La Porte

Formed January 29, 1832 (65^th county)

La Porte County (112,422), Laporte (22,460), Michigan City (32,065)

A classic sandstone courthouse with an outstanding working clock tower is located on Lincolnway at Indiana and Michigan streets.  United States Highway 35 is Indiana Street.  The 1894 building designer is Brentwood S. Tolan in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.  A 2004 annex is across the street.  The is an augmenting courthouse in Michigan City.  The county was formed on January 29, 1832 from parts of Saint Joseph County and Native American Territory as the 65^th county with Laporte as the only county seat.  The county and county seat names are French for “the door.”  The word was used to describe settlers going from the eastern forests to the open prairies.  The courthouse was built in 1892 and an annex was built in 2004.  La Porte County was the birthplace of 1 Indiana Governor, Harold W. Handley. 

La Porte County government consists of a sheriff, 3 Commissioners, and 7 Council Members.  A Circuit Court Judge and Six Superior Court Judge serve La Porte County.  The county is in northwest Indiana.  It is part of the Chicago Metropolitan Area.  It is located on Lake Michigan and the border with Michigan.  Gary, Indiana is west and South Bend, Indiana is east of the county.  The county center is 13 miles Southwest of Laporte nearer Union Mills.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Michigan and Saint Joseph, Starke, Jasper, and Porter counties. 

The area of the county is 598 square miles.  It is 2 out of 92 in the state.   It ranks 15 out of 92 in population in the state.  It has a density of 188.0 persons per square mile making it 21 out of 92 in the state.  La Porte County has 59.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highways 80/90 cross the county east to west from Saint Joseph County to Porter County.  Interstate Highway 94 comes from the north, Michigan, and goes to the west, Porter County.  United States Highway 6 goes southeast to west from Saint Joseph to Porter counties.  United States Highway 12 parallels Interstate Highway 94 from Michigan to Porter County.  United States Highway 20 parallels Interstate Highways 80/90 from Saint Joseph to Porter counties.  United States Highway 30 crosses the southern part of the county east to west from Starke County to Porter County.  United States Highway 35 originates in the county and heads south into Starke County.  United States Highway 421 originates in the county and goes south into Starke County.  The county resembles a plow.  The City of Laporte is in the northern third of the county.  The largest city is on Lake Michigan in the northwest corner of the county.  Laporte is the county seat and Michigan City is the largest city.  Laporte is 20.0% of the county population while Michigan City is 28.5% of the county population.  This county is in the Michigan City-Laporte Metropolitan Statistical Area.