Lake Station, Indiana
City of Lake Station, Indiana | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location in the state of Indiana | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Lake |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Keith W. Soderquist (D) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.5 sq mi (21.9 km2) |
| • Land | 8.3 sq mi (21.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 620 ft (189 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 13,948 |
| • Density | 1,680/sq mi (648.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 46405 |
| Area code | 219 |
| FIPS code | 18-41535Template:GR |
| GNIS feature ID | 0433905Template:GR |
| Website | www.lakestation.in.gov |
Lake Station is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,948 at the 2000 census.
History
An early depot stop on the Michigan Central Railroads Detroit to Chicago line through the Calumet region, the village was first named when George Earle mapped out a town of about 6,500 acres in 1852, dubbing it Lake Station.
Twists of fate have their effect to this day. Being a bedroom community, Lake Station did welcome Abraham Lincoln to its Audubon Hotel perhaps on more than one occasion according to oral history. But George Pullman, who tried to negotiate for land in Lake Station for his proposed railcar company, never struck a deal and set up shop on the south side of Chicago instead.
Today, Lake Station remains a mostly residential community.
East Gary
East Gary is the former name of the city of Lake Station, Indiana. The city was known as Lake Station from as far back as 1852 when it served as a depot on Michigan Central Railroad's Detroit to Chicago line. The name was officially changed to East Gary in 1908 in an attempt to lure executives from the nearby US Steel plant in Gary, Indiana into creating a suburban community.
With another name change in 1977, to primarily disassociate itself from the urban decay and crime of Gary, the city reverted to its more historical designation of Lake Station.
County Seat
Prior to its current location in Crown Point, Indiana, the county seat was located on what is now the west end of Lake Station in a section called Liverpool.
Camp 133
Incorporated in 1922, Camp 133 was named for the Local 133 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. The camp was a summer camp.
Annexation Battles
Feb 1976: City Council approves annexation of all of unincorporated Hobart Township between the city's border south to U.S. 6, and from County Line Road west to Lake Park including Northridge Plaza and the Nob Hill and Viking Village subdivisions.
Aug 1976: Annexation challenged by residents of the annexed areas. Sep: City represenatives fail to appear in court, and the case never went to trial.
Jun 1978: City Council approves annexation of the area that wasn't annexed in 1976. An injunction was given until the 1976 case is heard in court.
1989: Hobart annexes all areas except Viking Village unaware of Lake Station's pending case.
May 1993: Mayor Dewey Lemley confirms plans to annex the remainder of unincorporated Hobart Township between Lake Station and Hobart, Indiana. The area's boundaries are County Line Road and Lake Park Avenue. Jul: Unincorporated Hobart Township Property owners east of Ind. 51 in the area targeted by Lake Station are annexed into Hobart. The area is known as the Spence Annexation. The Hobart City Council considers a second request for annexation from another group of property owners in the area targeted by Lake Station. The area, known as the Topper Annexation, is bounded by the south side of 34th Avenue to the north, Hobart City limits on the south, North Lake Park Avenue on the west and Deep River on the east.
Carnival Murder
July 4th, 1989 an 8 year old girl named Geneva Morris was strangled to death in Riverview Park during the annual 4th of July carnival. A carnival worker was accused, but insufficient evidence led to the charges being dropped.
Lake Station's 1st Female Mayor
Tuesday, November 7, 1995, Shirley A. Wadding (D) became Lake Station's first female mayor, defeating Republican opponent James Vanderlin (R) by approximately 320 votes. Prior to that she served two terms as an at-large councilwoman from 1988-1996. She served three terms as mayor from 1996-2008. In 2007, Wadding announced that she would not seek re-election. During her tenure as mayor she the accomplishments of the covered bridge, Veterans Park, Boys & Girls Club, Senior Center, Food Pantry, and a new branch of the Lake County Public Library took place under her administration.
Mayors of Lake Station
Lake Station (then East Gary) switched from town to city status in 1964. Although the city has long been predominantly Democratic, Republicans have often taken advantage of political divisions among the city's Democrats to win the mayor's office, which last happened in 1987. The first mayor was Leo Meister.
Leo Meister, Republican, 1964-1972; Carl Jacobs, Democrat, 1972-1980; Carl Miller, Republican, 1980-1984; Arthur Hartley, Democrat, 1984-1988; Carl Miller, Republican, 1988-1992; Dewey Lemley, Democrat, 1992-1996; Shirley Wadding, Democrat, 1996-2008; Keith Soderquist, Democrat, 2008-
See Also
Geography
Lake Station is located at 41°34′11″N 87°15′35″W / 41.56972°N 87.25972°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.569836, -87.259785)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.5 square miles (21.9 km²), of which, 8.3 square miles (21.5 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (2.01%) is water.
The city lies on the Calumet Shoreline, which is seen today as a sand ridge.
Major highways
Lakes & Rivers
- Grand Boulevard Lake
- Deep River
Surrounding Cities
Parks
- Four Winds Park
- Columbus Park
- Riverview Park
- Miller Park
- Mock Park
- Deep River Outdoor Recreation Center
- Johnson Park
- Bicentennial Park
- Warrick Park
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 13,948 people, 5,041 households, and 3,528 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,681.0 people per square mile (648.8/km²). There were 5,328 housing units at an average density of 642.1/sq mi (247.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.23% White, 0.77% African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 9.31% from other races, and 2.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.61% of the population.
There were 5,041 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,984, and the median income for a family was $41,454. Males had a median income of $35,761 versus $22,659 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,319. About 10.6% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
Annual Festivals
The Fuzz Follies is a car show that takes place in Riverview Park every year since 1984. Since 2004 The Heritage Days Festival has also taken place in Riverview Park. Both events are usually in June.
Educational System
The Lake Station Community Schools district consists of four elementary schools, Virgil I. Bailey, Carl J. Polk, Alexander Hamilton, and Central Elementary. and one combined junior and senior high school, Thomas A. Edison Junior-Senior High School. Also within the city are two parochial schools, Liberty Baptist and St. Francis Xavier.
The River Forest Community School Corporation serves the West End of Lake Station (approximately one-third of the city), as well as the neighboring Town of New Chicago, parts of Hobart and Gary, and unincorporated Hobart Township. River Forest High School, River Forest Junior High School, River Forest Elementary School and Henry S. Evans Elementary School are all within the city limits of Lake Station (as the result of the city's 1972 annexation of previously unincorporated parts of Hobart Township). Meister Elementary School is located in the unincorporated Viking Village area of Hobart Township.
Lake Station Edison and River Forest high schools are longtime sports rivals and have one of the most renowned and intense rivalries in northwest Indiana. Both are members of the Greater South Shore Conference, which consists of eight small northwest Indiana schools, and both compete at the Class 2A level in most sports except football, in which both compete in Class A.
Industry
Railroads
Lake Station's busiest rail line is the CSX Railroad's Porter Subdivision line. The CF&E also runs through Lake Station, crossing at Liverpool Road.
The Joliet Line of the Michigan Central Railroad once ran through Lake Station, along Fairview Road and through Liverpool near where the CF&E crosses Liverpool road. The Fairview Walkway now occupies the right of way between Fayette Road and Grand Boulevard.
External links
- OFFICIAL Lake Station Indiana Website
- Lake Station Community Schools
- River Forest Community School Corp.
Municipalities and communities of Lake County, Indiana, United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties. | |