Northwest Indiana

Map of Northwest Indiana

Northwest Indiana, commonly referred to as "The Region" after the Calumet Region,[1] is an unofficial geographic area in the northwestern corner of Indiana in the United States. Although its boundaries are not formally defined, the area is generally associated with the Gary, Indiana Metropolitan Division, which includes Jasper, Lake, Porter and Newton counties, and the Michigan City–La Porte Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes LaPorte County,[2] with some broader definitions also including Starke and Pulaski counties.[3]

The area borders Lake Michigan and portions of it are considered part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Based on the 2020 United States census, the broadest definition of Northwest Indiana has a population of 866,965, making it the second-largest urban area in the state after the Indianapolis metropolitan area.

Northwest Indiana contains the Indiana Dunes National Park and the Indiana Dunes State Park.[4][5][6] The region's largest city is Hammond, followed 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, Rensselaer, Schererville, St. John, Cedar Lake, Valparaiso, Whiting, and Winfield.

Overview

Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Newton and Porter counties are included in the Chicago–Naperville–Michigan City Combined Statistical Area, the broadest census-defined designation for the Chicago metropolitan area. Unlike most of Indiana, which is in the Eastern Time Zone, these counties and Starke County are in the Central Time Zone; Pulaski County is the only county in the broader definitions of Northwest Indiana that is in the Eastern Time Zone. The time zone alignment reflects the area's economic connections with the Chicago metropolitan area.

Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties are served by the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, the metropolitan planning organization for the area.[7]

Northwest Indiana is the home of Marktown, a planned worker community in East Chicago designed by Clayton Mark.[8]

Geography

The Long Stairs up the dune at West Beach on the Succession Trail

The Lake Michigan shoreline is a major geographical feature of the region. Indiana Dunes National Park, which extends from Gary to Michigan City, contains areas of sand dunes, beaches, grasslands, forests, and several historic structures.

The landscape of Northwest Indiana ranges from steep dunes to rolling morainal hills and flat river valleys, reflecting the influence of glacial activity and Lake Michigan on the area's topography. Notable landforms in the region include the Valparaiso Moraine, Tinley Moraine, Lake Border Moraine, Iroquois Moraine, Calumet Shoreline, Glenwood Shoreline, Tolleston Shoreline, and the Kankakee Outwash Plain.[9]

Chicago Lake Plain

The Chicago Lake Plain encompasses the relatively flat northern portion of Northwest Indiana located north of the morainal system. The plain consists of glaciolacustrine deposits that formed under the waters of glacial Lake Michigan. This lake developed as glaciers melted north of the Valparaiso Moraine. Overflow through a low point on the moraine at the Chicago Outlet in the present-day southwestern Chicago suburbs lowered the lake to approximately its modern level (Horsley, 1986).[10] As the lake receded, it left a series of sand ridges marking former shorelines. Along the Lake Michigan coast, prevailing winds formed additional dune ridges, creating variation within the originally flat surface of the lake plain.

Wheaton Morainal Plain

Physiography of the Upper Illinois River Basin

South of the Chicago Lake Plain, covering central parts of Lake and Porter counties and northern LaPorte County, lies the hilly Wheaton Morainal Plain. This plain includes the Valparaiso Moraine and Tinley Moraine, which run roughly parallel to the Lake Michigan shoreline. The Wheaton Morainal Plain is composed of rolling moraines from the Wisconsin glaciation and consists of clayey till, sandy and loamy till, with localized deposits of sand and gravel. Additional sediments include lake clay, silt, and alluvium. Thicknesses of these deposits range between 50 and 200 ft (15 and 61 m), with some southern areas exceeding 200 ft of till (Mades, 1987).[11]

Kankakee Outwash Plain

The Kankakee Outwash Plain, located in southern Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties, is a flat outwash plain formed by meltwater from glaciers halted at the Valparaiso Moraine (Mickelson et al., 1984). The deposits are primarily sand and gravel, with additional layers of alluvium and fill material. Deposit thickness generally averages less than 200 ft (61 m), ranging from under 50 ft (15 m) in lowland areas to more than 200 ft in upland areas. Local elevation variations are typically less than 100 ft (30 m),[11] and the plain includes numerous scattered sand dunes.

Bloomington Ridged Plain

The Bloomington Ridged Plain occupies the southernmost portion of Northwest Indiana, in the Iroquois River valley of southern Newton and Jasper counties. The area is characterized by low, rolling hills, including moraines such as the Iroquois Moraine, with elevation changes of less than 300 ft (91 m). Soils in the region consist of loamy till, lake clay, and silt. These deposits were left by the northeastward retreat of the Huron-Erie glacial lobe, in contrast to the northern half of Northwest Indiana. Thickness of the deposits is generally less than 200 ft (61 m), though some areas exceed 400 ft (120 m).[12]

Economy

In 2015, Northwest Indiana had a gross domestic product of $28.64 billion, representing approximately nine percent of Indiana's total gross state product. This placed the region second among Indiana metropolitan areas, after Indianapolis, and 89th in the United States, comparable to the GDP of the El Paso, Texas, metropolitan area.[13]

The northern portion of Northwest Indiana is a center for heavy industry. Major steel mills are located in Gary, Portage, Burns Harbor, and East Chicago, including the largest North American facilities of U.S. Steel (Gary Works) and Cleveland-Cliffs (Indiana Harbor). Whiting, East Chicago, and Hammond are the location of the largest oil refinery in the world operated by BP. Other industrial outputs in the region include fabricated metals, transportation equipment, and food products.

Since the 1990s, casino gambling has become a notable part of the regional economy. In 2021, a land-based casino with approximately 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2) of gaming space opened in Gary, replacing two boats. Two casino boats with a combined gaming space of approximately 164,000 square feet (15,200 m2) operate along Lake Michigan in Lake County, and an additional facility in Michigan City provides 65,000 square feet (6,000 m2) of gaming space.[14]

In 2006, the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) was established by the Indiana State Legislature and then-Governor Mitch Daniels.[15] The RDA is a special-purpose district authorized to invest in transportation and economic development throughout the region.

Several suburban communities in Northwest Indiana function as commuter towns for individuals who work in Chicago.

Higher education

Colleges and universities located in Northwest Indiana include:[16]

Counties

Census Bureau population statistics

Census Area 2020 census 2010 census 2000 census 1990 census 1980 census 1970 census 1960 census 1950 census
Jasper County, Indiana
32,918
33,478
30,043
24,960
26,138
20,429
18,842
17,031
Lake County, Indiana
498,700
496,005
484,564
475,594
522,965
546,253
513,269
368,152
LaPorte County, Indiana
112,417
111,467
110,106
107,066
108,632
105,342
95,111
76,808
Newton County, Indiana
13,830
14,244
14,566
13,551
14,844
11,606
11,502
11,006
Porter County, Indiana
173,215
164,343
146,798
128,932
119,816
87,114
60,279
40,076
Pulaski County, Indiana
12,514
13,402
13,755
12,643
13,258
12,534
12,837
12,493
Starke County, Indiana
23,371
23,363
23,556
22,747
21,997
19,280
17,911
15,282
Total
866,965
856,302
823,388
785,493
827,650
802,558
729,751
540,848

Transportation

Airports

Commuter rail

South Shore Train at Dune Park Station

Highways

Area codes

Local media

Print

Broadcast

Notable people

Parks and nature areas

See also: Kankakee River

References

  1. ^ "What's up with that? Where did the term 'Da Region' come from?". 3 February 2018.
  2. ^ Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas (March 6, 2020). "0MB BULLETIN NO. 20-01" (PDF). Office of Management and Budget.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Pete, Joseph (March 26, 2024). "'Northwest Indiana reaches record population as Lake County surpasses 500,000 people for first time since 1982'". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  4. ^ "South Shore Journal - Alice Gray, Dorothy Buell, and Naomi Svihla: Preservationists of Ogden Dunes". Archived from the original on 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  5. ^ "South Shore Journal - the Historical Roots of the Nature Conservancy in the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland Region: From Science to Preservation". Archived from the original on 2016-01-01. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  6. ^ "South Shore Journal - the Cultural Impact of a Museum in a Small Community: The Hour Glass in Ogden Dunes". Archived from the original on 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  7. ^ "Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission Homepage". Nirpc.org. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  8. ^ "South Shore Journal - Marktown: Clayton Mark's Planned Worker Community in Northwest Indiana". Archived from the original on 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  9. ^ Environmental Geology of Lake and Porter Counties, Indiana An Aid to Planning; By Edwin J. Hartke, John R. Hill, and Mark Reshkin; Environmental Study 8 Department of Natural Resources Geological Survey Special Report 11
  10. ^ 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
  11. ^ a b pg 12
  12. ^ pg 12, 18
  13. ^ "Northwest Indiana has state's second biggest economy". Indianeconomicdigest.com. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  14. ^ "South Shore Casinos | Northwest Indiana Things to Do". Southshorecva.com. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  15. ^ Mike Pence (2016-07-21). "RDA: Home". In.gov. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  16. ^ ""America's Best Colleges 2007"". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 2007-01-11. Retrieved 2006-11-25.
  17. ^ "The Lakeshore 89.1 FM Homepage". Thelakeshorefm.com. Archived from the original on 2009-03-05. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  18. ^ a b c d Streets of Northwest Indiana; Rand McNally, Chicago, Illinois, 2008
  19. ^ a b c d Indiana Atlas and Gazetter; DeLorme, Yarmouth, Vermont

41°10′N 87°0′W / 41.167°N 87.000°W / 41.167; -87.000

allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Indiana