Coordinates: 41°36′N 86°43′W / 41.6°N 86.717°W
| LaPorte County, Indiana | |
 Location in the state of Indiana |
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 Indiana's location in the U.S. |
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| Seat | La Porte |
|---|---|
| Largest city | La Porte |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
613 sq mi (1,588 km²) 598 sq mi (1,549 km²) 15 sq mi (39 km²), 2.4% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
110,106 184/sq mi (71/km²) |
| Founded | January 1, 1832 |
| Named for | French for "The Door" |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
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| Website | www.LaPorteCounty.org |
LaPorte County[1] is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 110,106. The county seat is the City of La Porte[2]. 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.
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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.[3][4]
Before white 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.[5 ][6]
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, 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. 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 exist to this day.[5 ]
The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code.
County Council: The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also 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.[7][8]
Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, the collection of revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.[7][8]
Court: The county has five elected trial court judges. They include the LaPorte Circuit Court and Superior Courts No. 1-4. The judges are elected to six-year terms on partisan ballots. Superior Courts 3 and 4 maintain small claims dockets. Decisions from any trial court may be appealed to the Indiana Court of Appeals]].[8]
County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Each of these elected officers serve terms of four years and oversee different parts of the county government. Members elected to any county government position are required to declare a party affiliation and be a resident of the county.[8]
Laporte County is part of Indiana's 2nd congressional district and in 2008 was represented by Joe Donnelly in the United States Congress.[9]
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.
Indiana Toll Road
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 212| LaPorte County Population by year |
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2000 110,106 |
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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% Poles, 10.2% American, 9.0% Irish and 5.5% English ancestry according to the 2000 United States Census.
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.
Public schools in LaPorte County are administered by eight different districts:
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.
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Lake Michigan | Berrien County, Michigan | |
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| Porter County |  |
St. Joseph County | ||
 LaPorte County,
Indiana  |
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| Jasper County | Starke County |
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| LaPorte County, Indiana view Community messages | |
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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 LaPorte6. This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and "Michiana." It is also included in the Michigan City-La Porte Metropolitan Statistical Area.
| LaPorte County, Indiana | |
| Map | |
| File:Map of Indiana highlighting LaPorte County.png Location in the state of Indiana |
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 Indiana's location in the USA |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1832 |
|---|---|
| Seat | LaPorte |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
sq mi ( km²) sq mi ( km²) sq mi ( km²), 2.41% |
| wikipedia:Population - (2000) - Density |
110106 |
| Time zone | Central : UTC{{{UTC offset}}}/{{{DST offset}}} |
| Website: www.laportecounty.org | |
Contents |
LaPorte County was formed in 1832. The name means "the door" or "the port" in French, as travelers here left the forests of the east for the prairieland of the west.
The county has a total area of 1,588 km² (613 sq mi). 1,549 km² (598 sq mi) of it is land and 38 km² (15 sq mi) of it (2.41%) is water.
| LaPorte County Population by year |
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2000 110,106 |
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As of 2000, there were 110,106 people, 41,050 households, and 28,611 families residing in the county. The population density was 71/km² (184/sq mi). 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. 3.09% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 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% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, 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. 8.70% of the population and 6.30% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 11.50% are under the age of 18 and 9.00% are 65 or older.
Public schools in LaPorte County are administered by eight different districts:
| Chicago Metropolitan Area | ||
|---|---|---|
| Central City | Chicago |  |
| Largest cities (over 30,000 in 2000) |
Aurora • Berwyn • Bolingbrook •Calumet City • Chicago Heights • Crystal Lake • DeKalb • Des Plaines • East Chicago • Elgin • Elmhurst • Evanston • Gary • Hammond • Harvey • Highland Park • Joliet • Kenosha • Michigan City • Naperville • North Chicago • Park Ridge • Portage • Waukegan • Wheaton |
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| Largest towns and villages (over 30,000 in 2000) |
Addison • Arlington Heights • Bartlett • Bolingbrook • Buffalo Grove • Carol Stream • Carpentersville • Cicero • Downers Grove • Elk Grove Village • Glendale Heights • Glenview • Hanover Park • Hoffman Estates • Lombard • Merrillville • Mount Prospect • Mundelein • Niles • Northbrook • Oak Lawn • Oak Park • Orland Park • Palatine • Schaumburg • Skokie • Streamwood • Tinley Park • Wheeling • Woodridge | |
| Counties | Cook • DeKalb • DuPage • Grundy • Jasper • Kane • Kendall • Kenosha • Lake (Illinois) • Lake (Indiana) • LaPorte • McHenry • Newton • Porter • Will | |
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| State of Indiana Indianapolis (capital) |
| Geography |
Governors | People | History | Demographics | Economy | Transportation | Sports |
| This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at LaPorte County, Indiana. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |
| County of country | United States + |
| County of subdivision1 | Indiana + |
| Short name | LaPorte County + |
   | Greater LaPorte Chamber of Commerce - Greater LaPorte Chamber of Commerce - LaPorte, Indiana |
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