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Whiting, Indiana

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City of Whiting
City
Location in the state of Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
CountryUnited States
StateIndiana
CountyLake
Government
 • MayorJoseph M. Stahura (D)
Area
 • Total3.3 sq mi (8.5 km2)
 • Land1.8 sq mi (4.6 km2)
 • Water1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2)  46.34%
Elevation
587 ft (179 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total5,137
 • Density2,914.1/sq mi (1,126.9/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
46394
Area code219
FIPS code18-84122Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0445988Template:GR

Whiting is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. Whiting is home to the largest oil refinery in the Midwest. [1] The population was 5,137 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Whiting is located at 41°40′34″N 87°29′26″W / 41.67611°N 87.49056°W / 41.67611; -87.49056Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.676027, -87.490460)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²), of which, 1.8 square miles (4.6 km²) of it is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it (46.34%) is water.

The Whiting post office (46394) serves not only the City of Whiting, but also the adjacent Hammond neighborhood of Robertsdale, immediately to the west. Addresses in this Hammond neighborhood show “Whiting, Indiana.” While not legally a part of the City of Whiting, locally the area has long been informally considered to be a culturally integrated part of Whiting. References to Whiting businesses or residents often include those technically from Hammond’s Robertsdale.[2][3][4]

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 5,137 people, 2,091 households, and 1,281 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,914.1 people per square mile (1,126.9/km²). There were 2,313 housing units at an average density of 1,312.1/sq mi (507.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.37% White, 0.56% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 9.09% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.56% of the population.

Largest ancestries: Slovak (18.0%), Polish (17.1%), Irish (16.3%), German (11.5%), English (5.8%), Italian (5.2%). The proportion of Whiting's population claiming Slovak ancestry is among the highest in the United States.

There were 2,091 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,972, and the median income for a family was $40,994. Males had a median income of $33,565 versus $21,981 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,518. About 10.1% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notes of interest

A local festival, Pierogi Fest, is held each year in Whiting to honor the venerable pierogi dumpling.

The nearest airport serving Whiting is Gary/Chicago International Airport.

Whiting is home to a very large BP oil refinery, the 4th largest in the nation. This site began operating in the 1890's, and was the first refinery owned by Standard Oil of Indiana, which went on to became Amoco before it merged with BP. Recently, this BP refinery has received criticism for permits it has been granted to release 1,584 pounds of ammonia and 4,925 pounds of suspended solids (including mercury) into Lake Michigan daily.[5] The permits were issued as BP continues to invest $3 billion to modernize the Whiting Refinery to process Canadian Crude.

Was featured in an episode of MTV's High School Stories.

Scenes from the movie Rudy, staring Sean Astin, as well as the 1981 drama Four Friends, were shot in Whiting.

Template:Mapit-US-cityscale

References

  1. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oil_refineries#Indiana
  2. ^ Whiting History
  3. ^ Whiting, Indiana - Chamber of Commerce
  4. ^ Journey Through Calumet - Place
  5. ^ BP takes lumps on Hill - National Government, Chicago, Michael Hawthorne - chicagotribune.com
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