Lake County, Indiana Totally Explained

Everything about Lake County Indiana totally explained

Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 2000, its population was 484,564, making it Indiana's second-most populous county. The county seat is Crown Point. This county is part of Northwest Indiana and the Chicago metropolitan area.

History

Lake County was formed in 1837. From 1832 to 1836 the area that was to become Lake County was part of La Porte County. From 1836 to 1837 it was part of Porter County. It was named for its location on Lake Michigan.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 626 square miles (1,622 km²), of which 497 square miles (1,287 km²) is land and 129 square miles (335 km²) (20.65%) is water. Most of the county is fairly flat. However, some hills and ridges do exist. There are many remnants of the ancient shorelines of Lake Michigan. Traveling south from the southern shore of Lake Michigan, the land first rises in elevation until the Valparaiso Moraine is reached, the highest area in the county. From there the land then descends into the Kankakee Outwash Plain until the Kankakee River is reached.

Jasper County (southeast)

Newton County (south)

Kankakee County, Illinois (southwest)

Will County, Illinois (west)

Demographics

Lake County Population by year
2000 484,564 1990 475,594 1980 522,965 1970 546,253 1960 513,269 1950 368,152 1940 293,195 1930 261,310 1920 159,957 1910 82,864 1900 37,892 1890 23,886 1880 15,091 1870 12,339 1860 9,145 1850 3,991 1840 1,468

As of the census of 2000, there were 484,564 people, 181,633 households, and 126,961 families residing in the county. The population density was 975 people per square mile (376/km²). There were 194,992 housing units at an average density of 392 per square mile (151/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 66.72% White, 25.33% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.96% from other races, and 1.85% from two or more races. 12.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The most commonly cited national ancestries were German (12.2%), Polish (9.6%) and Irish (7.1%).
   In 2000, there were 181,633 households out of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.70% were married couples living together, 16.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.19.
   In the county the population was spread out with 26.80% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.00 males.
   The median income for a household in the county was $41,829, and the median income for a family was $50,131. Males had a median income of $41,986 versus $26,393 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,639. About 9.70% of families and 12.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.80% of those under age 18 and 8.00% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Dyer

Gary

Hammond

Hobart

Lakes of the Four Seasons

Lowell

Munster

Whiting

Winfield

Townships

Calumet

Cedar Creek

Center

Eagle Creek

Hanover

Hobart

North

Ross

St. John

West Creek

Winfield

Education

The administration of public schools in Lake County is divided among 16 corporations and governing bodies, more than any other Indiana county. (External Link

)

Crown Point Community School Corporation – Web site

Gary Community School Corporation – Web site

Griffith Public Schools – Web site

Hanover Community School Corporation – Web site

Lake Central School Corporation – Web site

Lake Ridge Schools Corporation – Web site

Lake Station Community Schools – Web site

Merrillville Community School Corporation – Web site

River Forest Community School Corporation – Web site

School City of East Chicago – Web site

School City of Hammond – Web site

School City of Hobart – Web site

School City of Whiting – Web site

School Town of Highland – Web site

School Town of Munster – Web site

Tri-Creek School Corporation – Web site

Colleges and Universities

Calumet College of St. Joseph

Hyles-Anderson College

Indiana University Northwest

Ivy Tech Northwest

Purdue University Calumet

Kaplan College

Major businesses

Cargill

Commonwealth Edison (coal fired powerplant)

Dietrich Industries (steel framing)

Harrah's Casino

Horseshoe Casino

Lear Corporation (auto interiors)

US Steel

Newspapers

The Times is the largest daily newspaper Lake County and Northwest Indiana, and the second largest in the state. Lake County is also served by the Post-Tribune, a daily newspaper based in Merrillville.

Indiana State Quarter

The northwest tip of Lake County is seemingly missing from the state outline on the Indiana state quarter. The outline of the state on the quarter shows the Lake Michigan shore line continuing in a southwest direction from the Porter/Lake County line to the Illinois-Indiana state line, showing Lake Michigan where Gary and Hammond are located. Unlike the similar occurrence with Dade County, Georgia on the Georgia state quarter, fewer complaints were made concerning the omission.

2008 Presidential Primary

In the 2008 Democratic presidential primary on May 6, 2008, Lake County was one of the last counties to report results. Lake County had reported no results at 11 p.m. ET, and at midnight ET, only 28% of Lake County's vote had been reported. A large number of absentee ballots and a record turnout delayed the tallies, and polls closed an hour later than much of the state because Lake County is in the Central Time Zone.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Lake County Indiana'.

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