Munster, Indiana
Town of Munster, Indiana | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location in the state of Indiana | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Lake |
| Township | North |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town |
| • Town Manager | Tom DeGiulio |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.6 sq mi (19.8 km2) |
| • Land | 7.5 sq mi (19.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 610 ft (186 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 21,511 |
| • Density | 2,853/sq mi (1,101.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 46321 |
| Area code | 219 |
| FIPS code | 18-51912Template:GR |
| GNIS feature ID | 0439885Template:GR |
| Website | www.munster.org |
Munster is a town in North Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 21,511 at the 2000 census.
History
The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Potawatomi. Although a village did not exist in what was to become Munster Town boundaries, a trail along the dry, sandy ridge now known as Ridge Road was well traveled by the tribe. Downtown Munster, the town hall, police and fire departments, Munster's Centre for the Visual and Performing Arts, and the Munster 46321 post office are located on Ridge Road.
In the late 1600s and early 1700s what is today Munster was part of French territory. In the 1760s the British claimed the land where the Potawatomi lived as part of the British Empire. Twenty years later George Rogers Clark overran the British, claiming the land for the new and independent country known as the United States of America. In 1828 the American Government relocated the Potawatomi Indians to the Oklahoma territory.
As the numbers of native Americans dwindled, pioneer settlers began to inhabit the area which would become Munster. Munster became a farming town and notable for railroads and the well traveled Ridge Road.
When Jacob Munster, a young man from the Netherlands who originally spelled his surname “Monster,” opened an area General Store complete with a U.S. Postal station on the back, the local farmers and settlers came to rely on the postal station, which soon became a United States Post Office. The post office was named Munster, as it was located in Jacob Munster's General store.
Before long more and more people moved to the "Munster" Area, and in 1907 Munster was incorporated as a town, with 76 residents voting "yes" for the incorporation and 28 voting "no."
Munster soon became a booming town that attracted many people. Munster saw difficult times through the rough years of the Great Depression and the World Wars, like many other new towns in America.
The town is home to Community Hospital, The Centre for Visual and Performing Arts, The Times of Northwest Indiana newspaper, a PepsiAmericas bottling and distribution facility, and The Three Floyds Brewing Company.
Geography
Munster is located at 41°33′5″N 87°30′5″W / 41.55139°N 87.50139°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.551457, -87.501431)Template:GR, at a point on the ancient shore of Lake Michigan which is today Ridge Road. This ancient sand ridge can be seen clearly along the south side of the road. The town's boundaries contain three small lakes, two of which, located within Centennial Park, are marshy and underdeveloped. The town is bounded on the north by the Little Calumet River, and on the west by the Illinois state line. It shares municipal boundaries with Hammond to the north, Highland to the east, Schererville and Dyer in Indiana to the south, and with Lansing and Lynwood in Illinois to the west.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 7.6 square miles (19.7 km²), of which, 7.5 square miles (19.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.66%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 21,511 people, 8,091 households, and 6,141 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,852.8 people per square mile (1,101.5/km²). There were 8,339 housing units at an average density of 1,105.9/sq mi (427.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.28% White, 1.03% African American, 0.06% Native American, 4.49% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.10% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.88% of the population.
Largest ancestries: German (19.5%), Polish (19.4%), Irish (14.1%), Italian (8.0%), English (7.1%), Dutch (5.0%).
There were 8,091 households out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 65.5% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $63,243, and the median income for a family was $74,255. Males had a median income of $53,387 versus $34,490 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,952. About 2.8% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
School Town of Munster, the town's public school system, is noted for its overall excellence. All five schools in the system are recognized as Indiana Blue Ribbon schools and have been awarded five star ratings. Munster High School is one of seven schools from Indiana on Newsweek's 2006 Top Schools list. The Munster High Speech and Debate team was the 2004-2005 Speech and Debate Indiana State Champions. The varsity JETS (Junior Engineering Technological Society) squad placed first in the nation in 2005. The Wilbur Wright Middle School's Science Olympiad team attended 2006 Science Olympiad Nationals, earning 5 medals including 2 golds, and in 2007 advanced again to earn 3 medals. In 2006, the Munster High School Wind Ensemble received a gold at ISSMA state finals, and placed 10th in the state. The Munster High School Concert Choir received a Gold rating at the 2006 ISSMA Organizational Contest in both singing and sight-reading. The Munster High School We the People ("We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution") team placed first at the State competition in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008, and the 2005-2006 team placed 11th at Nationals and won the Midwest region. Additionally, both the Munster High School boys and girls tennis teams are perennial powerhouses in Indiana.
Two private schools are located in the town: St. Thomas More Elementary School and St. Paul's Lutheran School.
Additionally, Northwest Indiana's first college student-run summer mathematics program was founded here. Munster Math, LLC has served over 500 local area students in its three year tenure.
Throughout the 1990's, the students from WIlbur Wright took part in an exchange programme with Biddick Sports College in Washington, Tyne and Wear which is located in North East England. Students from each school spent a month living with each other - experiencing life in another country.
List of schools - School Town of Munster:
- Munster High School
- Wilbur Wright Middle School
- Ernest R. Elliott Elementary School
- James B. Eads Elementary School
- Frank H. Hammond Elementary School
Notable residents
- Sue Hendrickson
- Hal Morris
- Jack Hyles
- Shaun Blue, 1stLt USMC
- Joe Mansueto
See also
References
External links
Municipalities and communities of Lake County, Indiana, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Townships | ||
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| Other communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties. | |
