Kouts

Small Town Breakdown

Small Town Breakdown: Kouts, Indiana

If you like a good fish fry, history, and an annual Pork Fest every August, the small town of Kouts in northwest Indiana is the perfect place for you.

Fast Facts

📍LOCATION: Northwestern Indiana

• Kouts is located in the southeast portion of Porter County

• State Road 8 runs east-west and State Road 49 runs north-south through town

• 2 hours and 15 minutes north of Indianapolis

• 2 hours and 10 minutes west of Fort Wayne

• 1 hour and 10 minutes southwest of South Bend

• 1 hour and 15 minutes southeast of Chicago

👥 POPULATION & RANKING

• 2,054 residents (as of 2023)

• Ranks as Indiana’s 226th-largest city

• Seventh-largest of 11 incorporated towns/cities in Porter County

📏 LAND AREA

• 1.21 square miles

📅 FOUNDED

• Porter County was organized in 1836 from land that was previously part of LaPorte and Newton counties.

• It was named for US Navy Captain David Porter, who served in the War of 1812 and the Barbary Wars

• Porter County is the ninth-most populated county in Indiana

• Barnhardt Kautz (pronounced Kouts) originally founded Kouts Station in 1867 where Erie and Pennsylvania railroads intersected

• The name was later changed to Kout in 1882 before finally becoming Kouts in 1890

• Kouts became incorporated in 1921 when electricity was introduced to the town

• Kouts is located within Pleasant Township

• The Kankakee River was a major attraction for settlers due to fishing and trapping opportunities

🏥 MAIN INDUSTRIES: Manufacturing, Agriculture

• Harrington Interior Solutions is a contractor showroom for kitchen and bath cabinets and countertops

• Merit Steel is a steel distributor located within city limits

• Gauntlet Gun Shop is a sporting goods store that sells firearms, ammunition, and activewear; it has 4.9 stars among nearly 120 Google reviews

  
  

Pork Fest

Mark your calendar for August 22-23 this year to attend Kouts’ annual Pork Fest. The event includes a parade, food and shopping vendors, country classic 5K walk/run, and live entertainment at Pennsy Park. Pork Fest welcomes over 8,000 attendees each year.

Historic Bridge

Dunn’s Bridge County Park is home to, you guessed it, Dunn’s Bridge – one of the oldest landmarks in the region. It was built by a local farmer named J.D. Dunn over 100 years ago across the Kankakee River. Some even suggest it can be traced to George Ferris, who invented the Ferris Wheel. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. The park is the only public access point to the Kankakee River in Porter County.

Kouts Kuisine

John Andy’s Deli & Cafe is veteran owned and operated, has over 1,800 likes on Facebook and a 5.0-star rating on Google. Locals love John Andy’s for the fish fry on Friday, which includes white fish, pollack and ocean perch, each served with French fries and coleslaw or a side of hushpuppies.

Cronies Charhouse and Ginmill is a dive bar and grill open seven days a week. Guests can enjoy live entertainment, and there’s all-you-can-eat lake perch, walleye, bluegill and frog legs on Fridays. Cronies has racked up over 3,700 likes on Facebook.

Baum’s Bridge Inn is located southwest of town on the banks of the Kankakee River. Like John Andy’s and Cronies, Baum’s has all-you-can-eat walleye and ocean perch – plus prime rib – on Fridays, and there’s live entertainment every other Sunday. Fun historical fact: Enos Baum built the toll bridge Baum’s Bridge way back in 1863.

Beat the Heat

Pleasant Township Pool is open Memorial Day through Labor Day, and children 3 and under get in free. You can also save a few bucks by bringing in your own food and beverage. If you can’t make it to the pool but want a place for your kids to cool off, check out Pennsy Park’s splash pad.

Kouts Shouts

• Kouts Middle/High School has two mascots. All boys teams are known as the Mustangs, and every girls team is the Fillies.

  • The boys basketball team made it to the 2021 state finals but lost to Barr-Reeve.

  • Just a couple weeks ago, the baseball program – ranked No. 1 in Class 1A – made its first trip to the state finals but came up short against ninth-ranked Indianapolis Lutheran, 14-1.

• Desserts by Juliette, where love is the main ingredient, officially opened its bakery in 2018 following a successful run of food blogging. The idea of making desserts and pastries was born five years prior when Juliette quit her job to help her grandma rehab from an illness. Cakes and cupcakes were Juliette’s original staples, and now desserts are provided for all occasions including weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, showers, graduations and retirements. Locals and visitors can enjoy coffee, cold brew, lattes, mochas, donuts and macarons, too.

Experience the warmth of small-town living, scenic countryside, and genuine Hoosier hospitality in Kouts.

Check out Nate’s breakdown of Kouts ⬇️