Porter County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

. As of 2020, the population was 173,215, making it the 10th most populous county in Indiana. 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 ...

is Valparaiso. The county is part of

Northwest Indiana Northwest Indiana, nicknamed The Region after the Calumet Region, comprises Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana. This region neighbors Lake Michigan and is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. According to the 2020 ...

, as well as the

Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hi ...

. Porter County is the site of much of the

Indiana Dunes Indiana Dunes National Park is a United States national park located in northwestern Indiana managed by the National Park Service. It was authorized by Congress in 1966 as the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and was redesignated as the nation ...

, an area of ecological significance. The Hour Glass Museum in Ogden Dunes documents the region's ecological significance.

History

The Porter County area was occupied by an Algonquian people dubbed Huber-Berrien.Tanner, Helen Hornbeck, Atlas of Great Lakes Indian History; University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma (1987) Map 5 This subsistence culture arrived after the glaciers retreated around 15,000 years ago and the rise of glacial Lake Algonquian, 4–8,000 years ago. The native people of this area were next recorded during the

Iroquois Wars The Beaver Wars ( moh, Tsianì kayonkwere), also known as the Iroquois Wars or the French and Iroquois Wars (french: Guerres franco-iroquoises) were a series of conflicts fought intermittently during the 17th century in North America throughout t ...

(1641–1701) as being Potawatomi and

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. The trading post system used by the French and then the English encouraged native people to live in central villages along major waterways. Therefore, there are no recorded villages within Porter County's current boundaries. It was not until 1830 when Chiqua's town and Tassinong appear on maps and in records. Chiqua's town is a mile east of Valparaiso on State Route 2, the old

Sauk Trail The Sauk Trail was originally a Native American trail running through what are present-day Illinois, Indiana and Michigan in the United States. From west to east, the trail ran from Rock Island on the Mississippi River to the Illinois River near ...

. Tassinong is south of Valparaiso about on State Route 49 at Baum's Bridge Road, the main route across the Great Kankakee Marsh. After the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

established US sovereignty over the territory of the upper midwest, the new federal government defined the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...

in 1787 which included the area of present-day Indiana. In 1800, Congress separated Ohio from the Northwest Territory, designating the rest of the land as the Indiana Territory. President Thomas Jefferson chose William Henry Harrison as the governor of the territory, and Vincennes was established as the capital. After the Michigan Territory was separated and the Illinois Territory was formed, Indiana was reduced to its current size and geography. By December 1816 the Indiana Territory was admitted to the Union as a state. The Indiana State Legislature passed an omnibus county bill on 7 February 1835 that authorized the creation of thirteen counties in northeast Indiana, including Porter. In 1837 the county was organized. It was named for Capt. David Porter, naval officer during the

Barbary Wars The Barbary Wars were a series of two wars fought by the United States, Sweden, and the Kingdom of Sicily against the Barbary states (including Tunis, Algiers, and Tripoli) of North Africa in the early 19th century. Sweden had been at wa ...

and the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. In 1962,

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succe ...

built a large integrated steel mill on the shores of Lake Michigan, which is now owned and operated by

Cleveland-Cliffs Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., formerly Cliffs Natural Resources, is a Cleveland, Ohio-based company that specializes in the mining, beneficiation, and pelletizing of iron ore, as well as steelmaking, including stamping and tooling. It is the largest f ...

. The construction of the mill, as well as the neighboring

Port of Indiana The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor is an industrial area, founded in 1965 and located on the Lake Michigan shore of Indiana at the intersection of U.S. Route 12 and Indiana State Road 249. The primary work done in the area is the manufacturing of ...

, generated enormous controversy between industrial interests and locals who wanted to conserve the natural shoreline and habitat. Although the activists lost and the steel mill and port were constructed, the US Congress created the

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Indiana Dunes National Park is a United States national park located in northwestern Indiana managed by the National Park Service. It was authorized by Congress in 1966 as the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and was redesignated as the nation ...

in 1966 to protect the area's unique natural habitat.

Geography

Porter County lies on the northern edge of Indiana; its north border is formed by

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

and its south border is formed by the westward-flowing Kankakee River Its once-tree-covered low rolling hills have been cleared and devoted to agriculture; the only exceptions in Porter County are the drainages carved into the terrain, which are brush-filled. The

East Arm Little Calumet River The East Arm Little Calumet River, also known as the Little Calumet River East Branch, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 19, 2011 portion of the Little Calumet ...

flows westward through the upper portion of Porter County.''Porter County IN'' (Google Maps, accessed 24 August 2020)
/ref> The highest point, at , is a small hill on the county's east border, 2.75 miles (4.4 km) NW of Westville. The lowest point, at approximately , is along the

shoreline (exact elevation varies due to variation in lake level). According to the 2010 census, the county has an area of , of which (or 80.14%) is land and (or 19.9%) is water, most of it in

Adjacent counties

* LaPorte County - east * Starke County - southeast * Jasper County - south * Lake County - west *

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...

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 ...

- northwest, boundary in Lake Michigan * Berrien County,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

- northeast, boundary in Lake Michigan

Protected areas

Indiana Dunes National Park Indiana Dunes National Park is a United States national park located in northwestern Indiana managed by the National Park Service. It was authorized by Congress in 1966 as the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and was redesignated as the nation ...

(part) * Indiana Dunes National Park Heron Rookery *

Indiana Dunes State Park Indiana Dunes State Park is an Indiana State Park located in Porter County, Indiana, United States, east of Chicago. The park is bounded by Lake Michigan to the northwest and is surrounded by as well as within the authorized boundaries of Ind ...

* Moraine Nature Preserve

Major highways

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

Indiana Toll Road The Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East–West Toll Road, is a tolled freeway that runs for east–west across northern Indiana from the Illinois state line to the Ohio state line. It has been advertised as the "Main Street of the ...

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to P ...

U.S. Route 12 U.S. Route 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States Numbered Highways, United States highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90) an ...

U.S. Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. S ...

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

U.S. Route 231 * Indiana 2

State Road 2 * Indiana 8

State Road 8 * Indiana 49

State Road 49 * Indiana 130

State Road 130 * Indiana 149

State Road 149 * Indiana 249

State Road 249 * Indiana 520

State Road 520

Railroads

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

Canadian National The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN ...

Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad The Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad is a Class III short-line railroad operating of rail line in northwestern Indiana. From the town of La Crosse, lines run northwest to the Porter County town of Malden, southeast to the Starke County towns ...

Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad The Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad is a short line railroad offering service from Tolleston, Indiana to Crestline, Ohio, United States over the former Fort Wayne Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It began operations in 2004 as a div ...

Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad The Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad , also known as the South Shore Line, is a Class III freight railroad operating between Chicago, Illinois, and South Bend, Indiana. The railroad serves as a link between Class I railroads and loc ...

* CSX Transportation * Norfolk Southern Railway *

South Shore Line The South Shore Line is an electrically powered interurban commuter rail line operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) between Millennium Station in downtown Chicago and the South Bend International Airport ...

Municipalities

The municipalities in Porter County and their populations as of the 2010 Census:

Cities

Portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

– 36,828 * Valparaiso – 31,730

Towns

Beverly Shores Beverly Shores is a town in Pine Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States, about east of downtown Chicago. The population was 613 at the 2010 census. History Beverly Shores began life as a planned resort community. The Chicago, Lake Shor ...

– 613 *

Burns Harbor Burns Harbor is a town in Westchester Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States on the shores of Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 1,156 at the 2010 census. Burns Harbor is ...

– 1,156 * Chesterton – 13,068 * Dune Acres – 182 *

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...

– 3,724 * Kouts – 1,879 * Ogden Dunes – 1,110 *

Porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., ...

– 4,858 * Town of Pines – 708

Census-designated places

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

– 1,875 * Lakes of the Four Seasons – 3,097 ''(7,033 including portion in Lake County)'' * Salt Creek Commons – 2,117 * Shorewood Forest – 2,708 * South Haven – 5,282 *

Wheeler Wheeler may refer to: Places United States * Wheeler, Alabama, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, California, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, Illinois, a village * Wheeler, Indiana, a ...

– 443

Unincorporated communities

* Aylesworth * Babcock * Beatrice * Boone Grove * Burdick *

Clanricarde Clanricarde (; ), also known as Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) or the Galway Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh who were important landowners in Ireland from the 13th to the 20th centuries. T ...

Coburg Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it ...

* Crocker * Furnessville * Hillcrest * Hurlburt * Malden * Porter Crossroads * Sedley * Suman * Tassinong * Woodville

Townships

The 12 townships of Porter County and their populations as of the 2010 Census:

Education

Colleges and Universities

Ivy Tech Community College Ivy Tech Community College (Ivy Tech) is a public community college system in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the state's public community college system and it has more than 40 locations. It is also the state's largest public postsecondary in ...

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a Lutheran university with about 3,000 students from over 50 countries on a campus of . Originally named Valparaiso Male and Female College, Valparaiso Universit ...

Public School Districts

Public schools in Porter County are administered by several districts, most of which cover areas that roughly follow the county's township boundaries: *

Duneland School Corporation The Duneland School Corporation is the school system that serves Jackson Township, Liberty Township, part of Pine Township, and Westchester Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States. Westchester Township has numerous small towns, incl ...

–

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

and Westchester townships *

East Porter County School Corporation The East Porter County School Corporation is the school system that serves Pleasant Township, Morgan Township, and Washington Township, located in Northwest Indiana Northwest Indiana, nicknamed The Region after the Calumet Region, compri ...

– Morgan, Pleasant and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

townships *

Metropolitan School District of Boone Township The Metropolitan School District of Boone Township is the school system that serves Boone Township, Porter County, Indiana Boone Township is one of twelve townships in Porter County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 6,160. ...

– Boone Township *

Michigan City Area Schools Michigan City Area Schools is a school district based in Michigan City, Indiana in LaPorte County. It serves students in Michigan City and several adjacent towns and villages. It operates one high school, two middle schools A middle school (a ...

– Pine Township *

Portage Township Schools Portage Township Schools is a public school district based in Portage, Indiana. Its boundaries are the same as Portage Township and includes the city of Portage, the town of Ogden Dunes and unincorporated areas including South Haven. Schoo ...

– Portage Township * Porter Township School Corporation – Porter Township * Union Township School Corporation – Union Township *

Valparaiso Community Schools The Valparaiso Community Schools (VCS) is the school system that serves Center Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States. Center Township is predominantly the city of Valparaiso.Verizon Yellow Pages; Portage-Valparaiso; 2008 Schools * Val ...

– Center Township High Schools and Middle Schools * Benjamin Franklin Middle School * Boone Grove High School * Boone Grove Middle School *

Chesterton High School Chesterton High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 located in Chesterton, Indiana. It is the only high school in the Duneland School Corporation. History In 1833, Jesse Morgan, the area's first postmaster, opened the first educ ...

* Chesterton Middle School * Hebron High School * Hebron Middle School *

Kouts Middle-High School Kouts School is a public K-12 school located in Kouts, Indiana. See also * List of high schools in Indiana This is a list of high schools in the U.S. state of Indiana. A Adams County Allen County B Bartholomew County Benton Coun ...

* Morgan Township Middle/High School *

Portage High School Portage High School is a public high school in Portage, Indiana that serves grades 9 through 12. The school has been in the area since the 1960s but can be dated back to the 1940s. The school serves the Portage, Indiana area as well as the South ...

* Thomas Jefferson Middle School * Union Township Middle School *

Valparaiso High School Valparaiso High School is a public high school in Valparaiso, Indiana. History Valparaiso High School opened in 1871 as Valparaiso City Public Graded School in a facility that had been built in 1861 by the local Presbyterian members as the Val ...

* Washington Township Middle/High School * Wheeler High School * William Fegely Middle School * Willowcreek Middle School Elementary Schools * Aylesworth Elementary School * Bailly Elementary School * Boone Grove Elementary School * Brummitt Elementary School * Central Elementary School (Portage) * Central Elementary School (Valparaiso) * Cooks Corners Elementary School * Crisman Elementary School * Flint Lake Elementary School * Hayes Leonard Elementary School * Hebron Elementary School * Jackson Elementary School * John Simatovich Elementary School * Jones Elementary School * Kouts Elementary School * Kyle Elementary School * Liberty Elementary School * Liberty Intermediate School * Memorial Elementary School * Morgan Elementary School * Myers Elementary School * Northview Elementary School * Parkview Elementary School * Paul Saylor Elementary School * Pine Elementary School * Porter Lakes Elementary School * South Haven Elementary School * Thomas Jefferson Elementary School * Union Center Elementary School * Washington Township Elementary School * Westchester Intermediate School * Yost Elementary School

Public libraries

The county is served by two public library systems: * Porter County Public Library has its main branch in Valparaiso with branches in Hebron, Kouts, Portage and South Haven. * Westchester Public Library has its main branch, the Thomas Library, in Chesterton with a branch, the Hageman Library, in Porter.

Hospitals

* Porter Health Care System – ''301 beds'' ** Portage Hospital – Portage ** Porter Regional Hospital – Valparaiso

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Valparaiso have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded in July 1934. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June.

Government

The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the

Constitution of Indiana The Constitution of Indiana is the highest body of state law in the U.S. state of Indiana. It establishes the structure and function of the state and is based on the principles of federalism and Jacksonian democracy. Indiana's constitution is su ...

and the

Indiana Code The Indiana Code is the code of laws for the U.S. state of Indiana. The contents are the codification of all the laws currently in effect within Indiana. With roots going all the way back to the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the laws of Indiana h ...

. County Council: The legislative branch of the county government; controls spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected to four-year terms from county districts. They set salaries, the annual budget and special spending. The council has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes and service taxes. Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county; commissioners are elected county-wide, to staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners execute acts legislated by the council, collect revenue and manage the county government. Court: The county maintains a

small claims court Small-claims courts have limited jurisdiction to hear civil cases between private litigants. Courts authorized to try small claims may also have other judicial functions, and go by different names in different jurisdictions. For example, it may ...

that handles civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court. County Officials: The county has other elected offices, including

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

, coroner,

auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting and a ...

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. These officials are elected to four-year terms. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

affiliations and to be residents of the county. Porter County is part of

Indiana's 1st congressional district Indiana's 1st congressional district is an electoral district for the U.S. Congress in Northwestern Indiana. The district is based in Gary and its surrounding suburbs and exurbs. It consists of all of Lake and Porter counties, as well as most of ...

. In state government, Porter County is in

Indiana Senate The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year term ...

districts 4th, 5th and 6th; in Indiana House of Representatives districts 3rd, 4th, 10th, 19th and 20th. For most of its history, Porter County was a Republican Party stronghold in presidential elections. It has become a swing county in recent years, voting for the national winner in every presidential election since 1980 except for 1992 and 2020.

County elected officials

Board of Commissioners A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

:'' * Jim Biggs ( R, North District) * Jeff Good ( R, Center District) * Laura Shurr Blaney ( D, South District) ''

County Council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Ireland The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...

:'' * Mike Jessen, President ( R, 4th) * Dan L. Whitten, Vice President ( D, At Large) * Sylvia Graham ( D, At Large) * Jeff Larson ( R, At Large) * Andy Bozak ( R, 1st) * Jeremy Rivas ( D, 2nd) * Karen Conover ( R, 3rd) ''

Elected Officials An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their su ...

:'' * Assessor: Jon M. Snyder ( R) *

Audit An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon.” Auditing ...

or: Vicki Urbanik ( D) *

Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

: Karen M. Martin ( R) * Coroner: Chuck Harris ( R) *

Prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...

: Brian T. Gensel ( R) *

Recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

: Jon C. Miller ( R) *

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

: David M. Reynolds ( D) * Surveyor: Kevin D. Breitzke ( D) *

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

: Michelle Clancy ( D)

Demographics

2010 Census

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, there were 164,343 people, 61,998 households, and 43,901 families in the county. The population density was . There were 66,179 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.3% white, 3.0% black or African American, 1.2% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 2.3% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 29.1% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 18.5% were

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, 10.1% were

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

, 9.7% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, 5.8% were

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, and 5.6% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. Of the 61,998 households, 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.2% were non-families, and 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 38.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $73,065. Males had a median income of $59,542 versus $35,534 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,922. About 6.6% of families and 9.4% 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 12.8% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

Porter County Cemeteries

Maplewood Cemetery, next to Graceland in Valparaiso, has burials from the 1700s. The Bailly Cemetery was started in 1827. Additional cemeteries were created as the population grew. Early cemeteries were often family owned or church related. As communities grew, community cemeteries developed. The newest cemetery in the county is Angel Crest Cemetery north of Valparaiso, near

Indiana State Road 49 State Road 49 (SR 49) is a , north–south state highway in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Indiana. Its northern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Route 12 ( Dunes Highway) in Porter near the entrance to Indiana Dunes St ...

Porter County Parks

Porter County has grown from a single park, ''Sunset Hill Farm County Park'', to four, including: ''Calumet Trail'', ''Dunn's Bridge County Park'', and the newest, ''Brincka Cross Gardens''. * Brincka Cross Gardens Pine Township () * Calumet Trail ( long), parallel to U.S. 12, at the north end of the county. A mixed use trail for walking, running, biking and cross-country skiing. * Dunn's Bridge County Park on the southern boundary of the county on County Road 500 East, Dunn's Bridge spans the Kankakee River to Jasper county. It is one of the oldest landmarks in the region. Built over a century ago across the Kankakee River by a resident farmer named Dunn, legend suggests its origins may be traced to the famous George Ferris, creator of the first 'Ferris Wheel'. The park provides small boat access to the Kankakee River and a parking lot. * Sunset Hill Farm County Park (). Built around the Col. Murray farm, the open meadows are used for festivals and events.

Cultural Activities

Museums

* Alton Goin Museum is operated by the Portage Community Historical Society at Countryside Park in Portage to preserve the city's history, including the Trager farmhouse.Indiana Dunes Country Activities Guide, The Official Guide to Porter County, Indiana; The Indiana Dunes: 2015, p. 19 * Bailly Homestead &

Chellberg Farm Chellberg Farm (sometimes Anders Kjellberg Farm) is a historic farmstead which in 1972 became part of Indiana Dunes National Park. Chellberg Farm is significant as it represents the ethnic heritage of a nearly forgotten Swedish-American settlement. ...

is part of Indiana Dunes National Park. *

Brauer Museum of Art The Brauer Museum of Art is home to a collection of 19th- and 20th-century American art, world religious art, and Midwestern regional art. It is located in the Valparaiso University Center for the Arts (VUCA) on the campus of Valparaiso University ...

is operated by

and is located in Valparaiso University Center for the Arts. It has the largest collection of works by Junius R. Sloan. * Depot of Beverly Shores Museum & Art Gallery is a pink stucco museum to preserve Beverly Shores history through rotating exhibits of paintings, drawings, sculpture, ceramics and woodcarving. * Hour Glass House Museum has the works of local artists. * Porter County Museum of History maintains the history of Porter County. * Stagecoach Inn & Panhandle Depot is operated by the Hebron Historical Society in Hebron. * Westchester Township History Museum is operated by the Westchester Public Library and is located in the

George Brown Mansion The George Brown Mansion is an example of the Queen Anne's Style of architecture. It was a dominant style during the 1880s and 1890s, the time when Chesterton was a growing city in northern Indiana. George Brown arrived in the United States in ...

, the former home of a wealthy family that exhibits local history of the Indiana Dunes. * Task Force Tips Fire Museum is operated by Task Force Tips in Valparaiso to preserve the history of fire equipment.

Live Theater

* 4th Street Theater is a community theater in Chesterton.Indiana Dunes Country Activities Guide, The Official Guide to Porter County, Indiana; The Indiana Dunes: 2015, pp. 22-23 * Chicago Street Theatre is a community theater in Valparaiso. * Front Porch Music is a music supply store that offers a weekly 'open mic' night and sponsors concerts in Valparaiso. * Memorial Opera House presents live theater and a variety of other monthly programs. * Valparaiso Theatrical Company travels to different venues in Porter County presenting live theater with the proceeds benefitting a variety of charities. * Valparaiso University Center for the Arts is the

's performing arts center.

Bibliography

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Notes

References

External links

Official Porter County website

Porter County GenWeb
– county history and genealogy website
Porter County Municipal Airport (VPZ)

Center Township Trustee Website
(Information about township assistance for those experiencing financial difficulties.) {{Authority control Indiana counties Northwest Indiana 1836 establishments in Indiana Populated places established in 1836 Chicago metropolitan area