Lake County, Indiana

Lake County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 484,564, making it Indiana's second most populous county. The is. This county is part of and the.

History
Lake County was formed in 1837. It was named for its location on.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,622 (626 ). 1,287 km² (497 sq mi) of it is land and 335 km² (129 sq mi) of it (20.65%) is water.

Commercial Airport

 * in.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-65.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:I-80.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:I-90.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:I-94.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 6.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 12.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 20.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 30.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 41.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 231.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Indiana 2.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Indiana 53.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Indiana 55.svg|20px]]

Adjacent counties

 * (west and north, in )
 * (east)
 * (southeast)
 * (south)
 * (southwest)
 * (west)

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 484,564 people, 181,633 households, and 126,961 families residing in the county. The was 376/km² (975/sq mi). There were 194,992 housing units at an average density of 151/km² (392/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 66.72%, 25.33% or , 0.28% , 0.82% , 0.04% , 4.96% from , and 1.85% from two or more races. 12.20% of the population were or  of any race. 12.2% were of, 9.6% and 7.1%  ancestry according to.

According to 2005 Census estimates 58.6% of Lake County's population was non-Hispanic whites, 26.2% African-American, 13.7% Latino and 1.0% Asian. In 2000 there were 181,633 households out of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.70% were living together, 16.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.80% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,829, and the median income for a family was $50,131. Males had a median income of $41,986 versus $26,393 for females. The for the county was $19,639. About 9.70% of families and 12.20% of the population were below the, including 17.80% of those under age 18 and 8.00% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The administration of public schools in Lake County is divided among 16 corporations and governing bodies, more than any other Indiana county. 
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Colleges and Universities
 * Kaplan College
 * Kaplan College
 * Kaplan College
 * Kaplan College
 * Kaplan College
 * Kaplan College

Major businesses

 * (coal fired powerplant)
 * (steel framing)
 * (auto interiors)
 * (steel framing)
 * (auto interiors)
 * (auto interiors)
 * (auto interiors)

Newspapers
is the largest daily newspaper Lake County and Northwest Indiana, and the second largest in the state. Lake County is also served by the, a daily newspaper based in Merrillville.

Indiana State Quarter


The northwest tip of Lake County is seemingly missing from the state outline on the Indiana. The outline of the state on the quarter shows the Lake Michigan shore line continuing in a southwest direction from the Porter/Lake County line to the Illinois-Indiana state line, showing Lake Michigan where Gary and Hammond are located. Unlike the similar occurrence with on the Georgia state quarter, fewer complaints were made concerning the omission.