Duneland Perch

Recently I had the pleasure of spending some time with the town officials of Chesterton, a town located in Porter County and near Lake Michigan. Chesterton is adjacent to the town of Porter; in fact, the towns are separated mainly by railroad tracks. Both towns have distinct central business areas that seem to be doing well.

There are numerous examples across Indiana of adjacent municipalities, or course, ranging from suburbs with major urban centers, to land-locked urban areas such as the northern portion of Lake County. There are fewer examples of similar-size municipalities that have more or less developed together, side-by-side.

There was an attempt many years ago to merge the towns, but the referendum was soundly defeated. If it had succeeded the town was to be called Westchester, which is the name of the township in the area. The towns cooperate in a variety of ways, but seem generally comfortable with the separate town governments. Cooperation typically extends to include Burns Harbor which is right up the road. There might be a merger some day, but no one seems in a rush.

Many of the cooperative ventures have used the term, Duneland, rather than Westchester. The famous sand dunes of Lake Michigan are just a stone's throw away. No discussion about the Duneland area is complete without mentioning a local delicacy. It may not compete with breaded tenderloins for popularity with Hoosiers, but one has not lived until they have had a plate of boned and buttered perch accompanied by a cold adult beverage. If you are ever in the area, get off the Interstate, have some perch, and visit the twin towns of Porter and Chesterton.