The first settlement of LaGrange County was founded about a half mile west of Lima in 1828.

[citation needed] Over the next four years, settlers flocked to parts of Lima, Springfield, and Van Buren Townships.

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.

They were mainly members of the Congregational Church, but as a result of the Second Great Awakening, many became Baptists and many also converted to Pentecostalism and Methodism.

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

[9] In 1837, the government removed Chief Shipshewana and the Potawatomi Tribe from the county's northwest corner.

The village continued to grow, and the town of Shipshewana was platted nearby in 1899 and incorporated in 1916 in Newbury Township.

[6] LaGrange County was named after the Château de la Grange-Bléneau, home of Revolutionary War hero, the Marquis de la Fayette, outside of Paris, France.

[11] The county is mostly made up of rural farmland but also some rolling hills and several lakes.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 37,128 people, 11,598 households, and 9,106 families residing in the county.

[24] 68.5% of the total population and 61.29% of the children in 5-17 age group used English as their home language, according to 2000 Census.

[2] Religion in LaGrange County,according to ARDA (2020) [1][failed verification] *"Nones" is an unclear category.

[34] The economy is based mainly on agriculture and small shops, but tourism also plays a big role, especially in Shipshewana.

[38] LaGrange County has consistently been a Republican Party stronghold in presidential elections.