"Valpo (Under Construction)" a Valparaiso Travel Page by grkboiler

Valparaiso is my former hometown. I lived here on and off from 1992-2004. It is a small city in Northwest Indiana, about an hour southeast of Chicago. The population is just under 30,000, and is made up mostly of families and retired people. More people are steadily moving in from nearby towns in Lake County, Indiana, and from Illinois.

The area that is now Valparaiso was once inhabited by Potawatomi Indians and fur traders. In the mid-1800's, it was first known as Portersville, after Commander David Dixon Porter, a hero in the War of 1812. It was renamed Valparaiso in 1837 to commemorate one of Porter's most famous battles at the port of Valparaiso, Chile. The city was incorporated in 1851 and is the county seat of Porter County (also named after David Porter).

It has a very nice city square with some historic buildings. There really isn't much going on here after 5 PM, but there are a few good restaurants (some of the best in Northwest Indiana), plenty of good stores, and one of the best law schools in the country - Valparaiso University. VU also has a good men's basketball team every year.