LaPorte County, Indiana

LaPorte County<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 112,417.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is the city of La Porte,<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> and the largest city is Michigan City. This county is part of the Northwest Indiana and Michiana regions of the Chicago metropolitan area. The LaPorte County Courthouse is located in the county seat of La Porte and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

LaPorte County was formed in 1832. La porte means "the door" or "the port" in French.<ref name="origin"/> French travelers or explorers so named the area after discovering a natural opening in the dense forests that used to exist in this region, providing a gateway to lands further west.<ref>Calumet Beginnings: Schoon, Kenneth J. (2003)</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

From 1832 to 1835 LaPorte County had its boundaries and jurisdiction of the land west of it going all the way to the east border of Chicago in Cook County, IL (land which is now Porter and Lake Counties).

Before European-American settlement, all of the land that forms modern-day LaPorte County, and adjacent Starke County to the south belonged to the Potawatomi Indian nation. These Indians were forcibly removed to Kansas by the United States government in 1838, and many died on what survivors called the Trail of Death.<ref name="La Porte County Historical Society">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

LaPorte County's initial European-American settlers were Yankee migrants, that is to say they were from New England or were from upstate New York and had parents who were from New England, and were descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the colonial era. They were part of a wave of New England settlers moving west into what was then the Northwest Territory after the completion of the Erie Canal through the Mohawk Valley of New York State.

These first settlers in LaPorte County specifically hailed from the Massachusetts towns of Granville, Boston, Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, Andover, Nantucket Island, and Hampshire County; the Connecticut towns of Colchester, Wethersfield, Granby, and New Haven; the New Hampshire towns of Bradford, Amherst and Goffstown; the Vermont villages of Dorset, Albany and Fairfax; many also came from Orange County, Vermont, Caledonia County, Vermont and Penobscot County, Maine. They were mainly members of the Congregational Church. As result of the Second Great Awakening, many became Baptists and many also converted to Pentecostalism and Methodism. When they arrived in what is now LaPorte County, there was nothing but virgin forest and prairie. The New England settlers cleared roads and brush, developed farms, constructed churches, erected government buildings, and established post routes. As a result of this migration, La Porte County was partially culturally continuous with early New England culture for many years.<ref>The Expansion of New England: The Spread of New England Settlement and Institutions to the Mississippi River, 1620-1865, by Lois Kimball Matthews, pp. 201-202</ref>

But by 1850, the three Eastern states that had contributed the most residents to LaPorte County were New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, surpassing those migrants from New England. LaPorte County had the largest number of Southerners north of the Wabash Valley.<ref>Lang, Elfrieda. “Southern Migration to Northern Indiana Before 1850.” Indiana Magazine of History, Volume 50, Issue 4, pp 349-356. 1954. Lang, Elfrieda. “An Analysis of Northern Indiana’s Population in 1850.” Indiana Magazine of History, Volume 49, Issue 1, March 1953. Rose, Gregory C.” Upland Southerners: The County Origins of Southern Migrants.” Indiana Magazine of History, Volume 82, Issue 3, September 1991.</ref>

During the Civil War, the Louisville Journal noted that the 29th Indiana Regiment (mustered out of LaPorte) "may almost be regarded as a Kentucky regiment for a large majority of its members are either natives or descendants of native Kentuckians".<ref>La Porte Herald, October 19, 1861, p. 2</ref> Three Union Camps reigned in LaPorte County helping the Union to Civil War victory.

When the county was initially proposed and organized, its boundaries did not extend as far south or east as they do today. A section of land north of the Kankakee River originally belonged to Starke County. However, residents living in that area had difficulty crossing the river in order to reach the rest of the county. It was necessary to travel some distance east to Lemon's bridge, before making the journey south. Effectively isolated from the rest of Starke County, these residents asked that their land be annexed to LaPorte County, which was completed on January 28, 1842. Thereafter, the Kankakee River formed the southern boundary of the county. Finally, on January 10, 1850, some twenty sections of land were annexed from St. Joseph County to the east, giving LaPorte County the boundaries that essentially exist to this day.<ref name="La Porte County Historical Society" />

Whether the correct spelling of the city and county is "La Porte" or "LaPorte" is disputed,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> although state law refers to "LaPorte County."<ref>Indiana Code 33-33-46.</ref><ref>Indiana Code 3-3-5.</ref>

LaPorte County is noted for being the place of the Belle Gunness serial murders. Gunness lived on a farm on the outskirts of the county seat.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (or 97.56%) is land and Template:Convert (or 2.44%) is water.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> The highest point, at Template:Convert,<ref name="elevhigh"/> is in southwestern Galena Township near County Roads East 600 North and North 150 East. The lowest point, at Template:Convert,<ref name="elevlow"/> is along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Adjacent counties

• Berrien County, Michigan (North/Eastern Time Zone Border)
• St. Joseph County (East/Eastern Time Zone Border)
• Starke County (South)
• Jasper County (Southwest)
• Porter County (West)
• Cook County, Illinois(Northwest) Boundary in Lake Michigan

National protected area

• Indiana Dunes National Park – also in Lake and Porter counties

Major highways

• Template:Jct
• Template:Jct
• File:US 6.svg U.S. Route 6
• File:US 12.svg U.S. Route 12
• File:US 20.svg U.S. Route 20
• File:US 30.svg U.S. Route 30
• File:US 35.svg U.S. Route 35
• File:US 421.svg U.S. Route 421
• File:Indiana 2.svg State Road 2
• File:Indiana 4.svg State Road 4
• File:Indiana 8.svg State Road 8
• File:Indiana 39.svg State Road 39
• File:Indiana 104.svg State Road 104
• File:Indiana 212.svg State Road 212

Railroads

• Canadian National Railway
• 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 (commuter rail)

Municipalities

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

Townships

LaPorte County contains 21 townships, more than any other county in the state.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The townships, with their populations as of the 2010 Census, are: Template:Columns-list

Unincorporated towns

• Lakeland

Demographics

LaPorte County, Indiana – Racial and ethnic composition
Template:Nobold

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	93,330	90,695	85,957	84.76%	81.36%	76.46%
Black or African American alone (NH)	11,052	11,835	11,874	10.04%	10.62%	10.56%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	306	246	250	0.28%	0.22%	0.22%
Asian alone (NH)	483	570	743	0.44%	0.51%	0.66%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	16	13	18	0.01%	0.01%	0.02%
Other race alone (NH)	126	97	467	0.11%	0.09%	0.42%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	1,391	1,918	5,123	1.26%	1.72%	4.56%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3,402	6,093	7,985	3.09%	5.47%	7.10%
Total	110,106	111,467	112,417	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 111,467 people, 42,331 households, and 28,228 families residing in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 48,448 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density" /> The racial makeup of the county was 84.1% white, 10.8% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 2.0% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.5% of the population.<ref name="census-dp1" /> In terms of ancestry, 30.7% were German, 15.3% were Irish, 11.5% were Polish, 8.3% were English, and 5.9% were American.<ref name="census-dp2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 42,331 households, 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.3% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age was 39.6 years.<ref name="census-dp1" />

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $56,679. Males had a median income of $45,537 versus $30,774 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,599. About 9.9% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">Template:Cite web</ref>

Education

K-12 schools

School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

• John Glenn School Corporation
• La Porte Community School Corporation
• Michigan City Area Schools
• New Durham Township Metropolitan School District
• New Prairie United School Corporation
• South Central Community School Corporation
• Tri-Township Consolidated School Corporation

Public libraries

The county is served by five different public library systems:

• LaCrosse Public Library<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• LaPorte County Public Library has its main location in La Porte as well as the Coolspring, Fish Lake, Hanna, Kingsford Heights, Rolling Prairie and Union Mills branches.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Michigan City Public Library<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Wanatah Public Library<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Westville-New Durham Township Public Library has its main location in Westville.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Hospitals

• Northwest Health - La Porte, La Porte – 84 beds<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Franciscan Health Michigan City, Michigan City – 310 beds<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Climate and weather

Template:Climate chart In recent years, average temperatures in La Porte have ranged from a low of Template:Convert in January to a high of Template:Convert in July, although a record low of Template:Convert was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of Template:Convert was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from Template:Convert in February to Template:Convert in June.<ref name="weather"/>

Education

Public schools in LaPorte County are administered by seven different districts:

• John Glenn School Corporation<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• LaPorte Community School Corporation<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Metropolitan School District of New Durham Township<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Michigan City Area Schools<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• New Prairie United School Corporation<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• South Central Community School Corporation<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Tri-Township Consolidated School Corporation<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Colleges and Universities

• Ivy Tech Community College
• Purdue University Northwest<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Politics

From 1992 to 2012, LaPorte County had been reliably Democratic although John Kerry came within 198 votes of losing the county in 2004. But in recent years it has been increasingly Republican with Donald Trump winning the county in all 3 of his presidential runs. Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot

LaPorte County is split between Indiana's 1st and Indiana's 2nd congressional district and is represented by Rudy Yakym and Frank Mrvan in the United States Congress. It is also part of Indiana Senate districts 5 and 8<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Indiana House of Representatives districts 7, 9, 17 and 20.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

County elected officials:

Board of Commissioners

Source:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• Steve Holifield (R, 2nd)
• Connie Gramarossa (R, 1st)
• Joe Haney (R, 3rd)

County Council

Source:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• Adam Koronka (R)
• Justin Kiel(R)
• Jimmy Pressel III (R)
• Randall Novak (D)
• Brett Kessler (R)
• Mike Mollenhauer (D)
• Mark Yagelski (D)

Elected Officials:

• Assessor: Michael R. Schultz (D)
• Auditor: Michael Rosenbaum (R)
• Clerk: Heather Stevens (R)
• Coroner: Lynn Swanson (R)
• Prosecutor: Sean Fagen (R)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Recorder: Elzbieta Bilderback (R)
• Sheriff: Ronald C. Heeg (R)
• Surveyor: John Matwyshyn (R)
• Treasurer: Dan Barenie (R)

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in LaPorte County, Indiana

External links

• Template:Official website
• Access LaPorte County official community site Template:Webarchive
• Greater LaPorte Chamber of Commerce
• Healthy Communities of LaPorte County