Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 2010, its population was 496,005, making it Indiana's second-most populous county. The county seat is Crown Point.
This county is part of Northwest Indiana and the Chicago metropolitan area, and contains a mix of urban, suburban and rural areas.
It is the home to a portion of the Indiana Dunes and to Marktown, Clayton Mark's planned worker community in East Chicago.
History
Drove through most of Lake County Indiana part 1 -
Lake County was established on February 16, 1837. From 1832 to 1836 the area that was to become Lake County was part of La Porte County. From 1836 to 1837 it was part of Porter County. It was named for its location on Lake Michigan. The original county seat was Liverpool until Lake Court House, which later became Crown Point, was chosen in 1840.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 626.56 square miles (1,622.8Â km2), of which 498.96 square miles (1,292.3Â km2) (or 79.63%) is land and 127.60 square miles (330.5Â km2) (or 20.37%) is water.
The northern and southern portions of the county (north of U.S. 30 and south of Lowell) are mainly low and flat, except for a few sand ridges and dunes and were both once very marshy and had to be drained. The lowest point, at 585 feet (178Â m), is along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
The central part of the county is higher and hillier. As you travel south from the low and relatively flat lake plain in the northern part of the county, the land gradually rises in elevation until the peak of the Valparaiso Moraine. The highest point, at 801 feet (244Â m), is in northeastern Winfield Township near 109th Street and North Lakeshore Drive in Lakes of the Four Seasons. From here the land descends south into the Kankakee Outwash Plain until the Kankakee River is reached.
The geographic center of Lake County is approximately 200 feet (61 m) northwest of Burr Street and West 113th Avenue in Center Township 41°24′53.8″N 87°24′14.3″W.
National protected area
- Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore â€" also in LaPorte and Porter counties
Airports
- Gary/Chicago International Airport
- Griffith-Merrillville Airport
Major highways
Interstate 65 in Lake County is called the Casimir Pulaski Memorial Highway. Interstate 80/94/US 6 is the Frank Borman Expressway from the Illinois state line east to the Indiana Toll Road interchange in the eastern portion of the county. Interstate 94 has been referred to as the Chicago-Detroit Industrial Freeway. US 6 is part of the Grand Army of the Republic Highway. Broadway (Indiana 53) is also the Carolyn Mosby Memorial Highway. Indiana 51 is known for its entire length as the Adam Benjamin Memorial Highway. US 30 is part of the historic Lincoln Highway. US 12 from Gary eastward is part of Dunes Highway. Cline Avenue (Indiana 912) from US 12 north and westward is known as the Highway Construction Workers Memorial Highway.
Railroads
- Amtrak
- Canadian National Railway
- Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad
- Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad
- CSX Transportation
- Gary Railway
- Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad
- Norfolk Southern Railway
- South Shore Line
Adjacent counties
Municipalities
The municipalities in Lake County, and their populations as of the 2010 Census, are:
Cities
Towns
Census-designated places
- Lake Dalecarlia â€" 1,355
- Lakes of the Four Seasons â€" 3,936
(7,033 including portion in Porter County) - Shelby â€" 539
Unincorporated communities
Townships
The 11 townships of Lake County, with their populations as of the 2010 Census, are:
Education
Public school districts
The administration of public schools in Lake County is divided among 16 corporations and governing bodies, more than any other Indiana county.
- Crown Point Community School Corporation â€" Center and Winfield townships
- Gary Community School Corporation â€" City of Gary
- Griffith Public Schools â€" Town of Griffith
- Hanover Community School Corporation â€" Hanover Township
- Lake Central School Corporation â€" St. John Township
- Lake Ridge Schools Corporation â€" unincorporated Calumet Township
- Lake Station Community Schools â€" City of Lake Station
- Merrillville Community School Corporation â€" Ross Township
- River Forest Community School Corporation â€" Town of New Chicago and some portions of adjacent communities
- School City of East Chicago â€" City of East Chicago
- School City of Hammond â€" City of Hammond
- School City of Hobart â€" City of Hobart within Hobart Township
- School City of Whiting â€" City of Whiting
- School Town of Highland â€" Town of Highland
- School Town of Munster â€" Town of Munster
- Tri-Creek School Corporation â€" Cedar Creek, Eagle Creek and West Creek townships
Private schools
Elementary and secondary schools operated by the Diocese of Gary:
Other parochial and private schools:
- St. Paul's Lutheran School, Munster (PK-8)
- Trinity Lutheran School, Crown Point (PK-8)
- Trinity Lutheran School, Hobart (PK-8)
Colleges and Universities
Public libraries
The county is served by seven different public library systems:
- Crown Point Community Library has its main location with a branch in Winfield.
- East Chicago Public Library has its main location and the Robart A. Pastrick branch.
- Gary Public Library has its main location, the Du Bois Library, as well as the Brunswick, Kennedy and Woodson branches.
- Hammond Public Library
- Lake County Public Library has its main location in Merrillville as well as Cedar Lake, Dyer-Schererville, Griffith-Calumet Township, Highland, Hobart, Lake Station-New Chicago, Munster and St. John branches.
- Lowell Public Library has its main location with branches in Schneider and Shelby.
- Whiting Public Library
Hospitals
- Community Hospital, Munster â€" 458 beds
- Franciscan Health Crown Point, Crown Point â€" 236 beds (Level III adult trauma center)
- Franciscan Health Dyer, Dyer â€" 198 beds
- Franciscan Health Hammond, Hammond â€" 215 beds
- Franciscan Health Munster, Munster â€" 63 beds
- Methodist Hospitals â€" 536 beds
- Northlake Campus, Gary (Level III adult trauma center)
- Southlake Campus, Merrillville
- St. Catherine Hospital, East Chicago â€" 189 beds
- St. Mary Medical Center, Hobart â€" 215 beds
Largest employers
Businesses with the largest number of employees in the county are:
Media
The Times, based in Munster, is the largest daily newspaper in Lake County and Northwest Indiana and the second largest in the state. Lake County is also served by the Post-Tribune, a daily newspaper based in Merrillville.
Lakeshore Public Television operates WYIN-TV Gary on channel 56 and is the local PBS station in the Chicago television market.
These eight broadcast radio stations serve Lake County and are part of the Chicago market:
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in Lowell have ranged from a low of 14.4 °F (âˆ'9.8 °C) in January to a high of 83.8 °F (28.8 °C) in July, although a record low of âˆ'29 °F (âˆ'34 °C) was recorded in December 1989 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.75 inches (44 mm) in February to 4.69 inches (119 mm) in June. Temperatures at or below 0 °F (âˆ'18 °C) occur on average 11 days annually and exceed 90 °F (32 °C) degrees on 14 days. In winter, lake-effect snow increases snowfall totals compared to the areas to the west. In spring and early summer, the immediate shoreline areas sometimes experience lake-breeze that can drop temperatures by several degrees compared to areas further inland. In summer, thunderstorms are common, occurring an average 40â€"50 days every year, and on about 13 days, these thunderstorms produce severe winds.
Government
The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code.
County Council: The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four-year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes.
Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.
Court: The county maintains a small claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.
County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.
County elected officials
Politics
Lake County has long been a Democratic stronghold, giving pluralities to Democrats in every Presidential election since 1932 with the exceptions of 1956 and 1972.
Lake is part of Indiana's 1st congressional district, which is held by Democrat Pete Visclosky. In the State Senate, Lake is part of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th districts, which are held by three Democrats and one Republican. In the Indiana House of Representatives, Lake is part of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th and 19th districts, which are held by four Democrats and four Republicans.
2008 Presidential Primary
In the 2008 Democratic presidential primary on May 6, 2008, Lake County was one of the last counties to report results. Lake County had reported no results at 11 p.m. ET, and at midnight ET, only 28% of Lake County's vote had been reported. A large number of absentee ballots and a record turnout delayed the tallies, and polls closed an hour later than much of the state because Lake County is in the Central Time Zone. Early returns showed Senator Barack Obama leading by a potentially lead-changing margin, leaving the race between Senator Hillary Clinton and Obama "too close to call" until final tallies were reported.
Culture and contemporary life
Entertainment and the arts
- Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra â€" performances at various venues
- Star Plaza Theatre â€" Merrillville
- Theatre at the Center, located at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts â€" Munster
Major attractions
- Ameristar Casino â€" East Chicago
- Horseshoe Casino â€" Hammond
- Majestic Star Casino â€" Gary
- Majestic Star Casino II â€" Gary
- Pierogi Fest â€" Whiting
- Southlake Mall â€" Hobart
- Three Floyds Brewing â€" Munster
Professional sports teams
- Gary SouthShore RailCats, an American Association professional baseball team, play their games at U.S. Steel Yard in Gary.
- Gary Splash, an Independent Basketball Association professional basketball team, play their games at the Genesis Convention Center in Gary.
Recreation
- List of parks and recreational facilities â€" Lake County Parks and Recreation
- Bellaboo's Play and Discovery Center â€" Lake Station
- Buckley Homestead â€" Lowell
- Cedar Creek Family Golf Center â€" Cedar Lake
- Deep River County Park â€" Hobart
- Deep River Waterpark â€" Crown Point
- Gibson Woods Nature Preserve â€" Hammond
- Grand Kankakee Marsh â€" Hebron
- Lake Etta â€" Gary
- Lemon Lake â€" Crown Point
- Oak Ridge Prairie & Oak Savannah Trail â€" Griffith
- Stoney Run County Park â€" Hebron
- Three Rivers County Park â€" Lake Station
- Turkey Creek Golf Course â€" Merrillville
- Whihala Beach â€" Whiting
- List of recreational facilities â€" Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 496,005Â people, 188,157Â households, and 127,647Â families residing in the county. The population density was 994.1 inhabitants per square mile (383.8/km2). There were 208,750 housing units at an average density of 418.4 per square mile (161.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 64.4% white, 25.9% black or African American, 1.2% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 5.8% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 16.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.1% were German, 11.1% were Irish, 9.6% were Polish, 5.4% were English, and 3.7% were American.
Of the 188,157Â households, 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.2% were non-families, and 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.19. The median age was 37.4 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $58,931. Males had a median income of $50,137 versus $33,264 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,142. About 12.2% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.3% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
See also
- Lake County Indiana Sheriff's Department
- List of public art in Lake County, Indiana
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Lake County, Indiana
Bibliography
- Forstall, Richard L. (editor) (1995). U. S. Population of States and Counties - 1790 Through 1990. National Technical Information Services (NTIS). ISBN 0-934213-48-8. CS1 maint: Extra text: authors list (link)
- Schoon, Kenneth J. (2003). Calumet Beginnings: Ancient Shorelines and Settlements at the South End of Lake Michigan. Indiana University Press. ISBNÂ 0-253-34218-X.Â
Notes
References
External links
- Lake County official website
- Lake County Parks
- South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority