Crime Scene and Trauma Cleanup in Kouts, IN

Kouts began in 1865 as Kouts Station, laid out by Bernhardt Kautz — a Pennsylvania farmer who had settled the site before the railroads — and his brother-in-law H. A. Wright when the Chicago and St. Louis Railway arrived; the family surname Kautz was pronounced "Kouts."

The town's name was shortened over the years — briefly to "Kout" in 1882 before settling as Kouts by 1890 — and Kouts was not incorporated as a town until 1921.

Kouts grew where the Erie and Pennsylvania railroads crossed, and it remained a busy railroad town for the first half of the 20th century; both lines were abandoned under Conrail in 1981 and 1984, though the old Pennsylvania Railroad depot survives, converted into a private business.

Kouts had 2,028 residents at the 2020 census, living in 798 households, after growing 7.9% during the 2010s.

Like the rest of Porter County in Indiana's northwest corner, Kouts keeps Central Time rather than the Eastern Time used by most of Indiana.

Kouts is famous for Porkfest, an annual August festival that draws more than 8,000 visitors — several times the town's population — for a parade, a 5K run, and the traditional Porkburger Eating Contest.

Students in Kouts attend Kouts Elementary School and Kouts Middle/High School in the East Porter County School Corporation, whose central administration office is located in Kouts.

The nearby Kankakee River drew some of the area's earliest settlers to Kouts for fishing and trapping.

State Road 49 running north from Kouts leads through Valparaiso to Indiana Dunes State Park on Lake Michigan.