Northwest Indiana

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File:Northwest Indiana Seven County Map.png
Map of Northwest Indiana

Northwest Indiana, nicknamed "The Region" after the Calumet Region,[1] is an unofficial region of northern Indiana, United States that is located at the northwestern corner of the state. Though there is no official definition of the region, it is based on the Gary, Indiana Metropolitan Division, which comprises Jasper, Lake, Porter and Newton counties in Indiana, and the Michigan City-La Porte, IN Metropolitan Statistic Area, which comprises LaPorte,[2] with unofficial definitions also including Starke and Pulaski counties.[3] This region neighbors Lake Michigan and parts of it are in the Chicago metropolitan area. According to the 2020 census, the largest definition of Northwest Indiana has a population of 866,965 and is the state's second largest urban area after the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area. It is also the home of the Indiana Dunes, parts of which have been preserved through conservation efforts.[4][5][6] The town of Ogden Dunes houses the Hour Glass, a museum showcasing the ecological and conservation efforts of O. D. Frank.[6]

The region's largest city is Hammond, followed closely by Gary. Other municipalities in Northwest Indiana include Aix, Burns Harbor, Chesterton, Crown Point, DeMotte, Dyer, East Chicago, Griffith, Highland, Hebron, Hobart, Kentland, Lake Station, La Porte, Lowell, Merrillville, Michigan City, Munster, Portage, Rensselaer, Schererville, St. John, Cedar Lake, Valparaiso, Whiting, and Winfield.

Overview

The counties of Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Newton and Porter are included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined Statistical Area, the broadest of the census-derived Metropolitan definitions. Unlike the majority of Indiana, which operates on Eastern Standard Time, these counties and Starke are in the Central Time Zone, with Pulaski County being the only county of Northwest Indiana in the Eastern Time Zone, reflecting the region's close economic ties to the Chicago metropolitan area.

Three counties — Lake, Porter and LaPorte — are served by the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission metropolitan planning organization.[7] Northwest Indiana is the home of Marktown, Clayton Mark's planned worker community.[8]

Geography

File:West Beach Succession Trail Dune.JPG
The Long Stairs up the dune at West Beach on the Succession Trail

The Lake Michigan shore is a major attraction. Indiana Dunes National Park, 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 terrain of Northwest Indiana varies from very steep and rugged at the dunes, to rolling in the moraines, and to pancake flat in the river valleys. It was shaped by glacial activity and Lake Michigan. The main geographical features of Northwest Indiana include the Valparaiso Moraine, Tinley Moraine, Lake Border Moraine, Iroquois Moraine, Calumet Shoreline, Glenwood Shoreline, Tolleston Shoreline, and the Kankakee Outwash Plain.[9]

Chicago Lake Plain

The Chicago Lake Plain covers the relatively flat northern quarter of Northwest Indiana north of the moraines. Initially, the plain was flat, composed of glacio-lacustrine deposits. These formed under the waters of glacial Lake Michigan. The lake formed from the melting glaciers north of the Valparaiso Moraine. Eventually the lake overflowed a low spot on the moraine at the Chicago Outlet near the southwest suburbs. This lowered the lake level to current day Lake Michigan levels (Horsley, 1986).[10] As the lake shrunk, it left a series of sand ridges where its ancient beaches were. Along the Lake Michigan shoreline, the prevailing winds have built a series of dune ridges, breaking up the original flat surface of the Lake Plain.

Wheaton Morainal Plain

File:Kankakee Physiography modified.JPG
Physiography of the Upper Illinois River Basin

South of the Chicago Lake Plain in the central parts of Lake and Porter County and northern LaPorte county is the hilly Wheaton Morainal Plain. The Wheaton Morainal Plain consist of the Valparaiso Moraine and Tinley Moraine, paralleling the Lake Michigan Shoreline. The plain consist of rolling Wisconsinan-age moraines. The Morainal Plain is clayey till, and sandy and loamy till, with areas of sand and gravel. Other deposits include lake clay, silt, and alluvium. Deposits are between Script error: No such module "convert". thick, with many southern areas have over 200 ft of till (Mades, 1987).[11]

Kankakee Outwash Plain

The Kankakee Outwash Plain (southern Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties) is a flat outwash plain formed by the melting glacier, which was stopped at the Valparaiso Moraine. (Mickelson and others, 1984). Deposits are predominantly sand and gravel, but also include alluvium and fill materials. Deposits average less than Script error: No such module "convert". thick; in the lowlands they can be less than Script error: No such module "convert". thick, while in the upland they can be more than 200 ft thick. Local elevation changes are less than Script error: No such module "convert"..[11] and include many scattered sand dunes.

Bloomington Ridged Plain

The Bloomington Ridged Plain covers only the most southern part of Northwest Indiana in the valley of the Iroquois River in southern Newton and Jasper counties. This area consists of low and rolling hills, i.e., moraines like the Iroquois Moraine with less than Script error: No such module "convert". changes in elevation. The soils are loamy till, lake clay and silt. Unlike the northern half of Northwest Indiana, the Huron-Erie glacial lobe left these deposits in its northeastward retreat. Deposits are less than Script error: No such module "convert". thick, with some more than Script error: No such module "convert". thick.[12]

Economy

With a gross domestic product of $28.64 billion in 2015, Northwest Indiana accounts for approximately nine percent of Indiana's gross state product. This figure ranks second among metropolitan areas in the state (after Indianapolis) and 89th in the United States, comparable to the GDP of the El Paso, Texas metropolitan area.[13]

The northern portion of Northwest Indiana is noted for its heavy industry. Gary, Portage, Burns Harbor and East Chicago are home to major steel mills, including the largest North American facilities for both U.S. Steel (Gary Works) and Cleveland Cliffs (Indiana Harbor). Whiting and Hammond are home to the largest oil refinery in the Midwestern U.S., operated by BP. Other industrial outputs include fabricated metals, transportation equipment, and food products.

Since the 1990s, casino gambling has become a significant component of Northwest Indiana's economy. A land-based casino with about Script error: No such module "convert". of gambling floor opened in Gary in 2021, replacing two boats. Two casino boat properties with approximately Script error: No such module "convert". of aggregate gaming space are located along Lake Michigan in Lake County. An additional Script error: No such module "convert". of gaming space is located in Michigan City.[14]

Former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and the Indiana State Legislature formed the entity known as the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) in 2006.[15] The RDA, a special-purpose district, is vested with both legal authority and tax dollars to invest in transportation and economic development throughout the region.

A number of Northwest Indiana's suburban communities serve as bedroom communities for Chicago.

Education

Colleges and universities located in Northwest Indiana include:

These institutions offer a variety of degree programs in fields such as 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 the Chicago metropolitan area.[16]

A number of both public and private primary and secondary schools are also located throughout Northwest Indiana and the nearby Chicago metropolitan area.

Counties

Census Bureau population statistics

Census Area 2020 census 2010 census 2000 census 1990 census 1980 census 1970 census 1960 census 1950 census
Jasper County, Indiana
32,918
33,478
30,043
24,960
26,138
20,429
18,842
17,031
Lake County, Indiana
498,700
496,005
484,564
475,594
522,965
546,253
513,269
368,152
LaPorte County, Indiana
112,417
111,467
110,106
107,066
108,632
105,342
95,111
76,808
Newton County, Indiana
13,830
14,244
14,566
13,551
14,844
11,606
11,502
11,006
Porter County, Indiana
173,215
164,343
146,798
128,932
119,816
87,114
60,279
40,076
Pulaski County, Indiana
12,514
13,402
13,755
12,643
13,258
12,534
12,837
12,493
Starke County, Indiana
23,371
23,363
23,556
22,747
21,997
19,280
17,911
15,282
Total
866,965
856,302
823,388
785,493
827,650
802,558
729,751
540,848

Transportation

Major airports

Commuter rail

File:South Shore Train at Dunes Park.jpg
South Shore Train at Dune Park Station

Highways

Area codes

Local media

Online

Print

Broadcast

Notable people

Parks and nature areas

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References

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  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Environmental Geology of Lake and Porter Counties, Indiana An Aid to Planning; By Edwin J. Hartke, John R. Hill, and Mark Reshkin; Environmental Study 8 Department of Natural Resources Geological Survey Special Report 11
  10. ↑ Environmental Setting of the Upper Illinois River Basin and Implications for Water Quality Water-Resources Investigations Report 98–4268; Terri L. Arnold, Daniel J. Sullivan, Mitchell A. Harris, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Barbara C. Scudder, Peter M. Ruhl, Dorothea W. Hanchar, and Jana S. Stewart; U.S. Geologic Survey, Department of the Interior; Urbana, Illinois; 1999; pg 11
  11. ↑ a b pg 12
  12. ↑ pg 12, 18
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ a b c d Streets of Northwest Indiana; Rand McNally, Chicago, Illinois, 2008
  19. ↑ a b c d Indiana Atlas and Gazetter; DeLorme, Yarmouth, Vermont

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