Crown Point, Indiana

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City of Crown Point, Indiana
Nickname: "Hub of Lake County"
Location in the state of Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates: 41°25′18″N, 87°21′22″W
County Lake
Government
 - Mayor Dan Klein
Area
 - City 43.1 km²  (16.6 sq mi)
 - Land 43.0 km² (16.6 sq mi)
 - Water 0.0 km² (0 sq mi)
Population (2000)
 - City 19,806
 - Density 460.1/km² (1,191.7/sq mi)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Website: [www.crownpoint.in.gov]

Crown Point is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 19,806 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Lake CountyGR6 and was incorporated in 1868. On October 31, 1834, Solon Robinson and his family become first settlers to an area that later became Crown Point. Because of its location, Crown Point is known as the Hub of Lake County.

Contents

[edit] History

On October 31, 1834, Solon Robinson and his family become the first settlers to stake a claim in the area that will eventually become Crown Point. [1] In February, 1837 Lake County is incorporated into a county with Liverpool, Indiana as the county seat. Later that year Solon Robinson funded a $500 project to build a new wooden county courthouse in Crown Point and thus Crown Point becomes the county seat. However it wasn't until 1868 that Crown Point was actually incorporated into a city. In 1878 construction began on a new more impressive county court house and clock tower. This new court house, known as the Grand Old Lady was built in the center of town and would become the dominant feature of Crown Point (further additions to this courthouse would be made from 1907-1928). Campaigning for the presidency of the United States, William Jennings Bryan addressed a crowd from the steps of the court house in 1896. Crown Point was the site of Cobe Cup Car Race and one of its winners was Louis Chevrolet in 1909. On March 3, 1934, gangster John Dillinger escaped from the Lake County Jail which was claimed to have been "escape-proof". Popular legend has it that Dillinger escaped by carving a fake gun out of a block of soap. Newspapers made fun of Crown Point's handling of Dillinger by dubbing the city Clown Point. The Old Lake County Courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and the new Lake County Government Center opened on the north side of the city the next year.

Because Crown Point had no waiting period for marriage licenses, the city became a popular place to get married and became known as the Marriage Mill. Many famous people came to Crown Point to be wed including Tom Mix, Rudolph Valentino, Cassius Clay, Jackson 5 patriarch Joseph Jackson and Ronald Reagan.

Crown Point boasts the largest county fair in Indiana and one of the largest in all of the midwest. The county fairgrounds located on the southern side of town is home to Lake County's only covered bridge, historic exhibition buildings and the grandstand of the former Cobe Cup race track.

[edit] Geography

Crown Point is located at 41°25′18″N, 87°21′22″W (41.421703, -87.356066)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 43.1 km² (16.6 mi²). 43.0 km² (16.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.06% is water.

[edit] Transportation

Nearest commercial airport: Gary/Chicago International Airport in Gary.

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 19,806 people, 7,824 households, and 5,359 families residing in the city. The population density was 460.1/km² (1,191.7/mi²). There were 8,166 housing units at an average density of 189.7/km² (491.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.32% White, 1.41% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.98% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.02% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.00% of the population. According to an estimate, from the city's new master plan, of a 2020 census, there is expected to be a population of 58,768 in Crown Point.

There were 7,824 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $52,889, and the median income for a family was $64,274. Males had a median income of $50,090 versus $26,669 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,568. About 2.1% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Schools

  • Within the Crown Point Community School Corporation
    • Crown Point High School
    • Taft Middle School
    • Col. John Wheeler Middle School (opening fall '07)
    • Timothy Ball Elementary School
    • Eisenhower Elementary School
    • Lake Street Elementary School
    • Solon Robinson Elementary School
    • Jerry Ross Elementary School (in Winfield)
    • Winfield Elementary School (in Winfield))
    • McArthur Elementary School (in Cedar Lake)

These schools serve Lake County's Center & Winfield Townships.


  • Other Schools in Crown Point
    • Crossroads Alternative Achievement Center
    • Pathway Christian School
    • Trinity Lutheran School
    • St. Mary School
    • Crown Point Christian School


  • There is also a juvenile detention center which has been featured on the MTV show Juvies.

[edit] Notable People from Crown Point

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Crown Point Network,Crown Point Indian History (last accessed 31 Aug 2006)

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../c/r/o/Crown_Point%2C_Indiana_1981.html"
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