Northwest Indiana, commonly referred to as "The Region" after the Calumet Region, 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, with some broader definitions also including Starke and Pulaski counties.
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. 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.
Northwest Indiana is the home of Marktown, a planned worker community in East Chicago designed by Clayton Mark.
Geography 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.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
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).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 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 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 , with some southern areas exceeding 200 ft of till (Mades, 1987).pg 12
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 , ranging from under in lowland areas to more than 200 ft in upland areas. Local elevation variations are typically less than , 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 . 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 , though some areas exceed .pg 12, 18
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.
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 of gaming space opened in Gary, replacing two boats. Two casino boats with a combined gaming space of approximately operate along Lake Michigan in Lake County, and an additional facility in Michigan City provides of gaming space.
In 2006, the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) was established by the Indiana State Legislature and then-Governor Mitch Daniels. 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:
Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting Indiana University Northwest (IU Northwest) in Gary Purdue University Northwest, which combines the former Purdue University Calumet campus in Hammond and Purdue University North Central campus in Westville Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer Valparaiso University in Valparaiso Hyles-Anderson College in Crown Point. Ivy Tech Community College
Counties Jasper County Lake County LaPorte County Newton County Porter County Pulaski County Starke County
Census Bureau population statistics Census Area2020 census2010 census2000 census1990 census1980 census1970 census1960 census1950 censusJasper County, IndianaLake County, IndianaLaPorte County, IndianaNewton County, IndianaPorter County, IndianaPulaski County, IndianaStarke County, IndianaTotal
Transportation
Airports Gary/Chicago International Airport (GYY) - No current scheduled air service
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 Indiana State Road 2 Indiana State Road 4 Indiana State Road 8 Indiana State Road 10 Indiana State Road 14 Indiana State Road 16 Indiana State Road 39 Indiana State Road 49 Indiana State Road 51 Indiana State Road 53 Indiana State Road 55 Indiana State Road 71 Indiana State Road 104 Indiana State Road 114 Indiana State Road 130 Indiana State Road 149 Indiana State Road 152 Indiana State Road 212 Indiana State Road 249 Indiana State Road 312 Indiana State Road 520 Indiana State Road 912
Area codes 219 574
Local media 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 Junior Bridgeman Bob Chapek Dick Cathcart Jack Chevigny Dan Dakich Bryce Drew Homer Drew James Edwards Jim Gaffigan Winston Garland Freddie Gibbs LaTroy Hawkins Sue Hendrickson Jack Hyles Jackson family Janet Jackson Jermaine Jackson La Toya Jackson Marlon Jackson Michael Jackson Randy Jackson Tito Jackson Michael Joiner Alex Karras Ron Kittle 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 Gary Primich Orville Redenbacher Frank Reynolds John Roberts 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 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