Hammond, Indiana

City of Hammond, Indiana
Hammond indiana22AUG2005.jpg
Flag of City of Hammond, Indiana
Flag
Official seal of City of Hammond, Indiana
Seal
Location in the state of Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Indiana
County Lake
Incorporated 1884
Government
 - Mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr. (D)
Area
 - Total 24.8 sq mi (64.3 km²)
 - Land 22.9 sq mi (59.3 km²)
 - Water 2.0 sq mi (5.1 km²)
Elevation 577–610 ft (176–186 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 83,048
 - Density 3,629.6/sq mi (1,401.4/km²)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s) 219
FIPS code 18-31000[1]
GNIS feature ID 0435658[2]
Website: http://www.gohammond.com/

Hammond (pronounced /ˈhæmənd/) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 83,048 at the 2000 census.

Contents

Geography

Hammond is located at (41.611185, -87.493080)[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.8 square miles (64.3 km²), of which, 22.9 square miles (59.3 km²) of it is land and 2.0 square miles (5.1 km²) of it (7.85%) is water. The city's elevation above sea level is 176 m – 186 m (577 ft – 610 ft). The city sits within the boundaries of the former Lake Chicago. Most of the city is on sandy soil with a layer of black topsoil that varies from non-existent to several feet (a meter or more) thick. Much of the exposed sand has been removed for purposes such as industrial use to make concrete and glass.

Lakes and rivers

Adjacent cities, towns and villages

Demographics

Welcome to Hammond
Historical populations
Census Pop.  %±
1880 699
1890 5,284 655.9%
1900 12,376 134.2%
1910 20,925 69.1%
1920 36,004 72.1%
1930 65,559 82.1%
1940 70,183 7.1%
1950 87,595 24.8%
1960 111,698 27.5%
1970 107,983 −3.3%
1980 91,985 −14.8%
1990 84,236 −8.4%
2000 83,048 −1.4%

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 83,048 people, 32,026 households, and 20,880 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,630.0 people per square mile (1,401.4/km²). There were 34,139 housing units at an average density of 1,492.2/sq mi (576.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.35% White, 14.57% African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 9.32% from other races, and 2.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.04% of the population. Whites with no Hispanic or Latino ancestry were 62.40% of the population.

Ancestries: German (14.0%), Polish (12.3%), Irish (11.6%), English (4.7%), Slovak (3.9%), United States (3.9%).

There were 32,026 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 29.7% 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 2.58 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,528, and the median income for a family was $42,221. Males had a median income of $35,778 versus $25,180 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,254. About 12.0% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.7% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Neighborhoods of Hammond, Indiana

  • Glendale Park
  • Harrison Park
  • Jacob's Square
  • East Hammond
  • Forest-Ivanhoe
  • Indi-Illi Park
  • Columbia Center
  • Meadows
  • Woodmar
The Whiting post office (46394) serves not only the City of Whiting but also this adjacent Hammond neighborhood of Robertsdale, immediately to the west of Whiting. 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.[4][5][6]

Infrastructure

Transportation

See also: Hammond-Whiting (Amtrak station)
Borman Expressway

Most of Hammond's streets are laid out in a grid pattern similar to Chicago's streets. While Madison Street in Chicago acts as the reference point for north-south street numbering the first "1" is removed; this makes what would be a five digit address number in Illinois into a four digit address number in Hammond. The state line is used as the reference point for east-west street numbering.

Cities and towns also using the Hammond numbering system are Whiting, Munster and Highland. Dyer also uses the Hammond numbering system but the first number removed from the north-south streets is a "2," as by that point the Illinois numbers start across the state line start with the number 2 (Munster's Street numbers start with a "1" north of the Dyer line, making them 5 digits); and East Chicago uses the canal running down the middle of the city as the east-west reference point while following Hammond's lead for the north-south street numbers.

  • Indianapolis Boulevard - U.S. Route 12/U.S. Route 20/U.S. Route 41
  • Cline Avenue - Indiana State Route 912
  • Calumet Avenue - U.S. Route 41
  • Calumet Avenue (U.S. 41 North)
  • Indianapolis Boulevard (U.S. 41 South, Indiana 152)
  • Kennedy Avenue
  • Cline Avenue (Indiana 912)

Medical centers and hospitals

The only hospital in Hammond is St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Center, North campus. The hospital lies on Stateline Road, across the street from the Illinois city of Calumet City. The hospital was founded late in 1898 and was originally called St. Margaret Hospital. It merged with Our Lady Of Mercy Hospital in Dyer, Indiana, in the 1990s. The two hospitals became "campuses" of a new entity called Saint Margaret Mercy Medical Center and Hospital, part of the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services. It serves northwest Indiana and south suburban Chicago.

Utilities

The State Line Generating Plant in Robertsdale

History of Hammond, Indiana

Hammond indiana flag.gif

The first permanent residents arrived around 1847 to settle on land between the Grand and Little Calumet Rivers, on the South end of Lake Michigan. Those first residents were German farmers newly arrived from Europe looking for land and opportunity. Before that time, the area was a crossroad for Indian tribes, explorers, stagecoach lines and supply lines to the West. Convenient location and abundant fresh water from Lake Michigan led to the beginning of Hammond's industrialization in 1869 with the G.H. Hammond Company packing house following merchants and farmers to the area. Hammond was incorporated on April 21, 1884. Hammond is one of the oldest cities in Lake County, with Crown Point being the oldest, established in 1834.

On June 22, 1918, the Hammond circus train wreck occurred about 5 1/2 miles east of the city, killing 86 and injuring 127 persons.

According to the 1960 U.S. Census Hammond's population reached a record high of 111,698 residents.[8]

Hammond is also the home of The First Baptist Church of Hammond, one of the nation's largest congregations.

The Flag of Hammond depicts the Grand Calumet River and the Little Calumet River.

Major Businesses

Horseshoe Casino

Education

K-12

Hammond is served by the School City of Hammond, a school corporation under Indiana state law that is independent of the civil city.

Privately owned and operated schools include:

Colleges and Universities

City Government

former Lake County court house
SW corner of Rimbach ST and Hohman AVE
(demolished)

Hammond is incorporated as a city under Indiana law. It therefore has a mayor and a nine member city council. Hammond's City Hall is located at 5925 Calumet Avenue.

The Hammond city council has meetings scheduled for the second and fourth Mondays of each month.
The city maintains a city court on the second floor of the City Hall[9], exercising a limited jurisdiction within Lake County. The court handles not only local ordinance violations and certain minor criminal matters, but also a significant portion of the debt collection and eviction actions brought in Lake County.

Councilmen at Large
District Councilmen
City Officials

The Mayor is Thomas McDermott Jr.. He is the son of former mayor Thomas McDermott Sr.

Past Mayors

Sports

The Hammond Pros (1920-1926)

The Hammond Pros was one of the country's earliest professional football teams. When the American Professional Football League was formed in 1920, the Hammond Pros was a charter member, as it also was when the league changed its name to National Football League in 1922. However, four years later, when the NFL decided to reduce the number of teams, it did so by simply folding smaller franchises and the Hammond Pros was one of the teams folded.

During the six years the Hammond Pros team was in existence, the NFL had six African-American players, all six of whom played for the Pros. The NFL's first African-American head coach was Hall-of-Famer coach Fritz Pollard of the Pros.

Notable natives and residents

Sister cities

Galati, Romania; since 1997

References

External links