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Indiana Counties

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Indiana Counties

Indiana is divided into 92 counties. The oldest and newest counties in Indiana are Knox County (created 1790) and Newton County (created 1857).

The largest county is Allen (657 sq. mi.) and the smallest is Ohio (87 sq. mi.). According to the Indiana Constitution, no county may be created of less than 400 square miles, nor may any county smaller than this be further reduced in size.

Many Indiana counties are named for the US Founding Fathers and personalities of the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and Battle of Tippecanoe; early leaders of Indiana Territory and Indiana, as well as surrounding states like Michigan and Kentucky; plus Native American tribes and geographical features.

Porter County, Indiana

Porter County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Valparaiso
Year Organized: 1835
Square Miles: 418

Court House:

155 Indiana Avenue
County Courthouse
Valparaiso, IN 46383-5502

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Named for Commodore David Porter who served in the War of 1812

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Porter County was organized February 1, 1836. From 1832 to 1836, the area that was to become Porter County was part of La Porte County. It was named for Capt. David Porter, naval officer during the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812.

Porter County is divided into 12 Civil Townships as follows: Boone, Center, Jackson, Liberty, Morgan, Pine, Pleasant, Portage, Porter, Union, Washington and Westchester.

Geography

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

Neighboring Counties:

North: Lake Michigan
East: La Porte County
Southeast: Starke County
South: Jasper County
West: Lake County

Cities and Towns:

- Beverly Shores	town	Incorporated Area
- Burns Harbor	town	Incorporated Area
- Center	township
- Chesterton	town	Incorporated Area
- Dune Acres	town	Incorporated Area
- Hebron	town	Incorporated Area
- Jackson	township
- Kouts	town	Incorporated Area
- Morgan	township
- Ogden Dunes	town	Incorporated Area
- Pine	township
- Pleasant	township
- Portage	city	Incorporated Area
- Porter	town	Incorporated Area
- Town of Pines	town	Incorporated Area
- Union	township
- Valparaiso (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

Online High Schools

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

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