Lake Station, Indiana

City of Lake Station, Indiana
City
Motto: "Our Home Town"
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Lake
Government
• Mayor	Dewey Lemley (D)
Area
• Total	8.43 sq mi (21.83 km2)
• Land	8.30 sq mi (21.50 km2)
• Water	0.13 sq mi (0.34 km2)
Elevation	620 ft (189 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	12,572
• Estimate (2012)	12,392
• Density	1,514.7/sq mi (584.8/km2)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	46405
Area code(s)	219
FIPS code	18-41535
GNIS feature ID	0433905
Website	www.lakestation.in.gov

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	170		—
1910	484		—
1920	813		68.0%
1930	2,409		196.3%
1940	3,401		41.2%
1950	5,635		65.7%
1960	9,309		65.2%
1970	9,858		5.9%
1980	15,087		53.0%
1990	13,899		−7.9%
2000	13,948		0.4%
2010	12,572		−9.9%
Est. 2014	12,175		−3.2%
Source: US Census Bureau

Lake Station is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 12,572 at the 2010 census.

History

An early stagecoach depot stop, the village was first named when George Earle mapped out a town of about 6,500 acres (26 km²) in April 1852, dubbing it Lake Station. 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.

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.

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. 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.

Lake Station also plays host to some events such as the Fuzz Follies, which 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. The city's newest event held for the first time in September 2009 is Septemberfest, which is held around Labor Day weekend.

In September 2015, the mayor of Lake Station, Keith Soderquist, and his wife, Deborah Soderquist, were found guilty of conspiracy, wire fraud and filing false income tax returns. Under state law, a mayor convicted of a felony forfeits his elected office.

Lake Station remains a mostly residential community.

Annexation attempts

February 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.

August 1976: Annexation challenged by residents of the annexed areas. Sep: City representatives fail to appear in court, and the case never went to trial.

June 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. July: 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.

Politics

This is a list of mayors that served the city of Lake Station, Indiana.

• 1964–1972: Leo Meister
• 1972–1980: Carl Jacobs
• 1980–1984: Carl Miller (politician)
• 1984–1988: Arthur Hartley
• 1988–1992: Carl Miller (politician)
• 1992–1996: Dewey Lemley
• 1996–2007: Shirley A. Wadding
• 2008–September 11, 2015: Keith W. Soderquist (Removed from office after conviction in federal court)
• September 11, 2015-September 28, 2015: John McDaniel (Interm as City Council President)
• September 28, 2015 to Present: Dewey Lemley (Elected at caucus to replace Soderquist)

Geography

Lake Station is located at (41.569836, -87.259785).

According to the 2010 census, Lake Station has a total area of 8.431 square miles (21.84 km²), of which 8.3 square miles (21.50 km²) (or 98.45%) is land and 0.131 square miles (0.34 km²) (or 1.55%) is water.

The city lies on the Calumet Shoreline, which is seen today as a sand ridge.

Major highways

• Interstate 65
• Interstate 80
• Interstate 90
• Interstate 94
• U.S. Route 6
• U.S. Route 20
• Indiana State Road 51

Lakes and rivers

• Grand Boulevard Lake
• Deep River

Surrounding cities

• Hobart
• Gary
• Portage
• Miller Beach

Parks

• Four Winds Park
• Columbus Park
• Riverview Park
• Miller Park
• Mock Park
• Deep River Outdoor Recreation Center
• Johnson Park
• Bicentennial Park
• Warrick Park
• Riley Park

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 12,572 people, 4,577 households, and 3,067 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,514.7 inhabitants per square mile (584.8/km²). There were 5,137 housing units at an average density of 618.9 per square mile (239.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.7% White, 3.6% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 11.7% from other races, and 4.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28.0% of the population.

There were 4,577 households of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.0% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.28.

The median age in the city was 35.4 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 10.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

2000 census

As of the census 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 per square mile (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.

Education

Lake Station Community Schools serves most of Lake Station. Some portions are served by River Forest Community School Corporation.

The Lake Station Community Schools district consists of three elementary schools, Virgil I. Bailey, Carl J. Polk, Alexander and Hamilton, a preschool and 6th grade school combined named Central, 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). River Forest High School, River Forest Junior High School, River Forest Elementary School, John I. Meister 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).

Public libraries

Lake County Public Library operates the Lake Station - New Chicago Branch, which also serves New Chicago, at 2007 Central Avenue in Lake Station.

Economy

Some major employers are the Sun Engineering Company and Pro-Chem-Co, Inc.. However the area has a strong railroad industry. Lake Station's busiest rail line is CSX Transportation's Porter Subdivision. The Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad 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

• City of Lake Station, Indiana website
• Lake Station Community Schools
• River Forest Community School Corp.