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Northwest Indiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Common name: The Region |
|
| Largest city Other cities |
Gary - Hammond - Michigan City - Portage |
| Counties | - Jasper - Lake - LaPorte - Newton - Porter |
Northwest Indiana, also known as The Lake Region, The Calumet Region, or just The Region, is comprised of Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton, and Jasper counties in Indiana. This region neighbors Chicago, Illinois and Lake Michigan, and is also the Indiana component of Chicagoland and the Chicago Combined Statistical Area. Not only does the region include a large group of Chicago suburbs, such as Crown Point, Merrillville, Highland, Munster, Griffith, Schererville, and Dyer but also a number of cities whose economies are only loosely linked to Chicago's. The largest city in the region is Gary; other notable cities in the region include Hammond, Hobart, Portage, East Chicago, Valparaiso, and Michigan City.
Contents |
Three counties, Lake, Porter, and LaPorte, are served by the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission [1], an organization that coordinates economic and infrastructure development in the region. A number of the suburbs serve as bedroom communities for both the major cities in the region and for Chicago. The northern portion of the region is noted for its heavy industry. Gary, Portage, Burns Harbor and East Chicago are home to major steel mills, including the secondary location of U.S. Steel. The region is also the home of other metals industries, chemical refineries, and heavy manufacturing.
Since the 1990s, casino gambling has become a notable component of the region's economy. Four casino boats with approximately 6,500 slots and 250 table games are located in Lake County. An additional 1,724 slots and forty nine table games are in Michigan City.
The Lake Michigan shore is a major attraction. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, which stretches from Gary to Michigan City, is a well-preserved stretch of sand dunes, beaches, grasslands, and forests, as well as several historical homes and buildings. The five counties of Lake, Porter, Jasper, Newton, and LaPorte are included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined Statistical Area, the broadest of the census defined Metropolitan definitions. Unlike the majority of Indiana, which operates on Eastern Standard Time, these five counties are among seven in Northwestern Indiana that are in the Central Time zone, the other two being Starke and Pulaski. This reflects their close economic integration in the Chicagoland region.
Four major universities are located in the region: Valparaiso University in Valparaiso (the largest private Lutheran University in the United States), Indiana University Northwest (IUN) in Gary, Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, and Purdue University North Central in Westville. Along with several smaller colleges and universities in Northwest Indiana, these institutions offer a variety of degree programs in areas including business administration, engineering and engineering technology, law, education, computing and information technology, and the liberal arts. Additionally, Northwest Indiana is proximate to numerous other universities elsewhere in Indiana and in Chicagoland.
| Census Area | Census 2000 | 1990 Census | 1980 Census | 1970 Census | 1960 Census | 1950 Census |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County, Indiana | 30,043 | 24,960 | 26,138 | 20,429 | 18,842 | 17,031 |
| Lake County, Indiana | 484,564 | 475,594 | 522,965 | 546,253 | 513,269 | 368,152 |
| LaPorte County, Indiana | 110,106 | 107,066 | 108,632 | 105,342 | 95,111 | 76,808 |
| Newton County, Indiana | 14,566 | 13,551 | 14,844 | 11,606 | 11,502 | 11,006 |
| Porter County, Indiana | 146,798 | 128,932 | 119,816 | 87,114 | 60,279 | 40,076 |
- South Shore Line connecting Chicago to South Bend, Indiana, passing through Gary and Michigan City
Interstate 65
Interstate 80
Interstate 90 
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 41
U.S. Route 231
U.S. Route 421
Indiana State Road 2
Indiana State Road 10
Indiana State Road 49
Indiana State Road 53
Indiana State Road 912
- Glenn Robinson
- Latroy Hawkins
- Kenny Lofton
- Michael Jackson
- Janet Jackson
- Latoya Jackson
- Marlin Jackson
- Tito Jackson
- Sue Hendrickson
- Hal Morris
- Jack Hyles
- Jermaine Jackson
- Randy Jackson
- Karen McDougal
- Ron Kittle
- Lloyd McClendon
- Dan Plesac
- Scott Sheldon
- Gregg Popovich
- Tim Stoddard
- Larry Bigbie
- Eugene Wilson
- Dean White
- Jerry L. Ross
- Karl Malden
- Jean Shepherd
| Metropolitan area of Chicagoland |  |
|---|---|
| Central City: Chicago Largest cities (over 30,000 in 2000): Aurora • Berwyn • Calumet City • Chicago Heights • Crystal Lake • DeKalb • Des Plaines • East Chicago • Elgin • Elmhurst • Evanston • Gary • Hammond • Harvey • Highland Park • Joliet • Kenosha • Naperville • North Chicago • Park Ridge • Portage • Waukegan • Wheaton 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 • Kankakee • Kendall • Kenosha • Lake (Illinois) • Lake (Indiana) • LaPorte • McHenry • Newton • Porter • Will |
- Northwest Indiana Community Web Site by NorthwestIndiana.com
- Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission