Valparaiso may mean “Vale of Paradise,” but locals know their Northwest Indiana hometown simply as “Valpo.” The seat of Porter County is about 52 miles southeast of Chicago and 14 miles south of the Lake Michigan shoreline. A historic downtown still houses buildings from the mid-1800s like the Memorial Opera House, a venue that still schedules performances to this day. Local events like the Summer Rhapsody Music Festival, Valpo Brewfest and the Popcorn Festival in celebration of hometown hero Orville Redenbacher fill the schedule the rest of the year, alongside youth sports at local parks and storytimes at Valparaiso Public Library. “It’s a very vibrant city,” says Heather Hitz, a broker at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Executive Real Estate Group who lives and works in Valparaiso. “There’s been a huge revitalization downtown with a city park, ice skating pavilion and lots of events. There’s a healthy restaurant life and lots of retail.” As a population of 34,000 has sprawled from downtown towards vast Indiana farmland, its connections to Chicago have simultaneously grown, with interstate and public transit options connecting commuters and day-trippers.
Memorial Opera House was built in 1983 and has served many purposes throughout the years.
The Valparaiso Oktoberfest is held at Central Park Plaza in Downtown Valparaiso.
The Valparaiso Public Library host a plethora of events throughout the year.
Lincolnway connects the East and West ends of Valparaiso on a single thoroughfare.
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From walk-to-town vintage homes to 21st century subdivisions
A neat city grid extends from downtown Valparaiso, where folk-style homes, bungalows and Colonial Revivals were built as early as the year 1900. These streets have less restriction on yard usage, so front yard gardens and backyard sheds are sheltered by old-growth trees. The grid breaks up farther north and east, with midcentury homes and side roads veering off into more heavily wooded lanes. Neighborhoods on the city’s edges feature contemporary housing tracks, many with New Traditional and French Provincial influences. The city is also home to a 34% renter population, and low-rise brick apartment complexes are a common sight among the east side’s new communities. Hitz says developments are underway throughout the city to add new homes and apartments. Growth has boomed especially downtown, as living with walking distance of the city's events and attractions becomes more popular. As of fall 2024, the median price for a home in Valparaiso is $350,000. That’s slightly below the national median of $420,000, according to data from the National Association of Realtors.
Rows of historic 1800's homes sit side by side near Downtown Valparaiso.
Rows of homes sit on large lots under mature trees in high end neighborhoods in Valparaiso.
Brick apartments are common throughout Valparaiso because of its large college student presence.
Historic buildings with boutiques and shops line the streets of Valparaiso.
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Valpo Parks and the Indiana Dunes
Valpo's 15 parks add up to 667 acres, split between 27 athletic fields, 14 children’s playgrounds and more than 20 miles of pathways throughout the city. The Valpo Parks district hosts youth sports programs at the facilities, from soccer to mountain biking. Residents can head downtown to Central Plaza Park for ice skating during the winter or outdoor movies and festivals during the summer with live music at the Porter Health Ampitheater. At Valparaisio Family YMCA on Calumet Avenue, patrons swim laps and work out in its gym. A 14-mile straight shot north takes Valpo residents to Indiana Dunes National Park, where they can pay for entry to 15 miles of sandy shoreline and trails.
Residents of Valparaiso head over to Rogers Lakewood Park to take a scenic walk.
Sports courts can be found scattered throughout Valparaiso.
The Valparaiso YMCA is a great addition to the city of Valparaiso.
Residents of Valparaiso love heading over to the Indiana Dunes National Park on a summers day.
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Walkable shopping downtown and big brands at Valparaiso Marketplace
Shops and eateries fill repurposed, historic brick and stone buildings in Valpo’s downtown district. Residents can choose from pizza parlors, Mexican restaurants and elevated bar fare. Local stores and businesses in the area include boutiques, toy stores and sports memorabilia shops. Just south of downtown, Journeyman Distillery’s newest Valparaiso location breathes new life into the historic American Factory Building with a tasting room, brewery, and restaurant.
Meijer, Aldi and Strack & Van Til have locations in Valpo, among other grocery brands. Most big-box names sit along Calumet Avenue, a central commercial stretch, or in Valparaiso Marketplace, an outdoor mall at the city’s southeastern corner. The mall also includes big names like Target, Barnes & Noble and Home Depot, as well as the city’s biggest concentration of chain eateries like Chick-Fil-A and Chili’s Bar & Grill.
Check out Journeyman Distillery on the southwest end of Valparaiso.
Lincoln Flats in Downtown Valparaiso is open late for residents who enjoy a late night snack.
Residents of Valparaiso love shopping at the local Target.
Stop in at Peddlers Pizza and Pub in Valparaiso for the best pizza in town.
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Valparaiso Community Schools and Valparaiso University
Just under 6,500 students attend Valparaiso Community Schools, which offer STEM programs for kindergarten through 12th grade and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Students attend one of eight neighborhood elementary schools before filtering into two middle schools and finishing at Valparaiso High School. The district scores an A rating from Niche and has a 97% graduation rate.
The Chapel of the Resurrection’s glittering tiered windows anchor Valparaiso University, a private, Lutheran institution about half a mile from downtown. The university enrolls about 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students, most of whom attend classes on its 350-acre campus. Among 75 undergraduate and graduate pathways, the school is nationally recognized for its engineering and nursing programs. The university has also received attention for its men’s basketball program, which has made the NCAA Tournament nine times since 1997.
With ~140 students, Central Elementary School provides a focused environment for Valpo kids.
Centrally located in Valparaiso, Ben Franklin Middle offers great programs for students.
Valparaiso High School scores a 97% graduation rate on Niche for Porter Country Indianna.
Valparaiso University is in the heart of Valparaiso and is known for its beautiful church.
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Taking the ChicaGO Dash or Dune Park Amtrak to the Windy City
State Road 49 and U.S. Route 30 intersect in Valparaiso. Commuters can take the former to reach Interstate 90 and the Chicago Skyway toll road—though they have other options for travelling 52 miles to the Windy City. The ChicaGO Dash is an express commuter bus that runs Monday through Friday to three dropoff locations downtown. The nearest train stop is in Dune Park, 13 miles north of Valpo; the South Shore Line runs northwest to Chicago or east to South Bend International Airport, which services four airlines. Chicago Midway International Airport is the closest larger option, 43 miles northwest across the state line. Those staying in town can take the V-Line, a citywide bus system with five routes at popular destinations in Valpo. As for medical care, a Northwest Health emergency room and surrounding care centers on Roosevelt Road may save some trips to the hospital’s Porter location, 6.5 miles away.
Crime statistics in Valpo
The Valparaiso Police Department reported a decrease in violent crimes and an increase in property crimes in 2023, with overall data pointing to a continuous downward trend over the past decade. The department publishes statistics for specific crimes each year and lists locations to drop off unwanted prescription drugs.
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