Valparaiso (pronounced VAL-pə-RAY-zoh), often called Valpo, is a city in Porter County, Indiana, United States. It is the main city of Porter County. In 2020, about 34,151 people lived there. Valparaiso is also part of the larger Chicago metropolitan area.

History of Valparaiso

The land where Valparaiso now stands was bought from the Potawatomi people by the U.S. Government in 1832. An old Native American town called Chiqua's town was located nearby.

The first log cabin in the area was built in 1834. The town was first named Portersville in 1836. It became the county seat of Porter County. In 1837, its name was changed to Valparaiso. This name means "Vale of Paradise" in Old Spanish. It was named after Valparaíso, Chile. The city was once known as the "City of Churches" because it had many churches in the late 1800s.

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso University started here in 1859. It was one of the first colleges in the country to allow both men and women to attend. It closed for a short time but reopened in 1873. It grew a lot after World War II. Today, it is a well-known university.

Transportation Hub

Valparaiso has always been important for transportation. In 1858, a railroad connected the city to Chicago. By 1910, a special railway linked Valparaiso to Gary, Indiana. Today, the city is close to major highways like I-65 and I-80. Freight trains still run through the downtown area.

Geography and Climate

Valparaiso is located where several main roads meet. These include U.S. Route 30, State Road 2, and State Road 49.

The city covers about 15.58 square miles (40.35 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small amount of water.

Land Features

Valparaiso sits on the Valparaiso Moraine. This area was shaped by glaciers long ago. You can see hills and small lakes formed by the glaciers. Many large rocks, called glacial erratics, are found around the city. The soil is mostly clay.

Weather in Valparaiso

Climate data for Valparaiso, Porter County Regional Airport, Indiana (1991-2020 normals)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	66 (19)	72 (22)	87 (31)	90 (32)	98 (37)	105 (41)	102 (39)	101 (38)	96 (36)	89 (32)	77 (25)	70 (21)	105 (41)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	33.9 (1.1)	37.9 (3.3)	49.1 (9.5)	62.1 (16.7)	73.0 (22.8)	82.2 (27.9)	85.0 (29.4)	83.3 (28.5)	77.6 (25.3)	65.1 (18.4)	50.5 (10.3)	38.8 (3.8)	61.5 (16.4)
Daily mean °F (°C)	26.2 (−3.2)	29.8 (−1.2)	39.8 (4.3)	50.9 (10.5)	61.7 (16.5)	71.4 (21.9)	74.6 (23.7)	72.8 (22.7)	66.2 (19.0)	54.6 (12.6)	42.3 (5.7)	31.6 (−0.2)	51.8 (11.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	18.4 (−7.6)	21.8 (−5.7)	30.5 (−0.8)	39.7 (4.3)	50.5 (10.3)	60.5 (15.8)	64.2 (17.9)	62.3 (16.8)	54.8 (12.7)	44.2 (6.8)	34.2 (1.2)	24.5 (−4.2)	42.1 (5.6)
Record low °F (°C)	−26 (−32)	−21 (−29)	−7 (−22)	10 (−12)	26 (−3)	33 (1)	42 (6)	38 (3)	27 (−3)	18 (−8)	2 (−17)	−20 (−29)	−26 (−32)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	2.38 (60)	2.24 (57)	2.63 (67)	3.74 (95)	4.59 (117)	4.33 (110)	4.10 (104)	3.57 (91)	2.92 (74)	3.93 (100)	3.26 (83)	2.58 (66)	40.27 (1,024)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	14.6 (37)	5.5 (14)	6.7 (17)	1.2 (3.0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.3 (0.76)	2.3 (5.8)	9.4 (24)	40 (101.56)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 inch)	12.6	8.4	10.2	11.2	13.4	10.9	9.5	9.6	9.1	10	10.9	11	126.8
Source 1: NOAA (temperatures) (precipitation and snow at water pumping station)
Source 2: The Weather Channel (records),

People of Valparaiso

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	522	—
1860	1,698	225.3%
1870	2,765	62.8%
1880	4,461	61.3%
1890	5,090	14.1%
1900	6,280	23.4%
1910	6,987	11.3%
1920	6,518	−6.7%
1930	8,079	23.9%
1940	8,736	8.1%
1950	12,028	37.7%
1960	15,227	26.6%
1970	20,020	31.5%
1980	22,247	11.1%
1990	24,414	9.7%
2000	27,428	12.3%
2010	31,730	15.7%
2020	34,151	7.6%
Source: US Census Bureau

In 2010, there were 31,730 people living in Valparaiso. The city had 12,610 households. About 28.7% of households had children under 18. The average age in the city was 33.4 years.

Arts and Culture

Valparaiso has a lively arts and culture scene. You can find many historic homes with different architectural styles.

Live Theater

Chicago Street Theatre: This theater is run by a local community group.
The Memorial Opera House: This is a place where musical shows are performed.
Valparaiso Theatrical Company: This group puts on plays to help raise money for other non-profit groups.

Museums to Visit

Brauer Museum of Art: Located at Valparaiso University, it has over 2,700 pieces of American art.
Museum of Fire Fighting: Learn about the history of firefighting.
Porter County Museum: Also known as the Old Jail Museum, it shares local history.

City Festivals

Popcorn Festival

Valparaiso hosts two big festivals each year:

Popcorn Festival: This festival happens on the first Saturday after Labor Day. It celebrates Orville Redenbacher, who lived in Valparaiso and built a popcorn factory there. The festival has parades, races, and concerts.
Porter County Fair: This fair has carnival rides and many shows. You can see demolition derbies, motocross races, and live music.

Public Library

Valparaiso has a public library. It is part of the Porter County Public Library System.

Historic Buildings

Porter County Courthouse: This building was finished in 1883. It is a large and important building in the city.

National Register of Historic Places

Many buildings and areas in Valparaiso are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites.

Conrad and Catherine Bloch House
Haste-Crumpacker House
Heritage Hall
Immanuel Lutheran Church
Dr. David J. Loring Residence and Clinic
William McCallum House
Charles S. and Mary McGill House
Porter County Jail and Sheriff's House
Porter County Memorial Opera Hall
David Garland Rose House
DeForest Skinner House
Valparaiso Downtown Commercial District
Washington Street Historic District (Valparaiso, Indiana)

Parks and Recreation

Valparaiso has many city parks for everyone to enjoy. In 2005, there were 13 parks.

City Parks

Fairground Park and walking circuit

Valplayso

200 East Park: A community park with a playground. Many local athletes played football here when they were young.
Bicentennial Park: Offers a playground, basketball courts, and picnic areas.
Central Park Plaza: This is a main part of downtown Valparaiso. It has an outdoor stage for concerts and a splash pad for kids.
Fairgrounds Park: Has the most baseball and soccer fields in the city. It also has a playground and basketball court. A paved path is great for walking.
Foundation Meadows: One of the city's newer parks.
Glenrose South: Features several ball fields. It is also where the city's Fourth of July fireworks show is held.
Jessee-Pifer Park: A community park with a basketball court and picnic shelter.
Kirchhoff Miller Woods: Offers basketball, baseball, tennis, and a playground.
Ogden Gardens/Forest Park: Home to the city's botanical garden. Ogden Gardens has beautiful formal gardens and a Japanese garden with a Koi pond.
Rock Island: This is a fun, unofficial "tourist attraction" near a grocery store. People have decorated a curb there with rocks and other items, making it a local inside joke.
Rogers-Lakwood Park: Great for swimming, fishing, and hiking. It connects to bike trails.
Tower Park: Offers basketball, baseball, tennis, pickleball, and a playground. In winter, a basketball court becomes an ice skating rink.
Valplayso/Glenrose North: Home to Valplayso, a playground designed and built by the community. It also has several ball fields.
West Side Park: A community park with a ball field and a playground.
Will Park: A community park with a basketball court, playground, and picnic shelter.

Golf Courses

Valparaiso has several golf courses:

Valparaiso Country Club
Forest Park
Creekside
The Course at Aberdeen

Bike and Hiking Trails

Valparaiso is building many bike trails.

Campbell Street Bikeway: Runs from Rogers-Lakewood Park south for about 2.5 miles (4 km).
Vale Park Trail: Connects to the Campbell Street Bikeway.
Glendale Cross Town Bike Lane: Travels east for about 2 miles (3.2 km).

Education in Valparaiso

Valparaiso has great schools and colleges.

Higher Education

Valparaiso University was founded in 1859. It is a big part of the city's culture. The university has the Brauer Museum of Art, which displays many artworks.

Ivy Tech also has one of its campuses in Valparaiso.

Schools for Kids

Valparaiso has public and private schools.

Public Schools (Valparaiso Community Schools):

* Valparaiso High School * Porter County Career and Technical Center * Benjamin Franklin Middle School * Thomas Jefferson Middle School * Central Elementary * Cooks Corner Elementary School * Heavilin Elementary * Flint Lake Elementary School * Thomas Jefferson Elementary School * Memorial Elementary * Northview Elementary School * Parkview Elementary

East Porter County Schools:

* Washington Township Middle-High School: Serves some parts of Valparaiso.

Private Schools:

* Immanuel Lutheran School (Kindergarten to 8th grade) * Montessori School of Valparaiso * Saint Paul's Catholic School (Kindergarten to 8th grade) * Victory Christian Academy (Kindergarten to 12th grade)

Media and News

Valparaiso gets its news from local newspapers and radio stations.

Newspapers

The Times of Northwest Indiana: This newspaper started in 1906.
The Post-Tribune: This newspaper started in 1907.

Magazines

North Valpo Neighbors and South Valpo Neighbors are magazines published in Valparaiso.

Radio Stations

Local radio stations include:

WLJE 105.5 FM "Indiana 105": Plays country music.
WAKE 1500 AM: Plays adult standards music.
WVLP 98.3 FM "ValpoRadio": A non-profit community radio station.

City Services

Valparaiso gets its water from wells. The water is treated to remove iron. The city also has a bus service called the V-Line, which started in 2007. It connects downtown, the university, shopping centers, and other areas.

In 2008, Valparaiso started an express bus service to Chicago called ChicaGo DASH. Buses travel to Chicago on weekday mornings and return in the evenings.

Notable People

Many interesting people have connections to Valparaiso.

Newton Arvin: A literary critic.
Beulah Bondi: An actress.
Mark N. Brown: An astronaut.
Josephine Cochrane: She invented and patented the modern dishwasher.
Bryce Drew: A professional basketball player.
Chris Funk: Guitarist for the band The Decemberists.
Henry C. Gordon: An astronaut.
Robbie Hummel: A professional basketball player.
Sean Manaea: A professional baseball player.
Orville Redenbacher: He developed a special type of popcorn.
Jeff Samardzija: A professional baseball player.
Carly Schroeder: An actress.

Images for kids

Valparaiso Community Schools cover all of Center Township and most of the city of Valparaiso (that which is within Center Township)

Valparaiso, Indiana facts for kids

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