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Porter, IN
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Porter, IN

Porter County, 34 miles SE of the Loop. In 1841, settlers of Fish Lake Township on Lake Michigan successfully changed the name to Porter Township, from which the town of Porter later took its name. Industry followed the construction of railroads through the area. A number of brickyards were active in the late nineteenth century. By the end of the twentieth century, some residents worked at the Bethlehem Steel plant. Porter also features natural scenery as part of the Indiana Dunes State Park and National Lakeshore.


Porter, IN (inc. 1908)
Year Total
(and by category) 		  Foreign Born Native with foreign parentage Males per 100 females
1870 1,006   21.9% — —
  1,086 White (108.0%)      
1930 805   — — —
1960 2,189   — — 101
  2,189 White (100.0%)      
1990 3,118   2.4% — 100
  3,055 White (98.0%)      
  51 Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%)      
  12 Other race (0.4%)      
  78 Hispanic Origin* (2.5%)      
2000 4,972   2.4% — 95
  4,780 White alone (96.1%)      
  41 Black or African American alone (0.8%)      
  11 American Indian and Alaska Native alone (0.2%)      
  29 Asian alone (0.6%)      
  31 Some other race alone (0.6%)      
  80 Two or more races (1.6%)      
  233 Hispanic or Latino* (4.7%)      

Erik Gellman
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