47-515: Portage Township Schools is a public school district based in Portage, Indiana . Its boundaries are the same as Portage Township and includes the city of Portage, the town of Ogden Dunes and unincorporated areas including South Haven . There are 11 schools in the system. This Indiana school-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Portage, Indiana Portage ( / ˈ p ɔːr t ɪ dʒ / POR -tij )
94-404: A household in the city was $ 26,538, and the median income for a family was $ 31,778. Males had a median income of $ 32,588 versus $ 21,678 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 13,517. About 22.5% of families and 24.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 33.3% of those under age 18 and 15.6% of those age 65 or over. The nearest commercial airport to East Chicago
141-615: A large number of families that identified as Puerto Rican, Romanian, Serbian, Italian, Lithuanian, and Croatian. Over 70 nationalities were represented, with over 59 congregations of the Protestants, Orthodox, Catholic Churches, as well as Jewish synagogues. Like neighboring Gary, Indiana , East Chicago quickly developed a reputation as a rough industrial city, plagued by extreme pollution, ethnic and racial tensions, organized crime, illegal gambling and clubs, political corruption, prostitution, and other vices. The city continued to rapidly grow in
188-507: A male householder with no wife present, and 30.3% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age in the city was 36.4 years. 25.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 12.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of
235-530: A navigable waterway link to Lake Michigan and to the Grand Calumet River: the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal. Steel mills, petroleum refineries, construction firms, and chemical factories operated at Indiana Harbor and along its inner canal system. Republic Steel, Youngstown Steel, LaSalle Steel, and U.S. Steel all eventually had steel-making operations in the city. During World War I, East Chicago
282-596: A special work shuttle between Gary, East Chicago and UPS ' Hodgkins facility . Its schedule coincides with UPS workers' shifts. The route is operated in cooperation with UPS, which partially funds its operations. East Chicago Public Library System operates a main library at 2401 East Columbus Drive and the Robert A. Pastrick Branch Library at 1008 West Chicago Avenue at Baring Avenue. East Chicago also has two charter school options, East Chicago Urban Enterprise (K-8), and East Chicago Lighthouse Charter School (K-7). East Chicago
329-443: A town, it consisted primarily of three separate communities in addition to much farmland. They were named McCool, Crisman and Garyton. In 1950, those communities only had 2,116 residents. La Porte County maintained jurisdiction over Porter County in 1835, and founded Portage Township that year. Portage Township was primarily a farming community until railroad development began in the 1850s and 1860s. The first railroad to build in
376-640: Is a city in Portage Township , Porter County , in the U.S. state of Indiana , on the border with Lake County . The population was 37,926 as of the 2020 census. It is the largest city in Porter County, and third largest in Northwest Indiana . Prior to European settlement, Native Americans lived in Northwest Indiana. Mound Builders left a mound in the area now known as McCool, though the mound
423-441: Is about 18 miles (29 km) from downtown Chicago and is just west of Gary, Indiana . The land that became East Chicago was originally swampland unsuitable for farming. The state of Indiana began selling off plots of land to railroads and speculators after 1851 to fund the local school system. Settlement of the area was very slow at first, and as late as the 1890s, the city had no proper streets or public utilities. East Chicago
470-642: Is also connected to Chicago, Illinois and South Bend, Indiana by the South Shore Line . Passengers can board the train at the Portage/Ogden Dunes Station , which is located immediately east of Ogden Dunes in Portage. Portage is intersected by several major highways, including Interstate 94 and Interstates 80 / 90 ( Indiana Toll Road ) as well as U.S. Route 6 , U.S. Route 12 , U.S. Route 20 , and Indiana 149 and Indiana 249 . Also located on
517-577: Is land and 2.065 square miles (5.35 km ) (or 12.78%) is water. As of the census of 2010, there were 29,698 people, 10,724 households, and 7,197 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,107.7 inhabitants per square mile (813.8/km ). There were 12,958 housing units at an average density of 919.7 per square mile (355.1/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 42.9% African American , 35.5% White , 0.6% Native American , 0.1% Asian , 18.1% from other races , and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 50.9% of
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#1732885182710564-663: Is now closed. Portage has a public library , a branch of the Porter County Public Library System. East Chicago, Indiana East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana , United States. The population was 26,370 at the 2020 census . Centered around heavy industry, the city is home to the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal , an artificial freshwater harbor characterized by industrial and manufacturing activity. Situated along Lake Michigan , East Chicago
611-592: Is still a heavily industrial city. While primarily dependent on the steel industry, the 1980s brought a decline in the steel industry. As a result, C.O.I.L. (the Community Organization on Industrial Location) was formed. This organization promotes diversified industry in the area. They have had part in developing the Coca-Cola bottling plant and further development of the Port of Indiana. Very few farms are still active in
658-544: Is the Gary/Chicago International Airport in neighboring Gary , but it does not have any scheduled passenger service. The closest commercial airport with scheduled passenger service is Chicago Midway Airport . The South Shore Line has a station in East Chicago. The Wolverine at Hammond-Whiting station , 5.5 miles to the northwest, is the nearest Amtrak service. US 12 and US 20 go through
705-537: The National Register of Historic Places . In 2009, parts of East Chicago were discovered to have toxic lead and arsenic contamination , designated the USS Lead Superfund Site. The site is divided into three zones, with public housing and residential properties. Residents' decades-long concerns about lead contamination were confirmed in 2016 via EPA testing, especially affecting over 270 families in
752-539: The 1910s and 1920s, and the population peaked in 1960 at 57,669. However, East Chicago's population began to decline in the 1960s as suburbanization, white flight, affordability of automobiles, and the construction of highways meant that workers no longer had to live in the city, but could commute from less-polluted suburbs. It was the Steel crisis of the 1974-1986 period that completely devastated East Chicago, as it did other industrial cities like Gary, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and
799-514: The 2010 census, Portage has a total area of 27.614 square miles (71.52 km ), of which 25.63 square miles (66.38 km ) (or 92.82%) is land and 1.984 square miles (5.14 km ) (or 7.18%) is water. As of the census of 2010, there were 36,828 people, 13,992 households, and 9,751 families living in the city. The population density was 1,436.9 inhabitants per square mile (554.8/km ). There were 14,807 housing units at an average density of 577.7 per square mile (223.1/km ). The racial makeup of
846-717: The Indiana Harbor and East Chicago sections of the city, respectively, before joining up on both sides. Indiana State Road 912 , the Cline Avenue Expressway, connects East Chicago with the Indiana Toll Road and Borman Expressway , and serves the casino and steel mills on the lakefront. The city operates a free bus service known as East Chicago Transit . It features three routes: Crosstown, West Calumet, and Griffith Plaza. GPRT Route R1 stops in East Chicago en route from Hammond to Gary. PACE operates Route 892,
893-574: The Portage area was the Baltimore and Ohio in 1874. This railroad crossed the Michigan Central at Willow Creek , near the village of Crisman. The Willow Creek Confrontation occurred in 1874, when the Michigan Central refused to allow the Baltimore and Ohio to cross its track. The situation was eventually resolved peacefully, and a crossing was made. Sand was also an industry in Portage due to demand in
940-456: The Portage area. However, many original descendants of founding families are still in the area. Portage has seen many new green technology industries locate to the community since the early 2000s including Fronius USA. In 2016, the City opened a new police station and Fire Station in the downtown corridor. The new police station is triple the size of the former station on Irving Street. According to
987-536: The West Calumet Housing Complex. As governor of Indiana, Mike Pence declined to declare the Superfund site a state emergency; his successor Governor Eric Holcomb has issued Executive Order 17-13, declaring a disaster emergency in East Chicago. According to the 2010 census, East Chicago has a total area of 16.155 square miles (41.84 km ), of which 14.09 square miles (36.49 km ) (or 87.22%)
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#17328851827101034-560: The area was the Michigan Central , completed in 1852. The Michigan Central connected Detroit to Chicago. This enabled local farmers to easily ship livestock, dairy and crops to Chicago and any other stop along the way. It was a boon to the farmers of the area at the time and enabled them to buy more land for farming. The Michigan Central was later bought by the New York Central Railroad. The next railroad to build through
1081-543: The area. In 1959, Portage was incorporated as a town. Ogden Dunes and South Haven were excluded because the residents of these areas did not wish to be included in the town. Due to the surge of population after the war, many farmers were selling land to be subdivided into lots for families to build homes. In 1967, Portage officially became a city. During the 1950s and 1960s, the city of Gary began to experience white flight . Portage saw an influx of white residents from Gary seeking to escape racial integration . Portage
1128-403: The average family size was 3.09. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males. The median income for a household in the city
1175-651: The bulk of flights servicing Portage. Coach USA's Airport SuperSaver service stopped at Central & Irving intersection, connecting Portage to Chicago's airports and several other North Indiana cities and town. Riders used to take westbound buses to Highland, Crestwood and O'Hare and Midway Airport and eastbound buses to Michigan City, South Bend and Notre Dame. Buses ran between Westbound buses ran every hour. Eastbound buses to Michigan City ran every hour while eastbound buses to South Bend and Notre Dame ran every two hours. Coach USA ceased all operations of its Indiana Airport SuperSaver service effective January 1, 2020. Portage
1222-575: The city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 33,496 people, 12,746 households, and 9,011 families living in the city. The population density was 1,315.8 inhabitants per square mile (508.0/km ). There were 13,375 housing units at an average density of 525.4 per square mile (202.9/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 92.52% White , 1.45% African American , 0.27% Native American , 0.64% Asian , 0.06% Pacific Islander , 3.20% from other races , and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.94% of
1269-422: The city was 83.6% White , 7.3% African American , 0.4% Native American , 0.9% Asian , 5.2% from other races , and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.4% of the population. There were 13,992 households, of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% had
1316-435: The city. The population density was 2,706.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,044.9/km ). There were 13,261 housing units at an average density of 1,107.2 per square mile (427.5/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 36.54% White , 36.08% African American , 0.51% Native American , 0.20% Asian , 0.08% Pacific Islander , 23.98% from other races , and 2.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 51.61% of
1363-431: The growing city of Chicago. The railroads enabled sand to be delivered to Chicago more efficiently. Between the 1870s and the depression era, Portage did not grow very much. It has been estimated that between 1880 and 1950, the growth rate averaged only about 64 people per year. This is despite the growth of towns to the west such as Gary , Hammond and East Chicago due to the industrialization of steel mills. Portage
1410-526: The heart of the town's identity. The "Twin City" moniker remains to this day. During the 1910s, several thousand Mexicans immigrated to East Chicago to work in the mills during the labor shortage of 1917–1918 due to U.S. participation in World War I, and also acted as strike breakers during labor unrest in 1919. Most were single men who eventually hoped to return to Mexico, but many stayed on and eventually were joined by their families. The small Mexican community
1457-512: The most industrialized city in the United States, with over 80% of the city's land zoned for heavy industry. Inland Steel dominated the city's economy through the 1990s, and expanded its massive integrated mill at Indiana Harbor multiple times through the 1980s. From 60,000 tons of steel capacity in 1903, it expanded to 600,000 tons by 1914 and reached 1 million in 1917, and eventually peaked at 8.6 million tons in 1978. By 1907, East Chicago boasted
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1504-442: The population. There were 10,724 households, of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.9% were married couples living together, 31.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.9% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
1551-409: The population. There were 12,746 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and
1598-507: The population. Whites who are not Hispanic or Latino were 12.10% of the city's population. 54.3% spoke only English at home, while 42.9% spoke Spanish and 1.2% Polish at home. There were 11,707 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.8% were married couples living together, 26.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who
1645-554: The shores of Lake Michigan is the Port of Indiana . The Portage Township School system comprises 11 public schools: 8 elementary schools (grades K–5), 2 middle schools (grades 6–8), and one senior high school (grades 9–12). Portage Township Schools is an Indiana Exemplary District and has two Four Star schools in the district. There are two private schools in Portage: There was a third private school, Maranatha Christian Academy, but it
1692-609: The south side of Chicago. East Chicago's population plunged to 47,000 in 1970, 34,000 by 1990, and 29,000 by 2010. Employment at Inland Steel peaked at 25,000 in 1969, and successive layoffs over the next 30 years were devastating to the community; by 1998, only 9,000 were employed at Inland Steel. Inland Steel was acquired by Ispat International in 1998. Both the Indiana Harbor mill and Youngstown Steel mill were absorbed and merged by ArcelorMittal in 2004 and subsequently sold to Cleveland-Cliffs in 2020. The Indiana Harbor Public Library and Marktown Historic District are listed in
1739-404: The steel mills and related industries. National Steel opened a plant along the shore of Lake Michigan in Portage in 1959. This brought in about 1,600 new jobs. The Port of Indiana was also built in 1961 to accommodate trade with the world via Lake Michigan. In 1963, Bethlehem Steel began construction of a plant which was located partly in Portage. This project brought about 6,000 jobs to
1786-595: Was $ 47,500, and the median income for a family was $ 54,316. Males had a median income of $ 46,224 versus $ 25,428 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 20,146. About 5.8% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over. The commercial airport nearest Portage is the Gary/Chicago International Airport in Gary. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport are also in close proximity and provide
1833-440: Was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.42. The median age in the city was 30.9 years. 31.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.4% were from 25 to 44; 22.2% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 32,414 people, 11,707 households, and 7,937 families residing in
1880-450: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.41. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males. The median income for
1927-637: Was among the first settlers, coming from Hocking County, Ohio , and he settled near modern-day Robbins Road between McCool Road and Indiana Highway 149. In 1834, Joseph Wolf squatted on land currently near the modern-day community of South Haven and operated dairy and beef farms there. Other early settlers included Berret Door, Reuben Hurlburt, Wilford Parrott, the Spurloch brothers, William McCool, Benjamin James (and his son, Allen James), and William Holmes. Jacob Blake arrived in Portage in 1833. Before Portage became
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1974-679: Was destroyed in the early 1900s. Following the Mound Builders, the Wea tribe inhabited the area. The Wea were forced south by the Potawatomi . Jacques Marquette , Louis Jolliet , Louis Hennepin or François Pétis de la Croix may have explored the area. Potawatomi chief, Leopold Pokagon , encouraged his tribe to sell tribal lands to European settlers. In 1812, Garyton became one of the first communities in Portage Township. Samuel Putnam Robbins
2021-408: Was in high demand, thus drawing many people to the area. After the war, the economy remained strong because of the high demand for automobiles and appliances, for both of which the steel was produced at the steel mills. The population of post-war Portage grew very quickly. In the early 1950s, people came from Kentucky, southern Indiana and Illinois. Most were seeking the steady salary available in
2068-400: Was incorporated as a city in 1893. The city was named from its location east of Chicago , Illinois . The 1900 census gives a total population of just 3,411, but the arrival of Inland Steel in 1903 transformed the city into an industrial powerhouse. The city's population skyrocketed to over 24,000 by 1910, powered by immigration from all over Europe and the United States, and quickly became
2115-501: Was nicknamed the "Arsenal of America" (not to be confused with Detroit's label as the "Arsenal of Democracy" during WWII) and the "Workshop of America". A rivalry developed between Indiana Harbor, the “East Side” home of Inland Steel and most working-class families, and East Chicago's “West Side,” the residential enclave of the native-born business community. Locals spoke of the “Twin City” to describe spatial, residential, and class divisions at
2162-477: Was not unaffected by the Great Depression . Due to the steel mills being in economic trouble, the farmers of Portage did not have demand to produce their products. As a result of this, the farmers had food, but no money. Many even lost their farms. Like with many communities in the country, World Wars I and II affected the economy of Portage in a big way. Steel mills geared into high production and labor
2209-588: Was targeted for voluntary and forced repatriation during the 1930s and 1950s (1,800 were deported in 1932 alone), but those who remained eventually paved the way for later Latino immigration after 1965. Black Americans also began to arrive in the 1910s and 1920s as part of the first wave of the Great Migration , and this continued from the 1940s to 1960s. According to a city demographic survey in 1959, there were 1,000 Mexican families and 10,000 African American families, along with 3,000 Polish families. There were also
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