The City of Valparaiso
Valparaiso, Indiana, is located in Porter County on the south shore of Lake Michigan. In 1832, the land in the area of Valparaiso was purchased by the U.S. Government from the Potawatomi Indians. Also known as Valpo, the city was founded as Portersville in 1836 and was renamed Valparaiso in 1837 after Valparaiso, Chile. According to the history books, the first residential home was a log cabin built in 1834.
As of the year 2000 census, 27,428 people resided in Valparaiso. The city is home to Valparaiso University and its 310 acres. VU is a Lutheran University with a strong education offered in the liberal arts, business, performing arts, engineering, education, and litergical studies. Also located in Valpo are the satellite and regional campuses of Purdue North Central and Ivy Tech College.
Greater Northwest Indiana is considered the Crossroads of America, with Interstates 80, 90, 94 and 65 traversing the area, as well as numerous rail services and shipping ports. Historic US Hwy 30, the Lincoln Highway, as well as Indiana State Highways 2 and 49 offer good travel corridors.
Primary and secondary students in the area are served by the public schools of Valparaiso, Wheeler, Washington Township, Morgan, Kouts, Chesterton, Boone Grove, (Valparaiso, Union, Porter, and East Porter Districts) and several other private schools.
For those looking to relocate to Northwest Indiana, several major employers are based in the area, including Arcelor Mittal, Task Force Tips, North Coast Distributing, Porter Memorial Hospital, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso Community Schools, The City of Valparaiso, Emerson/McGill Manufacturing, Family Express, WalMart, McDaniel Fire Systems, Opportunity Enterprises, Pratt Industries, Urschel Laboratories, and more.
Other nearby cities to Valparaiso include Chesterton, Portage, Hebron, Crown Point, Merrillville, Laporte, Kouts, and Hobart, and neighboring counties include Lake and Laporte County.