Porter County Porter County Porter is an urban county comprised primarily of Portage, Chesterton, and Valparaiso. Other towns located on the periphery of the county are Beverly Shores, Ogden Dunes, Hebron, and Kouts. Valparaiso University is aptly located in Valparaiso. The largest sector of public employees in the county work in manufacturing, most of which is still involved with the steel industry, more specifically US Steel. Other large sectors of the economy are retail trade and services.
Porter County is a popular residence of many commuters to the City of Chicago.
The Gary Municipal Airport to the west and the Greater Michiana Regional Transportation Center to the east in St. Joseph County serve the area. The county s existing multi-family residential housing stock is strikingly similar. Because many of the towns in the county are of the same size in population, similar housing needs were developed. The construction ranges from the 1960s to the present, and is almost invariably garden style developments. The newer supply of housing is located in Valparaiso and Portage.