Portage Township, Porter County, Indiana

Township in Indiana, United States

41°34′41″N 87°10′33″W / 41.57806°N 87.17583°W / 41.57806; -87.17583CountryUnited StatesStateIndianaCountyPorterGovernment

• TypeIndiana township • Township TrusteeBrenden Clancy (D)Area

• Total38.25 sq mi (99.07 km²) • Land35.57 sq mi (92.12 km²) • Water2.68 sq mi (6.95 km²)Elevation

^[1]

633 ft (193 m)Population

(2020)^[2]

• Total47,946 • Density1,323.8/sq mi (511.13/km²)Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)Area code219FIPS code18-61110^[3]GNIS feature ID453758

Portage Township is one of twelve townships in Porter County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 47,085.^[4] Portage Township was established in 1835.

The residents of Portage Township played pivotal roles in the conservation of the Indiana Dunes.^[5]^[6]^[7]

History

Portage Township was organized in 1836, and most likely was named after Portage County, Ohio.^[8]

The Nike Missile Site C47 and Josephus Wolf House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[9]

Cities and towns

The largest community in the township is the city of Portage. The bedroom community of Ogden Dunes is also in this township.^[10]

Parks

The city of Portage has an extensive park system. Also within the township is Indiana Dunes National Park's primary beach of West Beach and a new facility called Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk.

Education

Portage Township is home to Portage Township Schools.

Higher education:

Purdue University North Central (classes offered at Portage High School)
Indiana University Northwest
Ivy Tech (classes offered at Willowcreek Middle School; full-service campus to be built in 2008)

High school:

Portage High School

Middle schools:

Willowcreek Middle School
Fegely Middle School

Elementary schools:

Portage High School following a 2007 expansion project

Aylesworth
Central
Crisman
Jones
Kyle
Myers
Saylor
South Haven

The corporation is reviewing the results of a population growth study to determine future facility needs. Current options include: 1) Constructing a ninth elementary school; 2) Constructing a third middle school; or 3) Constructing an intermediate (5th-6th grade) school. For the 2007–2008 school year the Portage Township Schools student enrollment was 8,541.

References

^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ "Census Bureau profile: Portage Township, Porter County, Indiana". United States Census Bureau. May 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Portage township, Porter County, Indiana". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
^ Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2009). "The Historical Roots of the Nature Conservancy in the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland Region: From Science to Preservation." The South Shore Journal, 3. "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 January 1, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
^ Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2006). "Alice Gray, Dorothy Buell, and Naomi Svihla: Preservationists of Ogden Dunes." The South Shore Journal, "South Shore Journal - Alice Gray, Dorothy Buell, and Naomi Svihla: Preservationists of Ogden Dunes". Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
^ Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2007). "The cultural impact of a museum in a small community: The Hour Glass of Ogden Dunes." The South Shore Journal, 2. "South Shore Journal - the Cultural Impact of a Museum in a Small Community: The Hour Glass in Ogden Dunes". Archived from the original on November 30, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
^ History of Porter County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests. Lewis Publishing Company. 1912. p. 166.
^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ Porter County, Indiana Sesquicentennial, 150, 1836-1986.