Porter County's small town and rural nature make it an attractive place to live and has resulted in it being one of the fastest-growing counties in the state.

The dunes and beaches along Lake Michigan's shoreline are visited by millions each year, making it one of the top tourist venues in the state and a nationally recognized attraction. The county's quieter country ambience is a quick and easy train ride from Chicago's urban lifestyle.

Formed in 1836, it is named for Commodore David Porter, commander of the Essex, which captured seven British ships in a battle in the port of Valparaiso, Chile, during the War of 1812.

It has a rich, diverse culture with a wealth of interesting features, towns and festivals, ranging from one themed on "Star Trek" to another based on the book and film "Wizard of Oz" that bring visitors from all over the country.

Here is a potpourri of facts and information about the county and the communities to test your knowledge of the area:

The Indiana Dunes State Park was established in 1923, but the first land wasn't acquired until 1925.

The effort to preserve the lakeshore's natural beauty began about 100 years ago when the Hoosier Slide, once the largest sand dune on Indiana's Lake Michigan shoreline at 200 feet high, was hauled away in rail cars to be turned into glass. The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore finally was born in 1966 with authorization to buy about 8,300 acres. The national park now covers more than 15,000 acres and surrounds the town of Beverly Shores.

Dredging began in 1967 at the Port of Indiana in Portage for what is now one of the largest and busiest ports on the Great Lakes and the only deep water port in the state.

Dune Acres has two miles of sandy beaches on Lake Michigan's shoreline with six locations for vehicle access by town residents and their guests.

Dune Acres has more than 270 acres of parkland, most still in its natural state, while others are equipped with tennis courts, basketball backboards, football/soccer fields, playgrounds, hiking trails and an outdoor ice skating rink.

Hebron has the only remaining Carnegie Library in Porter County.

Hebron built a new $3.8 million water treatment plant in 2003 with a 650,000-gallon tank and four high-volume wells.

Kouts was incorporated in 1921, the same year electricity arrived in the town.

Kouts' schools has a 98 percent graduation rate and 70 percent of the students go on to some form of post-high school education.

The Porter County Fair, which started as a one-day event on the courthouse square in Valparaiso, moved to what is now Fairgrounds Park on the city's north side and is now held at the Porter County Expo Center. It will be held for the 158th time this summer with 10 days of live entertainment and exhibits that will attract more than 200,000 visitors.

Kouts schools have been cited several times as four-star schools for scoring in the top 25 percent in all four areas of the Indiana School Improvement Award Program.

The Lincoln Highway, developed in the 1920s as the nation's first coast-to-coast road, ran through Valparaiso, and one of the road's original markers is located in front of Valparaiso City Hall.

The first human inhabitants of Center Township are believed to have been the Mound Builders.

The Hoosier Bat Co. in Valparaiso makes baseball bats for many Major League Baseball players, and its past clients included former Chicago Cub and White Sox player Sammy Sosa.

Among those who have performed at Valparaiso's historic Memorial Opera House are march king John Philip Sousa and the zany Marx Brothers.

The Brauer Museum of Art at Valparaiso University houses a nationally recognized collection of works by 19th and 20th century American artists like Frederic Edwin Church, Asher Durand and Georgia O'Keeffe.

Portage has the only high school in Porter County with artificial turf on its football field.

The Elvis Fantasy Fest is held annually in Portage and raises thousands of dollars for the Porter County Special Olympics.

In 1927, Ogden Dunes had the highest ski jump in the nation. It was 32 stories tall and hosted five international winter competitions from 1928 to 1932.

Portage has the only IMAX theater in Northwest Indiana, one of only three in the state, and the Bass Pro Shops is one of only two in the state.

Ogden Dunes, named for Francis Ogden, who owned the land the town is built on, is strictly a residential community, but it does have one gas station.

Mount Everest in Ogden Dunes is the highest point in Portage Township at a lofty 745 feet.

Beverly Shores was named for the daughter of Frederick H. Bartlett, whose company was Chicago's largest real estate developer of the 1920s. Bartlett bought 3,600 acres of duneland west of Michigan City in 1927 with the goal of creating a community rivaling Atlantic City.

The shortest named highway in the state, Ind. 520, is located in the town of Pines.

Although the town of Pines has only 798 residents, it has three hotels.

Burns Harbor was known as Westport until it incorporated as a town in 1967. It couldn't keep the name because there already was a town with that name in Indiana.

South Haven is the largest unincorporated community in the state.

The European Market, held in downtown Chesterton every Saturday from the end of May to the end of October, brings vendors from Michigan, Illinois and Indiana offering a wide variety of goods from gourmet foods to artwork.

Comedian Jim Gaffigan, who has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, made guest appearances on "That 70s Show" and "Third Watch" and appeared in movies like "Super Troopers," is from Chesterton.

Porter was known as Bailytown, Old Porter and Hageman before incorporating under its current name in 1908.

Chesterton was originally platted in 1852 as a village named Calumet.

Although incorporated in 1908, Porter will celebrate the sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) of its founding in 1858 this year with a festival lasting several days.