LaPorte County, Indiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
LaPorte County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 110,106. The county seat is LaPorte[1]. This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and "Michiana." It is also included in the Michigan City, Indiana-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.
| LaPorte County, Indiana | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Indiana |
|
 Indiana's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1832 |
|---|---|
| Seat | LaPorte |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
613 sq mi (1,588 km²) 598 sq mi (1,549 km²) 15 sq mi (39 km²), 2.41% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
110,106 184/sq mi (71/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website: www.laportecounty.org | |
Contents |
[edit] History
LaPorte County was formed in 1832. La porte means "the door" in French. 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.[2]
Before white settlement, all of the land that forms modern-day LaPorte County, and adjacent Starke County to the south belonged to the Potawatami 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.[3][4]
When the county was initially proposed and organized, its boundaries did not extend as far south 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, often traversing difficult, swampy terrain in order to arrive at the seat of their county to pay taxes or conduct other business with county officials. It was necessary to travel some distance east to the nearest bridge, before making the journey south. 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.[5]
[edit] Geography
The county has a total area of 613 square miles (1,588 km²), of which 598 square miles (1,549 km²) is land and 15 square miles (38 km²) (2.41%) is water.
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Berrien County, Michigan (north)
- St. Joseph County (east)
- Starke County (south)
- Jasper County (southwest)
- Porter County (west)
[edit] National protected area
[edit] Major highways
- Interstate 80
- Interstate 94
- U.S. Route 6
- U.S. Route 12
- U.S. Route 20
- U.S. Route 30
- U.S. Route 35
- U.S. Route 421
- Indiana State Road 2
- Indiana State Road 4
- Indiana State Road 39
- Indiana State Road 104
- Indiana State Road 520
[edit] Railroads
- Amtrak
- 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
| LaPorte County Population by year |
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2000 110,106 |
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[edit] Demographics
As of 2000, there were 110,106 people, 41,050 households, and 28,611 families residing in the county. The population density was 184 people per square mile (71/km²). There were 45,621 housing units at an average density of 29 persons/km² (76 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 86.26% White, 10.13% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.31% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.09% of the population. 25.9% were of German, 12.2% Polish, 10.2% American, 9.0% Irish and 5.5% English ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 41,050 households out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.80% were married couples living together, 11.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.30% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.50% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 105.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,430, and the median income for a family was $49,872. Males had a median income of $36,686 versus $23,955 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,913. About 6.30% of families and 8.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.50% of those under the age of 18 and 9.00% ages 65 or older.
[edit] Communities
[edit] Cities
[edit] Towns
- Hanna
- Kingsbury
- Kingsford Heights
- LaCrosse
- Long Beach
- Michiana Shores
- Pottawattamie Park
- Rolling Prairie
- Trail Creek
- Union Mills
- Wanatah
- Westville
[edit] Townships
- Cass
- Center
- Clinton
- Coolspring
- Dewey
- Galena
- Hanna
- Hudson
- Johnson
- Kankakee
- Lincoln
- Michigan
- New Durham
- Noble
- Pleasant
- Prairie
- Scipio
- Springfield
- Union
- Washington
- Wills
[edit] Education
Public schools in LaPorte County are administered by eight different districts:
- Cass Township Schools
- Dewey Township Schools
- LaPorte Community School Corporation [1]
- Metropolitan School District of New Durham Township [2]
- Michigan City Area Schools [3]
- New Prairie United School Corporation [4]
- Prairie Township Schools
- South Central Community School Corporation [5]
[edit] References
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Calumet Beginnings: Schoon, Kenneth J. (2003)
- ^ http://www.laportecountyhistory.org/history.htm LaPorte County Historical Society
- ^ History of 1838 Trail of Death http://www.potawatomi-tda.org/ptodhist.htm
- ^ http://www.laportecountyhistory.org/history.htm LaPorte County Historical Society
[edit] Further reading
Forstall, Richard L. (editor) (1996). Population of states and counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990 : from the twenty-one decennial censuses. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division. ISBN 0-934213-48-8.
[edit] External links
- Access LaPorte County official community site
- Greater LaPorte Chamber of Commerce
- Healthy Communities of LaPorte County
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