Porter County | |
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![]() Porter County Courthouse in Valparaiso | |
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 | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
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
|
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 |
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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]