LakeNET, The Information Connection for Lake County, Indiana

Porter County Facts

Where in the world is Porter County?

During the 1800s, the county's earliest newcomers came on foot, horseback and by wagon along an Indian trail that led west. Today, you can come by car via Interstates 94 and I-80/90 (the Indiana Toll Road), US Highways 30, 6, 12 and 20 and State Road 49. Located in the northwest corner of Indiana, the County is close to several airports: Chicago O'Hare (75 miles), Midway (55 miles) and Michiana (South Bend, 50 miles).

A Brief History

Porter County, in 1863, was named in honor of Commodore David Porter of the U.S. Navy, whose famous battle during the War of 1812, while in command of the Essex, was fought near the harbor of Valparaiso, Chile. Commodore Porter captured seven British ships and took possession of the Marquesas Islands during this great exploit. Eventually, the Essex was blockaded by British ships in the harbor at Valparaiso and Porter was taken prisoner. He was released later and when Porter County was named after him in 1836, he was serving as American charge d'affairs at Constantinople. Commodore Porter died in 1843.

The County's first Courthouse, located in the city of Valparaiso, was completed in 1837 and reconstructed after a fire in 1934. In 1995, the courthouse was renovated and modernized, but its distinctive character as a focal point for the downtown was preserved.

Demographics

The County is divided into twelve townships: Boone, Center, Jackson, Liberty, Morgan, Pine, Pleasant, Portage, Porter, Union, Washington and Westchester. Cities are: Burns Harbor / Chesterton / Dune Acres / Hebron / Kouts / Portage / Porter / Valparaiso. The Port of Indiana, a major seaport opens this area for foreign trade vessels via the St. Lawrence seaway and is located in Portage. Valparaiso is the county seat.

Facts and Figures

County Seat: Valparaiso

Largest City: Portage (pop in 2006: 36,300)

Square Miles: 522.0

Location of Porter County

County Details

In Depth Profile

Environmental Info EPA

United States Geological Survey Map of Porter County

	Population in 2006	% of County
Beverly Shores	737	0.5%
Burns Harbor	1,015	0.6%
Chesterton	12,456	7.8%
Dune Acres	225	0.1%
Hebron	3,629	2.3%
Kouts	1,813	1.1%
Ogden Dunes	1,281	0.8%
Portage	36,300	22.7%
Porter	5,313	3.3%
Town of Pines	796	0.5%
Valparaiso	29,516	18.4%

Order by Size

Portage

Valparaiso

Chesterton

Porter

Hebron

Kouts

Ogden Dunes

Burns Harbor

Town of Pines

Beverly Shores

Source: Stats Indiana

Unemployment  Source

MONTH...........LABOR FORCE.......EMPLOYED......UNEMPLOYED.....UNEMP RATE
2006  November          83,261          80,219          3,042           3.7%
      December          83,301          80,049          3,252           3.9%
2007  January           83,111          78,838          4,273           5.1%
      February          82,711          78,620          4,091           4.9%
      March             83,333          79,427          3,906           4.7%
      April             82,534          79,178          3,356           4.1%
      May               82,199          79,293          2,906           3.5%
      June              83,184          79,976          3,208           3.9%
      July              82,147          79,085          3,062           3.7%
      August            80,838          77,591          3,247           4.0%
      September         81,235          78,489          2,746           3.4%
      October           81,165          78,352          2,813           3.5%
      November          81,739          78,745          2,994           3.7%
                                                                
LAST 12 MONTH AVG       82,291          78,970          3,321           4.0%

All data above are 2007 Benchmark.

Zip Code: 46302 - 46385 Area Code: (219)	School Information Porter County	Population 2006 160,105 2005: 157,772 2004: 154,961 2003: 152,533 2000 146,798 1990 128,932 1980 119,816 Historical Population
Porter County Budget	School Information Porter County
County: Porter	Property Tax Rate for 2006 2007	Homes owned: 76.94%
Median Age: 36.1	Persons per square mile: 382.9	Home Median Value: $149,500 2005 Source
Sales Tax: 6.00%	Median Income: $61,309	Employment and business statistics

Interesting Links for Valparaiso:

Valparaiso Centennial History Book

Chapel of the Resurrection Tour
One of the largest College Chapels in the United States.

Fun Facts....

Historic Stagecoach Inn, Hebron

The Stagecoach in was the first frame building built in Hebron in 1849, by Mr. McCune. It was originally used as a way station along the stagecoach route between Detroit and St. Louis. After the coming of the railroad in 1836, the Inn continued to serve as a resting place for travelers, as well as for sportsmen who came to hunt and fish along the Kankakee River. Today, the Stagecoach Inn is still in the original location at 127 North Main, and serves as a historical museum.

Mount Baldy, Indiana Dunes in Michigan City

Centuries ago, glaciers, moving and carving the land in their wake, created Mount Baldy and the surrounding area as the Ice Age came to an end. Today, Mount Baldy stands an imposing 123 feet tall and is the largest "living" dune that marram grass and cottonwood trees cannot hold in place. This giant mound of sand actually moves south at a rate of four to five feet each year, burying all woodlands in its path. Mount Baldy is the perfect destination for outdoor activities.

Dunn's Bridge

Local legend has it that Dunn's Bridge, CR-500 East Over Kankakee River, is constructed from steel salvaged from one of the late 19th century's most audacious engineering project--the gigantic mechanical wheel designed and constructed by George W. G. Ferris for the 1893 World's Fair. Some have also claimed the bridge came from a 1904 Indiana Building at the St. Louis World Fair. The bridge is owned by the Porter County Parks Department. Source: http://www.historicbridges.org/indiana/dunns/index.htm

Orville Redenbacher

Orville Redenbacher started his popcorn business in Valparaiso when he purchased the George F. Chester and Son dent seed corn plant with partner Charlie Bowman, later named Chester Hybrids. In 1951 near Valparaiso, Indiana, they tried tens of thousands of hybrid strains of popcorn before achieving success. Redenbacher can be first seen on national television around 1972, long before his well-known commercial appearances as himself promoting his gourmet kernels. In 1976, he sold the company to Hunt-Wesson Foods but continued to promote the product.

Valparaiso Moraine

Valparaiso is located near the southern crest of a glacial moraine (now known as the Valparaiso Moraine). It came down from the Hudson Bay country it gathered up and pushed along great masses of earth, stone, boulders, gravel and sand, and as its southern edge melted it deposited this conglomerate mass of materials and formed what is known by geologists as the Valparaiso moraine. This moraine extends from northwest of Chicago, completely around the southern end of the lake and up into Michigan northeast of Michigan City. This moraine is in some places three hundred feet high and from eight to twenty miles wide. Source: http://www.calumet.tripod.com/dunes/a-knotts.html

Diana of the Dunes

Around 1915, the area that is now the Dunes State Park in northern Indiana was mostly uninhabited wilderness. The stories spread around the vicinity of Chesterton, Indiana that fisherman who were along the beach at certain times of the day had been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a naked woman swimming in the lake. The story spread that a beautiful woman was living as a hermit along the beach and her notoriety grew to a point that many compared her to the ancient Greek goddess Diana...hence the name of this legendary creature. In truth, her name was Alice Marble Gray. Read more of her story.

Hollywood Sign

Milan Zima owner of Ad-Craft Sign Company in Portage and his brother Bill, formerly of Gary, Indiana, opened a branch of their business in California called Neon Products, Inc. in El Monte during the 1960's. Zima and Bill won the bid to restore the famous Hollywood sign on Mt. Lee overlooking Hollywood, California in 1973. The job took 15 days to complete by replacing old sheet metal and putting a fresh coat of paint. The job was dangerous and 4 men quit the first day repairing the 50 foot high letters.
Source: Post-Tribune article "Portage man to the rescue of famed Hollywood sign", by Samuel Wyatt, September 7, 1973.

Nike Army Base

A former NIKE Battery C-47 Army base located a mile north of Wheeler and a couple of miles east of Hobart was used to protect our area with missiles and was abandoned by the government in 1972. The area was used by the Porter School system as an environmental education center and driver's ed training. In 1982 the School Corporation returned 20.46 acres (the radar and admin site, Barracks Area) to GSA. The 20.46 acres were subsequently conveyed to a private party. The remaining 14.16 acres (The Launch Area) were utilized by the School Corporation for Drivers Training and Storage until August 24, 1993, when the property was returned to GSA. The School Corporation made beneficial use of the Launch Area over 20 years, June 1973 - August 1993.

The 35 acre site is now privately owned and is used as a paintball park called Blast Camp. Blast Camp field is located at 550 West and 600 North in Wheeler, IN.

Leon Noel

Ripley's Believe It or Not featured the story of Leon Noel, born on Christmas Eve 1908 in Valparaiso. He became a hometown celebrity. He died on Christmas day, '99. An Internet search shows that the palindromic name Leon Noel isn't so uncommon.

Robotic Librarian

The Christopher Center for Library & Information Resources at Valparaiso University has one of only 30+ such systems being used in libraries worldwide; VU's system is fifth. These systems are usually used in industry and in distribution. The "robotic librarian" system retrieves stored books, via electronic request and can deliver a book to circulation within 10 minutes.
The ASRS at the Christopher Center has 1872 bins accessed by two cranes. The storage system can hold about 300,000 items; it currently houses about 80,000 items. The Christopher Center also has 10 REAL librarians, 13 REAL staff members, and many library student assistants; although the non-robotic librarians, staff, and students assistants don't get the attention that the so-called robots do, they are infinitely more intelligent, helpful, and charming than either of the robotic cranes.
Source: William H. Weare, Jr.
Access Services Librarian
Christopher Center for Library & Information Resources

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