beach (300 Grangemouth Drive) – is a public beach with a volleyball courts, playground, picnic shelter, concession stand, and public restrooms. *Warsaw Tot Lot (Warsaw Street) – is a small playground of less than 1 acre in size. The triangular piece of land was donated to the city in 1946 and was developed in 1980 with funding from a federal grant. The play equipment has been recently updated thanks to a donation from the La Porte Park Foundation. Park also has a basketball half-court. *Pine Lake Beach (Pine Lake Avenue) – is a public beach with picnic tables, a newly built walk-way across the beach, and a picnic shelter including a grill. *Ski-Beach (Waverly Road) – is a public beach with picnic tables and grills. This beach is commonly used by boaters, and has a channel connecting Pine Lake to Stone Lake. ;Lakes *Clear Lake *Crane Lake *Fish Trap Lake *Horseshoe Lake *Lily Lake *Lower Lake *Orr Lake *Pine Lake *Stone Lake ;Golf *Legacy Hills Golf Club * Beechwood Golf Course *Briar Leaf Golf Club ;Public Activities *Fitness Fridays *Saturdays in the Sun *Saturday Farmers Market *TacoFest *Cruise Night *LakeFest

Media

Film

'' Prancer'' (1989) and ''

'' (2000) were filmed on location in La Porte.

Print

''LaPorte Herald-Argus'' is the only newspaper serving the City of La Porte. This media has since been combined with "The News Dispatch" to form "The Herald Dispatch".

Broadcast

La Porte receives television broadcasts and other radio broadcasts from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and

Radio

WCOE, 96.7 FM,

WLOI WLOI is an AM broadcasting, AM radio station broadcasting on the frequency of 1540 AM, 1540 kHz and licensed to the city of La Porte, Indiana. WLOI broadcasts during Clear-channel station#Daytimers, daylight hours only; 1540 AM is a United States ...

, 1540 AM and Rock, 106.5 FM In the 1990s WCOE was a broadcast home to the area NBA Team Chicago Bulls. They broadcast Championship Bulls teams.

Notable people

Dick Alban Richard Herbert Alban (January 17, 1929 – April 8, 2016) was an American football defensive back who played eight seasons for the Washington Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). Alban played college footbal ...

– former

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

defensive back and Pro-Bowler *

Abram Andrew Abram Piatt Andrew Jr. (February 12, 1873 – June 3, 1936) was an American economist and politician who served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, the founder and director of the American Ambulance Field Service during World War I, and a ...

–

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Chuck Baldwin Charles Obadiah Baldwin (born May 3, 1952) is an American right-wing politician, radio host, and founder-former pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. As of January 2011 he was pastor of Liberty Fellowship in Kalispell, Mon ...

– Baptist minister and 2008 Presidential nominee of the Constitution Party * Chris Bootcheck –

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcher for the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

Anne E. Carpenter Anne E. Carpenter is an American scientist in the field of image analysis for cell biology and artificial intelligence for drug discovery. She is the co-creator of CellProfiler, open-source software for high-throughput biological image analysis, ...

– American scientist and the co-creator of

CellProfiler CellProfiler is free, open-source software designed to enable biologists without training in computer vision or programming to quantitatively measure phenotypes from thousands of images automatically. Advanced algorithms for image analysis are av ...

* John C. Chapple – Wisconsin legislator and newspaper editor *

Dorothy Christ Dorothy Christ (September 9, 1925 – November 2, 2020) was an American baseball player who was a backup outfielder in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Christ batted and threw right handed.All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

player *

Art Cross Art Cross (January 24, 1918 – April 15, 2005) was an American racecar driver. He was the first recipient of the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Award in 1952. Racing career Cross began racing midget cars in 1938. He received a Purple He ...

– former race car driver; first Rookie of the Year at the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

Brian Ebersole Brian Keith Ebersole (born November 27, 1980) is an American retired mixed martial artist who competed in the UFC's Welterweight division, and holds a record of 5-3 with the organization. In addition to the UFC, Ebersole has competed in Shooto, ...

–

Mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

veteran;

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

welterweight division fighter *

Daniel Edwards Daniel Edwards (born 1965 in La Porte, Indiana) is an American contemporary artist whose pieces address celebrity and popular culture in ways that have often stirred controversy. The release of the pieces is generally accompanied by press releas ...

– figurative sculptor and artist *

Charlie O. Finley Charles Oscar Finley (February 22, 1918 – February 19, 1996), nicknamed Charlie O or Charley O, was an American businessman who owned Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics. Finley purchased the franchise while it was located in Kansas C ...

– owner of the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics 1960–80 *

Belle Gunness Belle Gunness, born Brynhild Paulsdatter Størset (November 11, 1859 – possibly April 28, 1908), nicknamed "Hell's Belle", was a Norwegian-American serial killer who was active in Illinois and Indiana between 1884 and 1908. Gunness is thought ...

– serial killer active from 1884 to 1908 *

Harold Handley Harold Willis Handley (November 27, 1909 – August 30, 1972) was the 40th governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1957 to 1961. A veteran of World War II, and furniture salesman by trade, Handley began his political career as a state senator ...

– 40th Governor of Indiana, served from 1957 to 1961 *

Hazel Harrison Hazel Harrison (May 12, 1883 – April 29, 1969) was an American concert pianist. She was the first fully American-trained musician to appear with a European orchestra. Harrison was born in La Porte, Indiana, and spent most of her childhood home ...

– pianist, known as the premiere black pianist of her time * Royal R. Ingersoll – U.S. Navy rear admiral * Paul Rowland Julian –

meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...

who with Roland A. Madden discovered the atmospheric phenomena known as the

Madden–Julian oscillation The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is the largest element of the intraseasonal (30- to 90-day) variability in the tropical atmosphere. It was discovered in 1971 by Roland Madden and Paul Julian of the American National Center for Atmospheric R ...

* Peter Kesling – orthodontist known for the development of the tip-edge orthodontic appliance *

Karl Paul Link Karl Paul Gerhard Link (31 January 1901 – 21 November 1978) was an American biochemist best known for his discovery of the anticoagulant warfarin. Training and early career He was born in LaPorte, Indiana to a Lutheran minister of German descen ...

–

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

best known for his discovery of the

anticoagulant Anticoagulants, commonly known as blood thinners, are chemical substances that prevent or reduce coagulation of blood, prolonging the clotting time. Some of them occur naturally in blood-eating animals such as leeches and mosquitoes, where the ...

warfarin Warfarin, sold under the brand name Coumadin among others, is a medication that is used as an anticoagulant (blood thinner). It is commonly used to prevent blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and to prevent strok ...

– founder of the

* Henrietta Meeteer – Latin and Greek professor and dean at

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...

* Alvera Mickelsen – writer and advocate of

Christian feminism Christian feminism is a school of Christian theology which seeks to advance and understand the equality of men and women morally, socially, spiritually, and in leadership from a Christian perspective. Christian feminists argue that contributi ...

Douglas J. Moo Douglas J. Moo (born March 15, 1950) is a Reformed New Testament scholar who, after teaching for more than twenty years at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois, has served as Blanchard Professor of New Testament at the Wheaton Colleg ...

– New Testament scholar *

Isamu Noguchi was an American artist and landscape architect whose artistic career spanned six decades, from the 1920s onward. Known for his sculpture and public artworks, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Graham productions, and several ...

–

Japanese-American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asia ...

artist and landscape architect *

Tom Nowatzke Thomas Matthew Nowatzke (born September 30, 1942) is a former National Football League running back of Polish descent from 1965 through 1972. He scored a touchdown for the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V Super Bowl V was an American football ...

– former

running back *

Tony Raines Floyd Anthony Raines (born April 14, 1964) is a retired American professional stock car racing driver. He is a former National Touring Series champion in the now defunct American Speed Association and 1999 Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationw ...

–

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

driver *

Ron Reed Ronald Lee Reed (born November 2, 1942) is a former two-sport star who spent two seasons as a power forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before spending nearly two decades as a Major League Baseball pitcher. Early life and educa ...

–

pitcher, an All-Star and World Series champion *

John G. Roberts John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as the 17th chief justice of the United States since 2005. Roberts has authored the majority opinion in several landmark cases, including '' Nat ...

– current Chief Justice of the United States *

William Scholl William M. Scholl (June 22, 1882 – March 29, 1968) was a pioneer of foot care and the founder of Dr. Scholl's, a brand of foot care products. Early life and career William Mathias Scholl was born in La Porte, Indiana as one of 13 children. ...

– founder of

Dr. Scholl's Dr. Scholl's is a footwear and orthopedic foot care brand originating in the United States, marketed in some countries as simply Scholl. Since 2021, global rights to the brand have been owned by investment firm Yellow Wood Partners through s ...

Scott Skiles Scott Allen Skiles Sr. (born March 5, 1964) is an American former basketball coach and player. He coached the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic. A first-round draft pick out of Michigan State University, Skiles played ...

–

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

head coach for

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

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Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

and

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– founder of

MuggleNet MuggleNet is the Internet's oldest and largest ''Harry Potter'' and Wizarding World fansite. Founded in 1999, MuggleNet distinguished itself early on by its unique and comprehensive content. Barely one year after it was launched, the site was see ...

, a

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fan website, and

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Wilbur F. Storey Wilbur Fisk Storey (December 19, 1819 – October 27, 1884) was an American journalist and newspaper publisher who was instrumental in the growth of the ''Detroit Free Press'' and the ''Chicago Times''. During the American Civil War, Storey pur ...

– newspaper publisher, ''

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'' and ''

Chicago Times The ''Chicago Times'' was a newspaper in Chicago from 1854 to 1895, when it merged with the ''Chicago Herald'', to become the ''Chicago Times-Herald''. The ''Times-Herald'' effectively disappeared in 1901 when it merged with the ''Chicago Record' ...

'' *

Almon Brown Strowger Almon Brown Strowger (February 11, 1839 – May 26, 1902) was an American inventor who gave his name to the Strowger switch, an electromechanical telephone exchange technology that his invention and patent inspired. Early years Strowger was bo ...

– inventor of an electro-mechanical telephone exchange which became the

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Julius Travis Julius Curtis Travis (July 31, 1869 – March 11, 1961) was an American lawyer, politician, sports journalist, businessman, and judge who served as a justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from January 3, 1921 to January 3, 1933.Minde C. Browning, ...

– Justice of the

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* David Willis – web cartoonist known for ''

It's Walky! David M Willis (born April 3, 1979) is an American web cartoonist currently living in Columbus, Ohio. He is best known for his interconnected series of webcomics ''Roomies!'', ''It's Walky!'', ''Shortpacked!'', and ''Dumbing of Age''. Willis is ...

'', '' Shortpacked!'' and ''Dumbing of Age''

References

External links

* * *
Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce

The ''LaPorte County Herald-Argus'' website

''What's New La Porte?'' Community Stories website

The LaPorte County Public Library

The Internet Movie Database – Titles with locations including La Porte, Indiana, USA

La Porte, Indiana: A Documentary Film
{{authority control Cities in LaPorte County, Indiana Northwest Indiana County seats in Indiana Cities in Indiana Populated places established in 1832 1832 establishments in Indiana