Northwest Indiana, nicknamed "The Region" after the Calumet Region, is an unofficial region of northern

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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 A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

, Porter and Newton counties in

, 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 Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

and parts of it are in the

Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...

. 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 The Indianapolis metropolitan area is an 11-county metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Indiana. Its principal cities are Indianapolis, Carmel, Indiana, Carmel, Greenwood, Indiana, Greenwood, and Anderson, Indiana, Anderson. Other primary cit ...

. 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 Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

, Kentland, Lake Station, La Porte, Lowell, Merrillville, Michigan City,

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

, Portage, Rensselaer, Schererville, St. John, Cedar Lake, Valparaiso, Whiting, and Winfield.

Overview

The counties of Jasper,

, 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

, which operates on Eastern Standard Time, these counties and Starke are in the

Central Time Zone The North American Central Time Zone (CT) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It ...

, with Pulaski County being the only county of Northwest Indiana in the Eastern Time Zone, reflecting the region's close economic ties to the

. 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 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 Shoreline, 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

levels (Horsley, 1986).Environmental Setting of the Upper Illinois River Basin and Implications for Water Quality Water-Resources Investigations Report 98–4268; Terri L. Arnold, Daniel J. Sullivan, Mitchell A. Harris, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Barbara C. Scudder, Peter M. Ruhl, Dorothea W. Hanchar, and Jana S. Stewart; U.S. Geologic Survey, Department of the Interior; Urbana, Illinois; 1999; pg 11 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

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 thick, with many southern areas have over 200 ft of till (Mades, 1987).pg 12

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 thick; in the lowlands they can be less than thick, while in the upland they can be more than 200 ft thick. Local elevation changes are less than . 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 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 thick, with some more than thick.pg 12, 18

Economy

With a

gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performanc ...

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 El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

metropolitan area. The northern portion of Northwest Indiana is noted for its

heavy industry Heavy industry is an industry that involves one or more characteristics such as large and heavy products; large and heavy equipment and facilities (such as heavy equipment, large machine tools, huge buildings and large-scale infrastructure); o ...

. 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 An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial processes, industrial process Factory, plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refining, refined into products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, Bitumen, asphalt base, ...

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 of gambling floor opened in Gary in 2021, replacing two boats. Two casino boat properties with approximately of aggregate gaming space are located along Lake Michigan in Lake County. An additional of gaming space is located in Michigan City. Former Indiana Governor

Mitch Daniels Mitchell Elias Daniels Jr. (born April 7, 1949) is an American Academic administration, academic administrator, businessman, author, and retired politician who served as the 49th governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013. A Republican Party (United ...

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 Special districts (also known as special service districts, special district governments, or limited purpose entities) are independent, special-purpose governmental units that exist separately from local governments such as county, municipal, and ...

, 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. * Ivy Tech Community College 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 Chicago O'Hare International Airport is the primary international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, United States, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Chicago Loop, Loop business district. The airport is ope ...

(ORD)

Commuter rail

* 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 U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highwa ...

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 Frank Frederick Borman II (March 14, 1928 – November 7, 2023) was an American United States Air Force (USAF) colonel (United States), colonel, aeronautical engineer, NASA astronaut, test pilot, and businessman. He was the commander of Apollo ...

* Junior Bridgeman * Bob Chapek * Dick Cathcart * Jack Chevigny * Dan Dakich * Bryce Drew * Homer Drew * James Edwards * Jim Gaffigan * Winston Garland *

Freddie Gibbs Fredrick Jamel Tipton (born June 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Freddie Gibbs, is an American rapper and songwriter. He signed with Interscope Records in 2006 and recorded his debut album for the label; however, its release was cance ...

* LaTroy Hawkins * Sue Hendrickson * Jack Hyles * Jackson family ** Janet Jackson ** Jermaine Jackson **

La Toya Jackson La Toya Yvonne Jackson (born May 29, 1956) is an American singer and television personality. The fifth child and middle daughter of the Jackson family, Jackson first gained recognition on the family's variety television series, ''The Jacksons (TV ...

** Marlon Jackson **

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

** Randy Jackson ** Tito Jackson * Michael Joiner * Alex Karras *

Ron Kittle Ronald Dale Kittle (born January 5, 1958) is an American former left fielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was known for his home run hitting power, and was named the 1983 Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award ...

* 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 Gregg Charles Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is an American professional basketball executive and former coach who is the president for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the List of current NBA head co ...

* Gary Primich * Orville Redenbacher * Frank Reynolds *

John Roberts John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American jurist serving since 2005 as the 17th chief justice of the United States. He has been described as having a Moderate conservatism, moderate conservative judicial philosophy, thoug ...

* 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 Jean Parker "Shep" Shepherd Jr. (July 26, 1921 – October 16, 1999) was an American storytelling, storyteller, humorist, radio and TV personality, writer, and actor. With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is known for the film ''A Christm ...

* Jo Anne Worley * Tony Zale

Parks and nature areas

* Biesecker Nature Preserve, St. John, Lake CountyStreets of Northwest Indiana; Rand McNally, Chicago, Illinois, 2008 * 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 CountyIndiana Atlas and Gazetter; DeLorme, Yarmouth, Vermont ** 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

References

{{Coord, 41, 10, N, 87, 0, W, region:US-IN_scale:500000, display=title Chicago metropolitan area Regions of Indiana Jasper County, Indiana Lake County, Indiana LaPorte County, Indiana Newton County, Indiana Porter County, Indiana 1884 establishments in Indiana