Porter County
County
Porter County Courthouse in Valparaiso
Flag
Motto:  "Front Porch of the Dunes"
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°51′N 87°07′W / 41.850°N 87.117°W / 41.850; -87.117
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Region	Northwest Indiana
Metro area	Chicago Metropolitan
Established	1836
Named for	David Porter
County seat	Valparaiso
Largest city	Portage (population and area)
Incorporated municipalities	11 cities and towns Beverly Shores (town) Burns Harbor (town) Chesterton (town) Dune Acres (town) Hebron (town) Kouts (town) Ogden Dunes (town) Portage (city) Porter (town) Town of Pines (town) Valparaiso (city)
Government
• Type	County
Area
• County	521.8 sq mi (1,351 km2)
• Land	418.2 sq mi (1,083 km2)
• Water	103.6 sq mi (268 km2)
• Metro	10,874 sq mi (28,160 km2)
• Rank	29th largest county in Indiana
• Region	2,726 sq mi (7,060 km2)
Elevation [1] (mean)	843 ft (257 m)
Highest elevation [2] – NE Jackson Twp	870 ft (270 m)
Lowest elevation [3] – at Lake Michigan	585 ft (178 m)
Population  (2020)
• County	173,215
• Estimate  (2023)	173,335
• Rank	9th largest county in Indiana 374th largest county in U.S.[4]
• Density	330/sq mi (130/km2)
• Metro	9,522,434
• Region	819,537
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (Central)
ZIP Codes	46301-02, 46304, 46307-08, 46341-42, 46347, 46360, 46368, 46383-85, 46391, 46393
Area code	219
Congressional district	1st
Indiana Senate districts	4th, 5th and 6th
Indiana House of Representatives districts	3rd, 4th, 10th, 19th and 20th
FIPS code	18-127
GNIS feature ID	0450382
Interstates
U.S. Routes
State Routes
Airport	Porter County Regional
Waterways	East Arm Little Calumet River Kankakee River Lake Michigan Little Calumet River Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor Salt Creek
South Shore Line stations	Beverly Shores – Dune Park Portage/Ogden Dunes
Public transit	V-Line
Website	www.porterco.org
Indiana county number 64

Porter County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 173,215, making it the 10th most populous county in Indiana.^[5] The county seat is Valparaiso.^[6] The county is part of Northwest Indiana, as well as the Chicago metropolitan area. Porter County is the site of much of the Indiana Dunes, an area of ecological significance.^[7][8][9] The Hour Glass Museum in Ogden Dunes documents the region's ecological significance.^[10]

History

The Porter County area was occupied by an Algonquian people dubbed Huber-Berrien.^[11] 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.^[12] The native people of this area were next recorded during the Iroquois Wars (1641–1701) as being Potawatomi and Miami. 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.^[11] Chiqua's town is a mile east of Valparaiso on State Route 2, the old Sauk Trail. Tassinong is south of Valparaiso about 5 miles (8.0 km) on State Route 49 at Baum's Bridge Road, the main route across the Great Kankakee Marsh.^[13]

After the American Revolutionary War established US sovereignty over the territory of the upper midwest, the new federal government defined the Northwest Territory 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^[14] on February 7, 1835, that authorized the creation of thirteen counties in northeast Indiana, including Porter.^[15] In 1837 the county was organized. It was named for Capt. David Porter, naval officer during the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812.^[16][17]

In 1962, Bethlehem Steel built a large integrated steel mill on the shores of Lake Michigan, which is now owned and operated by Cleveland-Cliffs. The construction of the mill, as well as the neighboring Port of Indiana, 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 in 1966 to protect the area's unique natural habitat.^[18]

Geography

Porter County lies on the northern edge of Indiana; its north border is formed by Lake Michigan 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 flows westward through the upper portion of Porter County.^[19] The highest point, at 870 feet (270 m),^[20] is a small hill on the county's east border, 2.75 miles (4.4 km) NW of Westville. The lowest point, at approximately 585 feet (178 m), is along the Lake Michigan shoreline (exact elevation varies due to variation in lake level). According to the 2010 census, the county has an area of 521.78 square miles (1,351.4 km²), of which 418.15 square miles (1,083.0 km²) (or 80.14%) is land and 103.63 square miles (268.4 km²) (or 19.9%) is water,^[21] most of it in Lake Michigan.

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

• Indiana Dunes National Park (part)
• Indiana Dunes National Park Heron Rookery
• Indiana Dunes State Park
• Moraine Nature Preserve^[19]

Major highways

Railroads

• Amtrak
• Canadian National
• Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad
• Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad
• Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad
• CSX Transportation
• Norfolk Southern Railway
• South Shore Line

Municipalities

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

Cities

• Portage – 36,828
• Valparaiso – 31,730

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Townships

The 12 townships of Porter County:

Education

Colleges and Universities

• Ivy Tech Community College
• Valparaiso University

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:

High Schools and Middle Schools

Elementary Schools

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.^[22]
• Westchester Public Library has its main branch, the Thomas Library, in Chesterton with a branch, the Hageman Library, in Porter.^[23]

Hospitals

• Porter Health Care System – 301 beds^[24]
  • Portage Hospital – Portage
  • Porter Regional Hospital – Valparaiso

Climate and weather

Valparaiso, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.1     30 15     1.8     36 20     2.9     47 29     3.6     60 38     3.9     71 49     4.7     80 58     3.8     83 63     3.9     81 61     3.7     74 54     3.2     63 43     3.6     48 33     2.9     35 22 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel[25]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     54     −1 −9     46     2 −7     74     8 −2     92     16 3     98     22 9     118     27 14     97     28 17     99     27 16     93     23 12     81     17 6     90     9 1     73     2 −6 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Valparaiso have ranged from a low of 15 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 83 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1934. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.82 inches (46 mm) in February to 4.66 inches (118 mm) in June.^[25]

Government

The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana and the Indiana Code.

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.^[26][27]

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.^[26][27]

Court: The county maintains a small claims court 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.^[27]

County Officials: The county has other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. These officials are elected to four-year terms. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.^[27]

Porter County is part of Indiana's 1st congressional district. In state government, Porter County is in Indiana Senate 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.

Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Porter_County,_Indiana
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United States presidential election results for Porter County, Indiana^[28]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	45,008	51.87%	39,746	45.81%	2,014	2.32%