Porter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 146,798. The county seat is Valparaiso⁶. This county is part of Chicagoland.

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,351 km² (522 mi²). 1,083 km² (418 mi²) of it is land and 268 km² (104 mi²) of it is water, most of it in Lake Michigan. The total area is 19.84% water.

Adjacent counties

• Berrien County, Michigan (north, in Lake Michigan)
• LaPorte County (east)
• Starke County (southeast)
• Jasper County (south)
• Lake County (west)
• Cook County, Illinois (northwest, in Lake Michigan)

History

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Porter County was formed in 1836. It was is named for Capt. David Porter, naval officer during the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812.

Demographics

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2000 146,798
1990 128,932
1980 119,816
1970 87,114
1960 60,279
1950 40,076
1940 27,836
1930 22,821
1920 20,256
1910 20,540
1900 19,175

'''Porter County Population by year

As of the census² of 2000, there were 146,798 people, 54,649 households, and 39,729 families residing in the county. The population density was 136/km² (351/mi²). There were 57,616 housing units at an average density of 53/km² (138/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.33% White, 0.92% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.26% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. 4.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 54,649 households out of which 35.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.80% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.30% were non-families. 22.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.80% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 10.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $53,100, and the median income for a family was $61,880. Males had a median income of $50,167 versus $26,347 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,957. About 3.90% of families and 5.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.80% of those under age 18 and 5.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

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• Beverly Shores
• Burns Harbor
• Chesterton
• Dune Acres
• Hebron
• Kouts
• Ogden Dunes
• Portage
• Porter
• South Haven
• Town of Pines
• Valparaiso

Notes

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External links

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• Official Porter County website
• Porter County Municipal Airport (VPZ)

Indiana counties | Porter County, Indiana | Chicago metropolitan area

Porter County | ポーター郡 (インディアナ州) | Condado de Porter