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Revision as of 09:59, 25 March 2009

City of Valparaiso
City
Franklin Street in Valparaiso
Franklin Street in Valparaiso
Flag of City of Valparaiso
Flag
Official seal of City of Valparaiso
Seal
Nickname: 
Valpo
Motto: 
"Vale of Paradise"
Location in Indiana
Location in Indiana
CountryUnited States
StateIndiana
CountyPorter
TownshipCenter
Government
 • MayorJon Costas (R)
Area
 • Total11.0 sq mi (28.5 km2)
 • Land10.9 sq mi (28.2 km2)
 • Water0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)  0.73%
Elevation
794 ft (242 m)
Population
 (2000 estimate)
 • Total47,428
 • Density3,515.4/sq mi (1,871.6/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
46383-46385
Area code219
FIPS code18-78326Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0449849Template:GR
Websitewww.valpo.us

Valparaiso (Template:PronEng) is a city in Porter County, Indiana, U.S., and is the southeasternmost suburb of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is the county seat of Porter CountyTemplate:GR. The city's nickname is Valpo. The city population is 29,951 [1] making it the 2nd largest city in Porter County.

History

The site of present day Valparaiso was included in the purchase of land from the Potawatomi Indians by the U.S. Government in October 1832. Chiqua's town or Chipuaw[2] was located a mile east of the current Courthouse along the Sauk Trail. Chiqua's town existed from at or before 1830 until after 1832.[3] The location is just north of the railroad crossing on State Route 2 and County Road 400 North.

Located on the ancient Indian trail from Rock Island to Detroit, the town had its first log cabin in 1834.[4] Established in 1836 as the county seat of Portersville, it was renamed to Valparaiso in 1837 after Valparaíso, Chile, near which the county's namesake David Porter battled in the War of 1812.[5] Until 1991 it was the terminal of Amtrak's Calumet commuter service.

Geography

It is situated at the junctions of U.S. Route 30, State Road 2, Interstate 80/90, and State Road 49. Also, Interstate 355 which is currently under construction. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.0 square miles (28.5 km²), of which, 10.9 square miles (28.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.73%) is water.

Topography

The city is situated on the Valparaiso Moraine, which is also the Eastern Continental Divide.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 47,428 people, 20,867 households, and 16,368 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,515.4 people per square mile (971.6/km²). There were 31,559 housing units at an average density of 2,060.1/sq mi (409.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.35% White, 6.60% African American, 0.23% Native American, 6.49% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.34% of the population. There were 10,867 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 17.4% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $45,799, and the median income for a family was $60,637. Males had a median income of $46,452 versus $26,544 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,509. About 4.8% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Higher education

The city is the site of multiple colleges and universities. Purdue University North Central has a satellite campus in Valparaiso, and one of Ivy Tech's 23 regional campuses is located in the city. Valparaiso is also home to namesake Valparaiso University, occupying 310 acres (1.3 km2) on the south side of the city near downtown. The university is also a cultural center of the city, hosting venues such as the Brauer Museum of Art, home to more than 2,700 pieces of 19th- and 20th century American art.

The official history of Valparaiso University was written by Prof. Richard Baepler. His Flame of Faith, Lamp of Learning details the colorful and impressive history of the University from its Methodist roots in 1859 to its lasting reputation as a Lutheran University (1925). The intellectual story of Valparaiso University in the post-war years might be best summarized by Prof. John Strietelmeier who wrote that what united the VU thinkers of this period was "the dream that somewhere there might be a place where high faith and high intellect might meet to provide an apostate age with a new vision and a new hope." Streietelmeier was a Professor in Geography and an Editor of the University's "The Cresset." His writings represent a critical set of impressions from the 1950s and 1960s at VU and are collected by Baepler in his Witness to His Generation: Selected Writings of John Strietelmeier along with a significant biography of Strietelmeier's life and intellectual context.

Primary and secondary education

    • East Porter County Schools
      • Morgan Township High School, 299 S State Route 49
      • Washington High School, 381 E State Route 2; serves part of the city of Valparaiso
      • Kouts High School, 302 College, Kouts
    • Porter Township School Corporation (does not serve Center Township or Valparaiso)
      • Boone Grove High School, 260 S 500 W
    • Union Township Schools (does not serve Center Township or Valparaiso)
      • Wheeler High School, 587 W 300 N
      • Union Middle School,
      • Union Center Elementary School, 272 N 600 W
      • John Simatovich Elementary School, 424 W 500 N
    • Brunswick Elementary School
    • Bailly Middle School, Duneland schools (not a valpo address)
    • Arthur P. Melton Elementary School
  • Private schools
    • Christ Baptist Christian Academy
    • The Classical Academy
    • Immanuel Lutheran School (K-8)
    • Montessori School of Valparaiso
    • Saint Paul's Catholic School (K-8), 1755 West Harrison
    • Spirit Of God Accelerated Education,
    • Victory Christian Academy, 3805 LaPorte Ave

Culture

Live Theater

  • Valparaiso hosts the Chicago Street Theatre, run by the local Community Theater Guild, 154 Chicago Street[6]
  • The Memorial Opera House is a popular destination for musical theatre fans throughout the year, Franklin and Indiana[6]

Art

Parks & Recreation

Valparaiso boasts of an extensive city park district. There are currently thirteen parks with another in the planning stages. Recent purchase of the old Sears building on Lafayette between Indiana St and Lincolnway.[7]

Parks

Fairground Park and the walking circuit

200 East, (east McCord St) – a community park with a playground and ball diamond.

Bicentennial Park, (Burlington Beach Road & Campbell St) – Provides a full range of activities, including a playground, tennis courts, basketball courts, ball diamond and picnic shelters. A prairie restoration is under way in the north half of the park.
Fairgrounds Park (Calumet & Evans Avenues) – Has the largest complex of ball diamonds and soccer fields in the city. A playground and basketball court are available. Numerous city sports leagues use Fairgrounds Park for their games and tournaments. The park is surrounded by a paved walking circuit that is well occupied on nice days.
Foundation Meadows (Campbell Street & Bullseye Lake Rd) – One of the cities newer parks.
Glenrose South, (1500 Roosevelt Road) – Provides several ball diamonds and when school is out, Thomas Jefferson Middle Schools track is available for those interested in walking. Glenrose South has been the home of the Valparaiso 4th of July Fireworks display and celebration since 2005.
Jessee-Pifer Park, (Elmhurst & Madison Streets) – a community park with a basketball court and picnic shelter.
Kirchhoff Miller Woods, (Roosevelt Road & Institute St – a community park that provides for basketball, baseball, tennis, picnicking and a playground.

Valplayso

Ogden Gardens/Forest Park, (Campbell Street & Harrison Blvd) – Ogden Gardens is the home of the cities floral display. The Campbell Street end is a formal garden with a variety of planting that bloom through out the year. The Gazebo is a favorite place for weddings, wedding pictures and high school prom pictures. Forest Park is to the west with an open grassy picnic area below a wooded picnic area with a shelter. The largest section of Forest Park is the golf course (see below).

Rogers-Lakewood Park, (Meridian Road (N Campbell Street)) – Provide opportunities for swimming, fishing, and hiking trails. It is connected to the north side communities of Valparaiso by the Campbell Street Bike Trail (hiking and biking).
Tower Park, (Evans Ave & Franklin St.) – a community park that offers basketball, baseball, tennis, picnicking and a playground. During winter months, one of the basketball courts is turned into the community skating rink.
Valplayso/Glenrose North, (Glendale Blvd & Roosevelt Rd) – is the home of Valplayso, a community designed and community built playground. At the other end of the parking lot are several ball fields. Separated from Glenrose South by only the Middle Schools track, Glenrose North host over half of the community during the Fourth of July Celebration.
West Side Park, (Joliet Rd) – a community park with a ball field and a playground.
Will Park, (Morgan Blvd & Brown St). – a community park with a basketball court, playground, and picnic shelter.

Golf

  • Valparaiso Country Club
  • Forest Park
  • Creekside
  • Mink Lake

Bike Trails

Valparaiso is building a series of bike trails across the city. Currently, most of the identified bike routes are part of the counties system of recommended roads and streets.[8]

Bikeways (& hikeways), separated from traffic:
Campbell Street Bikeway runs from Rogers-Lakewood Park south 2.5 miles (4.0 km) to Vale Park Road (CR 400 N). It continues south on the opposite side of Campbell St. base Valparaiso High School, ending 2 miles (3.2 km) south at Ogden Gardens (Harrison Blvd).

At Vale Park, it connects to the Vale Park trail to Valparaiso Street 1 mile (1.6 km). A new bike loop 3 miles (4.8 km) is being built that circles north along Valparaiso Street to Bullseye Lake Rd, east to Cumberland Crossing (not open to the public (2008). South to Vale Park, turning west to on Vale Park to return to the corner of Vale Park and Valparaiso Street.

At Glendale, the Campbell Street Bikeway connects to the Glendale cross town bike lane. These travel east 2 miles (3.2 km) on Glendale, ending on North Calumet at the Walgreens corner.

City Fairs

The Popcorn Festival

The city holds two major festivals every year: the Popcorn Festival and the Porter County Fair. The Popcorn Festival is held on the first Saturday after Labor Day. It honors Orville Redenbacher, a former resident who built a popcorn factory there. Redenbacher participated in most of the festival's parades until his death in 1995. The festival also features racing events and a balloon launch in addition to typical fair activities. The Porter County Fair consists of carnival attractions and hosts a variety of shows such as a demolition derby, motocross races, and live musical performances.

Shopping

  • Cumberland Crossing, North Campbell
  • Downtown, Courthouse and Lincolnway
  • Eastgate, East Lincolnway
  • Valparaiso Marketplace, State Route 2 at Silhavy. aka Target or Kohls[6]
  • Valparaiso Walk, State Route 2 at Silhavy, aka Menards or Best Buy[6]
  • Strongbow Center, U.S. 30 and State Route 49. aka Walmart[6]
  • Thornapple Plaza, West U.S. 30, aka Wiseway.[6]

Infrastructure

Valparaiso gets all of its water from wells that draw water from depths between 90 and 120 feet (37 m). The supply is treated with chlorine solution to remove the iron[3], and is backed up by diesel fuel generators to maintain the supply during power outage. Valparaiso also has three sewer retention basins. The water department works with the recycling and waste reduction district to educate residents about the hazards of household waste.

Valparaiso’s energy is provided by NIPSCO, which also provides five hundred other companies with energy in states such as Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The NIPSCO energy plant is located only about twenty minutes north of Valparaiso, next to Lake Michigan. [4]

On October 1, 2007, Valparaiso inaugurated a city bus service, the V-Line. It operates between downtown, the university, and shopping centers and has an express service to the Indiana Dunes on weekends.

A commuter bus service to Chicago started later this year and is called ChicAgo Dash. Its main station and hub are in Valparaiso. Village Station, where the service has started will be the future home to a Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District train station as well. The trains will be linked to the South Shore line and will go to and from Chicago picking up passengers along the way.

Buildings of Note

  • Porter County Courthouse (Indiana) replaced an earlier brick building in 1883. The current building is 128 feet by 98 feet. It was built with a square tower rising out of the center. The tower was 168 feet tall with a clock on each side. A fire in 1934 damaged in the interior requiring the removal of the tower.[9]

Historic Districts and Structures

Notable natives

See also

References

  1. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=&geo_id=16000US1878326&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US18%7C16000US1878326&_street=&_county=Valparaiso&_cityTown=Valparaiso&_state=04000US18&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=
  2. ^ One ofthe earliest Authentic histories of Porter County, Indiana, From 1832 to 1876; Deborah H. Shults-Gay; ca 1917
  3. ^ Atlas of Great Lakes Indian History; Helen Hornbeck Tanner; University of Oklahoma Press; Norman,Oklahoma, 1987; map 25
  4. ^ Valparaiso City Employees. "City History." City of Valparaiso. 14 Feb 2008[[1]]
  5. ^ Baker, Ronald L. (1995). Indiana Place Names. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p. 170. ISBN 0-253-28340-X. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Verizon Yellow Pages, Portage-Valparaiso; November 2007 Cite error: The named reference "phone" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  7. ^ Your GUide to Summer Fun! Indiana Dunes, The Casual Coast; Porter County Convetion and Recreation and Visitors Commission, 2005
  8. ^ Northwest Indiana Bike Map, Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, Spring 2008
  9. ^ Neeley, George E.; City of Valparaiso, A Pictorial History; G. Bradley Publishing, Inc.; St. Louis, Missouri; 1989

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