Portage Township’s post office opened in 1961, and 4 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 23% of U.S. towns · #523 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 20 buildings. Most of Portage Township was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: maps from 1940 on and the census since 1950.
Founding year: the first Portage Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1967.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Portage Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Portage Township is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #523 of 593 in Indiana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Portage Township’s overall grade.
Indiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Indiana town has 7.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Portage Township’s 5.2 sits near the middle of its state (54% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 25 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B−. The pre-1940 share (±1.1 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1967 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Portage Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Prior to European settlement, Native Americans lived in Northwest Indiana. Mound Builders left a mound in the area now known as McCool, though the mound was destroyed in the early 1900s. Following the Mound Builders, the Wea tribe inhabited the area. The Wea were forced south by the Potawatomi.
Jacques Marquette, Louis Jolliet, Louis Hennepin or François Pétis de la Croix may have explored the area. Potawatomi chief, Leopold Pokagon, encouraged his tribe to sell tribal lands to European settlers. In 1812, Garyton became one of the first communities in Portage Township.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Portage Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1940Porter sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Portage Township.
People over time
Portage Township, census by census
Grew from 2,116 people in 1950 to 37,926 in 2020, more than tenfold.
8 censuses, 1950–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Portage Township’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Meadowview Mobile Home ParkPleasant ValleySouth Haven
Gone or out of use
Carlson Farm Airportairport
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Portage Township
James / SchrockRobbins
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Portage Township post office opened in 1961, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1967.
How does Portage Township rank for history?
Portage Township is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #523 of 593 in Indiana. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Portage Township?
4 listings: 1 building and 1 historic district, the Nike Missile Site C47, with 20 contributing buildings. 25 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Portage Township?
4% of Portage Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1978.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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