Black Oak (Gary)
Encyclopedia
Black Oak is a neighborhood in Gary, Indiana
. As of 2000, Black Oak had a population of 4,216, which was 84.7% white. It is Gary's only majority-white neighborhood, and the most recent neighborhood added to the city.
Located in Gary's southwest corner, Black Oak adjoins the town of Griffith
and unincorporated Calumet Township; within Gary, neighboring neighborhoods include Glen Park
to the east and Tolleston
and Westside
to the north. The neighborhood's northern boundary is formed by 25th Avenue, just north of the Borman Expressway
; its eastern boundary is formed by Grant Street. Most of the neighborhood lies within the floodplain of the Little Calumet River.
Black Oak was annexed in 1976, under the administration of mayor Richard Hatcher. Prior to that, Black Oak was an unincorporated area informally associated with nearby Hammond
, and the area has Hammond telephone numbers.
Because of its former status as an unincorporated region of the county, Black Oak is the only neighborhood in Gary served by a branch of the Lake County Public Library rather than the Gary Public Library. Similarly, the neighborhood is served by the Lake Ridge Schools Corporation
rather than the Gary Community School Corporation. Most Lake Ridge schools are located in Calumet Township, but Grissom Elementary is located within Black Oak. Private schools in Black Oak include Gary Academy and the Black Oak School for the Deaf, both of which are K-12 schools.
The housing stock in Black Oak is dominated by single-family and mobile homes; Black Oak is the only neighborhood in Gary where mobile homes make up a significant fraction of total housing. Thanks to its late date of annexation, it is also the only neighborhood where most development predates the neighborhood's becoming part of Gary. As of 2000, occupancy was 88%, and owner-occupancy was 70%.
Poverty levels in Black Oak are similar to Gary as a whole, and a 2005 study found that Black Oak residents faced obstacles to purchasing healthy and inexpensive food that were similar to those facing other Gary residents. Commercial development in Black Oak is concentrated at the neighborhood's eastern boundary along Grant Street, location of Gary's largest retail complex, the Village Shopping Center.
Black Oak has numerous expanses of wetland and undeveloped floodplain land near the Little Calumet River. It is the site of Lake Etta County Park, the only Lake County park located entirely within Gary, and a bike trail runs along the south bank of the Little Calumet. However, environmental degradation is also a serious problem, with frequent illegal dumping. The neighborhood includes Lake Sandy Jo, a Superfund
site used as a toxic waste dump from 1967 to 1975, when it was closed by court order. Lake Sandy Jo was fenced off in 1986, and remediation by the EPA was completed in 1994.
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
. As of 2000, Black Oak had a population of 4,216, which was 84.7% white. It is Gary's only majority-white neighborhood, and the most recent neighborhood added to the city.
Located in Gary's southwest corner, Black Oak adjoins the town of Griffith
Griffith, Indiana
Griffith is a town in Calumet and St. John townships, Lake County, Indiana. It is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 16,893 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
and unincorporated Calumet Township; within Gary, neighboring neighborhoods include Glen Park
Glen Park (Gary)
Glen Park, also sometimes called University Park, is the most populous neighborhood in Gary, Indiana. It is situated on the city's far south side, south of the Little Calumet River and Borman Expressway. The neighborhood is often divided into Glen Park East and Glen Park West, on the respective...
to the east and Tolleston
Tolleston
Tolleston is a neighborhood and former town in west-central Gary, Indiana. It is situated south of Ambridge, west of Midtown, east of Westside and north of Glen Park. Tolleston is the site of two large city parks , a historic cemetery, and the oldest church north of the Little Calumet River...
and Westside
Westside (Gary)
In Gary, "West Side" may also refer collectively to the neighborhoods west of Broadway, including Westside, Brunswick, Ambridge Mann and Tolleston....
to the north. The neighborhood's northern boundary is formed by 25th Avenue, just north of the Borman Expressway
Borman Expressway
The Frank Borman Expressway is an east–west highway in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Indiana, named after astronaut and former Eastern Airlines CEO Frank Borman. The expressway consists of parts of Interstate 80 , I-94, and U.S. Highway 6 , as well as a short section of US 41...
; its eastern boundary is formed by Grant Street. Most of the neighborhood lies within the floodplain of the Little Calumet River.
Black Oak was annexed in 1976, under the administration of mayor Richard Hatcher. Prior to that, Black Oak was an unincorporated area informally associated with nearby Hammond
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
, and the area has Hammond telephone numbers.
Because of its former status as an unincorporated region of the county, Black Oak is the only neighborhood in Gary served by a branch of the Lake County Public Library rather than the Gary Public Library. Similarly, the neighborhood is served by the Lake Ridge Schools Corporation
Lake Ridge Schools Corporation
Lake Ridge Schools Corporation is based in unincorporated Lake County, Indiana, United States and serves students within the unincorporated sections of the Calumet Township and portions of Gary.-Middle schools:* -Elementary schools:...
rather than the Gary Community School Corporation. Most Lake Ridge schools are located in Calumet Township, but Grissom Elementary is located within Black Oak. Private schools in Black Oak include Gary Academy and the Black Oak School for the Deaf, both of which are K-12 schools.
The housing stock in Black Oak is dominated by single-family and mobile homes; Black Oak is the only neighborhood in Gary where mobile homes make up a significant fraction of total housing. Thanks to its late date of annexation, it is also the only neighborhood where most development predates the neighborhood's becoming part of Gary. As of 2000, occupancy was 88%, and owner-occupancy was 70%.
Poverty levels in Black Oak are similar to Gary as a whole, and a 2005 study found that Black Oak residents faced obstacles to purchasing healthy and inexpensive food that were similar to those facing other Gary residents. Commercial development in Black Oak is concentrated at the neighborhood's eastern boundary along Grant Street, location of Gary's largest retail complex, the Village Shopping Center.
Black Oak has numerous expanses of wetland and undeveloped floodplain land near the Little Calumet River. It is the site of Lake Etta County Park, the only Lake County park located entirely within Gary, and a bike trail runs along the south bank of the Little Calumet. However, environmental degradation is also a serious problem, with frequent illegal dumping. The neighborhood includes Lake Sandy Jo, a Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
site used as a toxic waste dump from 1967 to 1975, when it was closed by court order. Lake Sandy Jo was fenced off in 1986, and remediation by the EPA was completed in 1994.