1. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes 1 GIS in Prevention County Profiles Series, No. 3 Porter County, Indiana Barbara Seitz de Martinez, PhD, MLS, CPP The Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University is funded, in part, by a contract with the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, financially supported through HHS/Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant. The IPRC is operated by the Department of Applied Health Science and The School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. THE INDIANA PREVENTION RESOURCE CENTER

2. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes GIS in Prevention County Profile Series, No. 3 Porter County, Indiana Barbara Seitz de Martinez, PhD, MLS, CPP Project Staff: Indiana Prevention Resource Center Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of the Trustees of Indiana University or the Division of Mental Health and Addiction. Indiana University accepts full Responsibility for the content of this publication. ©2005 The Trustees of Indiana University. Permission is extended to reproduce this County Profile for non-profit educational purposes. All other rights reserved. Ritika Bhawal, MPH Solomon Briggs Kyoungsun Heo, MPA Srinivasa Konchada

3. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Sources: Map from PCensus for MapInfo; Geographic Notes from Indiana Facts: Flying the Colors by John Clements, 1995. Porter County is located in Northwestern Indiana and is bordered by Lake Michigan and the following Indiana counties: La Porte to the east, Starke to the southeast, Jasper to the south and southwest, and Lake to the west. Interstate Highways 94, 80 and 90, and U.S. Highway 30 cross the county. Elevation is 650 to 850 feet. There is a wide variation in terrain with nearly flat land along the border with Lake Michigan and in the south, and slightly sloping landscape from west center to northeast. The landscape features hickory, beech, maple, and oak trees. The central part of the county pertains to the Northern Illinois and Indiana Heavy Till Plain land resource area; and areas in the north and in the south pertain to the Southern Michigan and Northern Indiana Drift Plain land resource area. Porter county is in the Eastern Time Zone and observes DST. Average daily temperatures are 14/31٥ in January and 60٥/85٥ in July. Annual precipitation is about 39 and snowfall about 30-50 inches. Because of the warming effect of the lake, the first freeze actually occurs earliest in the south (October 5-10), next in the central region (October 10-20), and last along Lake Michigan (October 20-30). Likewise the last freeze occurs first along the Lake (April 20- 30), later in central area (May 1-5), and last in the south (May 5-10). The growing season lasts 153-193 days. Agricultural activity is diversified, with 53% in farms, and about eighty-five percent in commercial crops. Primary crops include hay, corn for grain, soybeans, and winter wheat. Cucumbers and tomatoes are important vegetables, and popcorn is a special crop. Livestock include cattle/calves and hogs/pigs. Main natural resources include construction sand/gravel, industrial sand/gravel, petroleum and forestland. Water resources include lakes/ reservoirs (including Flint Lake, Lake Eliza, Lake Louise, Lake-of-the-Four Seasons A and B, Lake of the Four Seasons C, Long Lake, Loomis Lake, Mink Lake, Rice Lake, and Schneider Lake), the Little Calumet and Kankakee Rivers, and streams (Salt Creek, Wolf Creek, Crooked Creek, and Cornell Ditch). Communities include the cities of Portage and Valparaiso, the county seat; the towns of Beverly Shores, Burns Harbor, Chesterton, Dune Acres, Hebron, Kouts, Ogden Cunes, Porter, and Town of Pines. 3. Geographic and Historical Notes

4. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Porter County The maps and tables in this publication were prepared using PCensus 7.06 for MapInfo and MapInfo Professional 7.0.

5. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Porter County is not a tobacco-producing county, according to the Strategic Development Group’s “Alternative Agricultural Strategy” (Bloomington, March 15, 2001) report, which is part of Governor Joseph E. Kernan’s “Recipient Final Reports for Office of the Commissioner of Agriculture Grant Programs” (http://www.in.gov/oca/grants/valueadd/VAFinalReports.html):http://www.in.gov/oca/grants/valueadd/VAFinalReports.html 3. Location and Historical Notes

6. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Don’t Know Your Block Group Number? You can find it easily at the American Factfinder Web SiteAmerican Factfinder Web Site 3. Porter County Block Group Maps

7. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Porter County Block Groups Slide #1

8. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Porter County Block Groups Slide #2

9. GIS in Prevention, County Profiles, Series 3 (2006) 3. Geographic and Historical Notes Porter County Block Groups Slide #3