The railroad facilities in Lake County are the best in the state and all the main lines from east to west run through it. In the southern part of the county the interests are chiefly agricultural, with a great deal of attention being given to horse raising and breeding; some of the finest breeding farms in the state are located here. Dairy cattle breeding is an important business and many hogs are also raised for the market.

Lake County is at the northwest corner of Indiana, its west line part of the Illinois boundary, and the northern border lower Lake Michigan. It has eleven townships covering an area of 492 square miles. The incorporated cities are Crown Point, 4,046; Gary, 100,426; Hammond, 64,560; East Chicago, 54,784; Whiting, 10,880; Hobart, 5,787; towns: East Gary, 2,409; Highlands, 1,533; Lowell, 1,274; Munster, 975; Dyer, 672; Schererville, 580; New Chicago, 481; St. John, 332, and Schneider, 264. The total county population in 1890 was 23,886; 1900, 37,892; 1910, 82,864; 1920, 159,957; 1930, 261,310.

Crown Point is located forty-one miles southeast of Chicago and is served by two railroads. The center of the grain and stock raising district of the county, it also has a number of manufactures, including feed, piston rings, and incubators.

As the formation of the United States Steel Corporation in 1902 with its stupendous capitalization of $1,450,000,000 astounded the financial world, so has the creation and development of the City of Gary amazed the industrial world and Gary has been called "America's Magic City. In 1906, what is now Gary was only a wilderness. But since its founding that year it has grown to a population of more then one hundred thousand, and developed into a model city with fine public buildings and splendid residences. The city's population very nearly doubled between 1920 and 1930, having, according to the earlier census, 55,378. In location it is twenty-six miles southeast of Chicago, on Lake Michigan.

This amazing city is the result of gigantic national steel interests. It would be difficult to find a parallel to Gary, which loomed upon the horizon with such sudden force as to astound the industrial world. The latest figures I 1935 listed fifty-five manufacturing establishments employing 18,427 persons. Six railroads and the lake offer great transportation facilities.

Through manifestly a city of steelworkers, Gary has many cultural advantages. The public school system, creation of the late Doctor Wirt, is famous as the "Gary Plan," a combination of work, study, and play, which has been adopted in many cities. The schools own some highly valuable paintings, the value of the collection estimated at $70,000. The Public Library is one of the big three in the state, containing 159,802 volumes. Outstanding features of the city are Lake Front Park and the Civic Gateway group of buildings.

Hammond, the second largest city in Lake County, is much older than Gary. It is of outstanding industrial importance, since steel also is its chief product. Hammond is located twenty miles southeast of Chicago, and is served by a dozen main railroads and several lesser ones. Besides steel, chemical and car factories are the important industries. The census of 1935 listed seventy-four manufacturing establishments in Hammond, employing 4,560 wage earners. These earned $4,848,247. Value of the manufactured products was $46,985,449.

The city has a number of points of interest. Among these is Wicker Park, the only Township Park in the state. It was dedicated to the memory of war heroes by President Calvin Coolidge. In Harrison Park is another memorial in the form of a bronze tablet to the World War heroes. The public school system has a collection of pictures and prints of note.

East Chicago, third largest city in the county, had sixty manufacturing establishments, according to federal census figures of 1935. A total of 19,933 wage earners were employed on pay rolls of $27,664,205. The value of the products was $215,086,345. Steel is the most important product.

Whiting had ten manufacturing establishments according to the 1935 federal census, employing 3,486 wage earners. The largest oil refineries in the world are located here.

According to 1935 federal census figures, Lake County had a total of 221 manufacturing establishments employing 47,884 wage earners on pay rolls of $64,714,141. Value of the products was $528,038,096. The county had 1,805 farms averaging 116.6 acres each. Their value was $14,293,341. A total of 29,254 head of livestock was reported.

Total county tax valuation for 1936 was $363,491,720.