This county is part of the Northwest Indiana and Michiana regions of the Chicago metropolitan area.

[1] French travelers or explorers so named the area after discovering a natural opening in the dense forests that used to exist in this region, providing a gateway to lands further west.

These Indians were forcibly removed to Kansas by the United States government in 1838, and many died on what survivors called the Trail of Death.

They were part of a wave of New England settlers moving west into what was then the Northwest Territory after the completion of the Erie Canal through the Mohawk Valley of New York State.

The New England settlers cleared roads and brush, developed farms, constructed churches, erected government buildings, and established post routes.

[12] But by 1850, the three Eastern states that had contributed the most residents to LaPorte County were New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, surpassing those migrants from New England.

LaPorte County had the largest number of Southerners north of the Wabash Valley.

When the county was initially proposed and organized, its boundaries did not extend as far south or east as they do today.

A section of land north of the Kankakee River originally belonged to Starke County.

However, residents living in that area had difficulty crossing the river in order to reach the rest of the county.

It was necessary to travel some distance east to Lemon's bridge, before making the journey south.

"[16][17] LaPorte County is noted for being the place of the Belle Gunness serial murders.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 111,467 people, 42,331 households, and 28,228 families residing in the county.

The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.

Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government.