Lake

Formed January 28, 1837 (84^th county)

Lake County (498,707), Crown Point (33,887), Hammond (77,855) 

A Modern steel and glass building was constructed in 1974 at Court Street near the intersection of Taft and 93^rd avenues.  Indiana State Highway 55 is Taft Avenue.  The current courthouse replaced the 1878 building.  There was also an 1850 courthouse in Crown Point.  L. Cosby Bernard & Associates designed the new courthouse.  A County Administration Building was also built in 1974 in the government complex.  A lake sits in front of the complex.  There are augmenting courthouses in East Chicago, Gary, and Hammond.  The county was created on January 28, 1837 as the 84^th county and named for Lake Michigan.   The county was taken from parts of Newton and Porter counties.  Liverpool was the original county seat with Crown Point assuming that role in 1840.  Crown Point is presumably a geographical description. 

Lake County government consists of a sheriff, an auditor, a clerk, a coroner, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 7 Council Members (legislative.)  A Circuit Court Judge, Seven Superior Court Judges, and a prosecutor serve Lake County (judicial.) The county is in the northwest corner of the county on the border with Illinois and Lake Michigan.  Chicago, Illinois is northwest of the county and South Bend, Indiana is east of the county.  The Kankakee River forms its southern border.  The county center is 7.7 miles Northeast of Crown Point nearer Merrillville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Porter, Jasper, and Newton counties and Illinois. 

The area of the county is 499 square miles.  It is 12 out of 92 in the state.   It ranks 2 out of 92 in population in the state.  It has a density of 999.4 persons per square mile making it 2 out of 92 in the state.  Lake County has 91.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 65 originates in the county and heads south into Newton County.  Interstate Highways 80/94 travel east to west from Porter County to Illinois.  Interstate Highway 90 goes east to west from Porter County to Illinois.  United States Highway 6 crosses east to west from Porter County to Illinois.  United States Highway 12 parallels Interstate Highway 94 from Porter County to Illinois.  United States Highway 20 parallels Interstate Highway 80 from Porter County to Illinois.  United States Highway 30 also goes east to west from Porter County to Illinois.  United States Highway 41 enters from Illinois and heads south into Newton County.  United States Highway 231 originates in the county and goes southeast to Porter County.  The county shape is a plow standing on its side.  Crown Point is located near the county center.  The largest city is in the northwest part of the county.  Crown Point is the county seat and Hammond is the largest city.  Crown Point is 6.8% of the county population while Hammond is 15.6% of the county population.  This county is in the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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