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Valparaiso, Indiana

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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
 (2010)
 • Total31,730
 • Density2,515.4/sq mi (971.6/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
46383-46385
Area code219
FIPS code18-78326Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0449849Template:GR
Websitehttp://www.ci.valparaiso.in.us/

Valparaiso (/[invalid input: 'icon']ˌvɑːlpəˈreɪzoʊ/ vahl-pə-RAY-zoh) is a city in Porter County, Indiana, United States, and is the southeasternmost suburb of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is the county seat of Porter CountyTemplate:GR. The population was 31,730 at the 2010 census, 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[1] 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.[2] 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.[3] Established in 1836 as the county seat of Portersville, it was renamed to Valparaiso (meaning "Valley of Paradise" in Spanish) in 1837 after Valparaíso, Chile, near which the county's namesake David Porter battled in the War of 1812.[4] The city was once called the "City of Churches" due to the large number of churches it was home to at the end of the 19th Century. Valparaiso has a long history or racism and segregation as it was one of the main headquarters for the Ku Klux Klan in the early 20th century.[5] And there have been several recent episodes of hate crimes against African-Americans in Valparaiso within the past decade.[6]

The city also has a long history of being a travel hub for the region. In 1858 the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne, and Chicago Railroad reached Valparaiso and connected the city directly to Chicago. By 1910 an interurban railway had connected the city to Gary, Indiana. Today, while the city no longer has a passenger train station, it is still very much a part of the "Crossroads of America" due to its proximity to I-94, I-80, I-90, and I-65. Until 1991 it was the terminal of Amtrak's Calumet commuter service.

Flag

Inspired by the sights of rolling hills topped with trees and surrounding rich farmland, the flag's primary color is green. White, being a symbol of purity, was chosen as a secondary color to represent the deep religious roots found in the city. Gold was chosen as a third color to represent the quality of schooling, community life, and government in the area. Emblazoned on the flag is a "V" which stands for the V's of Valparaiso: Valparaiso University, Valparaiso High School, and Valparaiso Technical Institute. The center circle of the flag contains the Valparaiso University Chapel of the Resurrection (for education), a symbol for a church, a tree (for agriculture), and a gear (for industry). The Words "Valparaiso, Indiana" as well as the date of conception, 1866, are found encircling the four symbols. [2]</ref>

Geography

Valparaiso is located at 41°28′34″N 87°3′25″W / 41.47611°N 87.05694°W / 41.47611; -87.05694Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.476151, -87.056919).Template:GR

The city is situated at the junctions of U.S. Route 30, State Road 2, Interstate 80, and State Road 49.

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 near the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

Glatiation has left numerous features on the landscape here. Perhaps hundreds of Kettle lakes and knobs make up the majority of this hilly area of northwest Indiana. The Pines Ski Area is the only remaining Kame in the city; the other one is under the university's Chapel of the Resurrection, however, grading of land in that area makes that particular kame almost nonexistant. Many glacial erratics can be found throughout the city. The moraine has left the city with mostly clay soil.

Climate data for Valparaiso, Indiana
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F 33 35 45 59 70 80 84 83 76 65 48 36 60
Mean daily minimum °F 16 20 27 38 48 57 62 60 53 43 31 20 40
Average rainfall inches 2.1 1.9 3 3.6 4.1 4 3.2 3.5 3.2 3.1 2.6 2.1 36.2
Average snowfall inches 8.8 8 7 1.5 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 3.7 8.8 38.5
Mean daily maximum °C 1 2 7 15 21 27 29 28 24 18 9 2 16
Mean daily minimum °C −9 −7 −3 3 9 14 17 16 12 6 −1 −7 4
Average rainfall mm 53 48 76 91 100 100 81 89 81 79 66 53 920
Average snowfall cm 22 20 18 3.8 0.76 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 9.4 22 98
Source: [7]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1850522—
18601,698225.3%
18702,76562.8%
18804,46161.3%
18905,09014.1%
19006,28023.4%
19106,98711.3%
19206,518−6.7%
19308,07923.9%
19408,7368.1%
195012,02837.7%
196015,22726.6%
197020,02031.5%
198022,24711.1%
199024,4149.7%
200027,42812.3%
201031,73015.7%
Source: US Census Bureau

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2008, there were 27,428 people, 10,867 households, and 6,368 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,515.4 inhabitants per square mile (971.6/km²). There were 11,559 housing units at an average density of 1,060.1 per square mile (409.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.35% White, 1.60% African American, 0.23% Native American, 2.02% 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 $47,799, and the median income for a family was $65,637. Males had a median income of $46,452 versus $26,544 for females. The per capita income for the city was $30,509. 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.

Law and Government

Mayors by party affiliation
Party[8] Mayors
Republican 13
Democratic 13

Valparaiso has an elected mayor and an elected council. The mayor is elected for a four year term.[9]

Mayor Term Began Term Ended Political Party
Thomas J Merrifield
1865
1868
 Democratic
Thomas G. Lytle
1868
1872
 Republican
John N. Skinner
1872
1882
 Democratic
Thomas G. Lytle
1882
1886
 Republican
Alvin D. Bartholomew
1886
1888
 Democratic
Thomas G. Lytle
1888
1892
 Republican
Frank P. Jones
1892
1894
 Democratic
Col. I.C. B. Suman
1894
1898
 Republican
Addison E. Woodhull
1898
1902
 Democratic
William F. Spooner
1902
1906
 Democratic
William H. Williams
1906
1910
 Republican
William F. Spooner
1910
1914
 Democratic
Perry L. Sisson
1914
1922
Edgerton W. Agar
1922
1926
 Republican
William F. Spooner
1926
1928
 Democratic
Louis F. Leetz
1928
1930
 Republican
Harold J. Schenck
1930
1935
 Republican
Charles L. Bartholomew
1935
1944
 Republican
Garrett Conover
1944
1948
 Republican
Elden Kuehl
1948
1952
 Democratic
John E. Wiggins
1952
1960
 Republican
Donald E. Will
1960
1968
 Republican
Bryce E. Billings
1968
1972
 Republican
Elden Kuehl
1972
1984
 Democratic
David A. Butterfield
1984
2004
 Democratic
Jon Costas
2004
current
 Republican

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

Valparaiso Community Schools cover all of Center Township and most of the City of Valparaiso (that which is within Center Township)
    • East Porter County Schools
      • Morgan Township High School, 299 S State Route 49
      • Washington Township 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), 1700 Monticello Park Drive
    • Montessori School of Valparaiso
    • Saint Paul's Catholic School (K-8), 1755 West Harrison
    • Spirit Of God Accelerated Education,
    • South Haven Christian School (K-12), 786 Juniper Road
    • Victory Christian Academy, 3805 LaPorte Ave

Culture

  • Valparaiso is very close to Lake Michigan and the Indiana dunes, which are open year-round and offer hiking, swimming, and camping.[3]
  • Valparaiso is home to the Taltree Arboretum and Gardens.
  • Valparaiso is featured in Valparaiso, a successful play by Don DeLillo.
  • Valparaiso's Banta Neighborhood features many historic homes; architectural designs include, Italianate, Arts & Crafts, and English/Cottswald.
  • The primary local radio stations are WLJE 105.5 FM "Indiana 105", which broadcasts country music, WAKE 1500 AM, which plays adult standards, and WVLP 98.3 FM "ValpoRadio", a non-profit, low power FM community radio station. Valparaiso formerly had a fourth local station, WNWI 1080 AM, which relocated to Oak Lawn, Illinois in 1998 and is now a Chicago-market station. Radio is usually from the Chicago market.

Live Theater

  • Valparaiso hosts the Chicago Street Theatre, run by the local Community Theater Guild, 154 Chicago Street[10]
  • The Memorial Opera House is a popular destination for musical theatre fans throughout the year, Franklin and Indiana[10]

Valparaiso hosts an annual Popcorn Festival in the downtown area

Museums

Local media

Newspapers

  • The Times of Northwest Indiana (or NWI Times), was founded in 1906 and is the second largest of Indiana’s 76 daily newspapers. [4]
  • The Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana was founded in 1907, serving the Northwest Indiana region. The Post-Tribune is owned by the Sun Times Media Group. [5]

Magazines

  • Valparaiso Magazine is a magazine produced by the Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, released quarterly.
  • Shore Magazine is a magazine produced by the NWI Times, which also produces ShoreLines, a weekly newsletter.

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.[11]

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 city's 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 4 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 city's botanical garden. 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. A Japanese garden is included with a 22,000 gallon Koi pond. Forest Park is to the west with an open grassy picnic area below a wooded picnic area with a shelter.

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
  • The Course at Aberdeen

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.[12]

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 Calumet
  • Downtown, Courthouse and Lincolnway
  • Eastgate, East Lincolnway
  • Valparaiso Marketplace, State Route 2 at Silhavy. Includes Target and Kohls[10]
  • Valparaiso Walk, State Route 2 at Silhavy, includes Menards and Best Buy[10]
  • Strongbow Center, U.S. 30 and State Route 49. includes Walmart[10]
  • Thornapple Plaza, West U.S. 30, includes Wiseway.[10]

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 [6], 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 south of Valparaiso, in Wheatfield Indiana at the Schaeffer Power Plant. [7]

On October 1, 2007, Valparaiso inaugurated a city bus service, the V-Line. It operates between downtown, the university, shopping centers and the city's northern neighborhoods. It also offers an express service to the Indiana Dunes at the Dune Park train station of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District Friday though Sunday (Friday through Saturday during Valparaiso University's spring, summer and winter breaks), timed to meet certain trains. V-Line does not operate on holidays.

A commuter bus service to Chicago started later this year and is called ChicaGo Dash. Its main station and hub are at Valparaiso's Village Station, a former railroad depot. It was designed eventually serve as a Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District train station as well. The trains were meant to go be linked to the South Shore line and will go to and from Chicago picking up passengers along the way. However, the recent studies suggested that the originally proposed route would not attract enough passengers to be sustainable. NICTD is currently considering alternative routing though Gary in hopes that this will prove to be more viable.

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.[13]

Historic Districts and Structures

Notable natives

See also

References

  1. ^ One of the earliest Authentic histories of Porter County, Indiana, From 1832 to 1876; Deborah H. Shults-Gay; ca 1917
  2. ^ Atlas of Great Lakes Indian History; Helen Hornbeck Tanner; University of Oklahoma Press; Norman,Oklahoma, 1987; map 25
  3. ^ Valparaiso City Employees. "City History." City of Valparaiso. 14 Feb 2008 [1]
  4. ^ 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)
  5. ^ http://sundown.afro.illinois.edu/sundowntownsshow.php?id=896
  6. ^ http://www.wbez.org/story/news/local/clouds-racism-threaten-valparaiso
  7. ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Millersburg, Ohio". Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  8. ^ Mayors of Valparaiso
  9. ^ Sesquicentennial, The way We Were in 1986, Sesquicentennial Board; Porter County, Indiana; 1986
  10. ^ 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).
  11. ^ Your GUide to Summer Fun! Indiana Dunes, The Casual Coast; Porter County Convetion and Recreation and Visitors Commission, 2005
  12. ^ Northwest Indiana Bike Map, Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, Spring 2008
  13. ^ Neeley, George E.; City of Valparaiso, A Pictorial History; G. Bradley Publishing, Inc.; St. Louis, Missouri; 1989
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