Northwest Indiana facts for kids

Map of Northwest Indiana

Northwest Indiana, nicknamed The Region after the Calumet Region, 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, with unofficial definitions also including Starke and Pulaski counties. 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. The town of Ogden Dunes houses the Hour Glass, a museum showcasing the ecological and conservation efforts of O. D. Frank.

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, 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. Northwest Indiana is the home of Marktown, Clayton Mark's planned worker community.

Geography

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 shorelines, and the Kankakee Outwash Plain.

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). 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

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 50 and 200 ft thick, with many southern areas have over 200 ft of till (Mades, 1987).

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 200 ft thick; in the lowlands they can be less than 50 ft thick, while in the upland they can be more than 200 ft thick. Local elevation changes are less than 100 ft. 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 300 ft 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 200 ft thick, with some more than 400 feet thick.

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.

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 150,000 square feet (14,000 m²) of gambling floor opened in Gary in 2021, replacing two boats. Two casino boat properties with approximately 164,000 square feet (15,200 m²) of aggregate gaming space are located along Lake Michigan in Lake County. An additional 65,000 square feet (6,000 m²) of gaming space is located in Michigan City.

Former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and the Indiana State Legislature formed the entity known as the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) in 2006. 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:

• Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting
• Indiana University Northwest (IU Northwest) in Gary
• Purdue University Northwest, which encompasses the formerly named Purdue University Calumet campus in Hammond and the formerly named Purdue University North Central campus in Westville
• Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer- Closed in 2017, with plans to reopen as a junior college associated with Marian University (Indiana)
• Valparaiso University in Valparaiso (the largest independent Lutheran University in the United States)
• Hyles-Anderson College in Crown Point.

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.

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

Counties

• Jasper County
• Lake County
• LaPorte County
• Newton County
• Porter County
• Pulaski County
• Starke County

Census Bureau population statistics

Transportation

Major airports

• Gary/Chicago International Airport (GYY) - No current scheduled air service
• Midway International Airport (MDW)
• O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
• South Bend International Airport (SBN)

Commuter rail

South Shore Train at Dune Park Station

• South Shore Line connecting Chicago to South Bend, Indiana, passing through Gary and Michigan City

Highways

• Interstate 65
• Interstate 80
• Interstate 90 (Indiana Toll Road)
• Interstate 94
• U.S. Route 6
• U.S. Route 12
• U.S. Route 20
• U.S. Route 24
• 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 4
• Indiana State Road 8
• Indiana State Road 10
• Indiana State Road 14
• Indiana State Road 16
• Indiana State Road 39
• Indiana State Road 49
• Indiana State Road 51
• Indiana State Road 53
• Indiana State Road 55
• Indiana State Road 71
• Indiana State Road 104
• Indiana State Road 114
• Indiana State Road 130
• Indiana State Road 149
• Indiana State Road 152
• Indiana State Road 212
• Indiana State Road 249
• Indiana State Road 312
• Indiana State Road 520
• Indiana State Road 912

Area codes

• 219
• 574

Local media

Online

• NWIndianaLife.com - Online

Print

• The Times of Northwest Indiana - Print, Online
• Post-Tribune - Print, Online
• Region Sports Network - Print, Online, Broadcast
• Chesterton Tribune - Print, Online
• La Porte Herald-Argus - Print, Online
• The News-Dispatch - Print, Online

Broadcast

• WJOB (AM) 1230 - Radio
• WLTH (AM) 1370 - Radio
• WWCA (AM) - Radio
• WAKE 1500 - Radio
• WIMS (AM) 1420 - Radio
• WGVE-FM 88.7 - Radio
• WLPR-FM 89.1 - Radio
• WEFM (FM) 95.9 - Radio
• WXRD (FM) 103.9 - Radio
• WLJE (FM) 105.5 - Radio
• WZVN 107.1 - Radio
• Regional Radio Sports Network - Radio
• WYIN-TV - 56/17 Television
• WJYS-TV - 62/36 Television

Notable people

• Omar Apollo
• Anne Baxter
• Larry Bigbie
• Stephan Bonnar
• Max Booth III
• Frank Borman
• Junior Bridgeman
• Bob Chapek
• Dick Cathcart
• Jack Chevigny
• Dan Dakich
• Bryce Drew
• Homer Drew
• James Edwards
• Jim Gaffigan
• Freddie Gibbs
• LaTroy Hawkins
• Sue Hendrickson
• Jack Hyles
• Jackson family
  • Janet Jackson
  • Jermaine Jackson
  • La Toya Jackson
  • Marlon Jackson
  • Michael Jackson
  • Randy Jackson
  • Tito Jackson
• Michael Joiner
• Alex Karras
• Ron Kittle
• Bob Kuechenberg
• Rudy Kuechenberg
• Art LaFleur
• Barney Liddell
• Kenny Lofton
• Lloyd McClendon
• Karen McDougal
• Karl Malden
• Dale Messick
• E'Twaun Moore
• Hal Morris
• Betsy Palmer
• Mary Lou Piatek
• Dan Plesac
• Gregg Popovich
• Gary Primich
• Orville Redenbacher
• Frank Reynolds
• John Roberts
• Glenn Robinson
• Glenn Robinson III
• Jerry L. Ross
• Scott Sheldon
• Kawann Short
• Bobby Skafish
• Tim Stoddard
• Hank Stram
• Dean White
• Eugene Wilson
• Jeff Samardzija
• Jean Shepherd
• Jo Anne Worley
• Tony Zale

Parks and nature areas

• Biesecker Nature Preserve, St. John, Lake County
• Calumet Prairie Nature Preserve, Gary, Lake County
• Conrad Savanna Nature Preserve, Conrad, Newton County (black and white oak savanna)
• Fish Lake Wildlife Conservation Area, Fish Lake, LaPorte County
• Gibson Woods Nature Preserve, Hammond, Lake County
• Indiana Dunes National Park, Porter County
  • Cowles Bog
  • Pinhook Bog, LaPorte County
  • Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve, Griffith, Lake County
• Indiana Dunes State Park, Porter County
  • Dunes Nature Preserve
• Ivanhoe Nature Preserve, Gary, Indiana
• Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area, Radioville, Pulaski County
• Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Area, Kingbury, LaPorte County
• LaSalle Fish and Wildlife Area
• Stoutsburg Savanna Nature Preserve, Wheatfield, Jasper County (rolling sand ridges)
• Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife Area, Morocco, Newton County