Highland, Lake County, Indiana
Encyclopedia
Highland is a town in Lake County
Lake County, Indiana
Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 2010, its population was 496,005, making it Indiana's second-most populous county. The county seat is Crown Point. This county is part of Northwest Indiana and the Chicago metropolitan area. The county contains a mix of urban,...

, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 23,727 at the 2010 census. The town was incorporated on April 4, 1910. It is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and North Township
North Township, Lake County, Indiana
North Township is one of eleven townships in Lake County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 162,855.-External links:* *...

, and is surrounded by 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 ....

 to the north, Munster
Munster, Indiana
Munster is a town located in North Township, Lake County, in Northwest Indiana in the United States. This bedroom community lies in the Chicago metropolitan area, approximately southeast of the Chicago Loop, and shares municipal boundaries with Hammond to the north, Highland to the east, Dyer and...

 to the west, Schererville
Schererville, Indiana
Schererville is a town in St. John Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 29,243 at the 2010 census.- History :...

 to the south, and 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:...

 to the east.

History

In 1847, two pioneers from Ohio, Michael and Judith Johnston, became Highland's first settlers. The town slowly expanded until the early 1880s, when the development of Chicago & Atlantic railroad trackage through the town attracted agriculture and manufacturing industries. Dutch settlers began moving to Highland shortly thereafter from nearby Munster
Munster, Indiana
Munster is a town located in North Township, Lake County, in Northwest Indiana in the United States. This bedroom community lies in the Chicago metropolitan area, approximately southeast of the Chicago Loop, and shares municipal boundaries with Hammond to the north, Highland to the east, Dyer and...

. 304 people resided in Highland when it was incorporated in 1910.

In 1927, President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...

 visited and delivered the dedication address for Wicker Memorial Park, located on the west side of the town. Highland, as with other towns along the Little Calumet River, has historically been subject to flooding, particularly during spring, and particularly in areas away from Ridge Road, which runs along the highest land in the town. Significant floods have affected Highland in 2008, 2007, and especially in September 2006.

On October 31, 2008, Barack Obama, who four days later would be elected the 44th President of the United States, stopped in Highland for a rally that drew 40,000 people to Wicker Park. It was the largest crowd there since President Coolidge dedicated the park in 1927.

Architecture

Highland's Downtown area features a number of buildings exhibiting Mid-Century Modern style architecture.

Notable residents

  • Debra A. Kemp
    Debra A. Kemp
    Debra A. Kemp is an American author.She writes historical fiction. She draws inspiration for her House of Pendragon series from the Arthurian legends. She originally studied nursing and earned her degree from Indiana University in 1981.-Literary career:Kemp published her first Arthurian novel The...

    , author
  • Georgette Mosbacher
    Georgette Mosbacher
    Georgette Mosbacher is the CEO of Borghese, a cosmetics manufacturer based in New York City, and a fundraiser for the United States Republican Party. In 1987, she purchased the high-end cosmetics firm La Prairie, served as its CEO, and sold it in 1991 to Beiersdorf...

    , businesswoman, political activist

Neighborhoods

Highland has several neighborhoods/subdivisions. They include: Homestead, Wicker Park Manor (Frog Hollow), Wicker Park Estates, Brantwood, Meadows, White Oak Estates (of Highland), Lakeside, Ellendale, Hook's, Arbor Hill, Pettit Park, Golfmoor, Wicker Highlands and Southridge.

Geography

Highland is located at 41°32′59"N 87°27′29"W (41.549851, -87.458064).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the town has a total area of 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²), of which, 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.29%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

 of 2010, there were 23,727 people, 9,924 households, and 6,547 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 3,428.3 people per square mile (1,323.3/km²). There were 9,925 housing units at an average density of 1,445.1 per square mile (557.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 88.60% White, 4.20% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.60% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 3.40% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.80% of the population.

As of 2010, the median income for a household in the town was $59,722 while the mean income for a household in the town was $69,549. The median income for a family was $71,612 and the mean income for a family was $80,872. The estimated per capita income for the town was $29,470. About 3.6% of families and 4.5% of the population were estimated to be below the poverty line.

Transportation

The commercial airport closest to Highland is the Gary/Chicago International Airport
Gary/Chicago International Airport
Gary/Chicago International Airport is a public airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Gary, a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The airport, which serves the Chicago metropolitan area, is 25 miles southeast of the Chicago Loop...

 in Gary, but most Highland residents and visitors travel from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport
O'Hare International Airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport , also known as O'Hare Airport, O'Hare Field, Chicago Airport, Chicago International Airport, or simply O'Hare, is a major airport located in the northwestern-most corner of Chicago, Illinois, United States, northwest of the Chicago Loop...

 or Chicago Midway International Airport.

Highland lies just south 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...

. U.S. Route 41
U.S. Route 41
U.S. Route 41 is a north–south United States Highway that runs from Miami, Florida to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, was U.S...

, known locally as Indianapolis Boulevard, is a major North-South artery in the town. Due to Highland's proximity to Chicago, several other Interstate and U.S. highways are within a 20 miles (32.2 km) radius.

The town's pedestrians and cyclists are served by the Erie-Lackawanna Trail, a cycling/multiuse, paved rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...

, which cuts diagonally through Highland, connecting the town with 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 Crown Point
Crown Point, Indiana
As of the census of 2010, there were 27,317 people and 10,976 households in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 88.20% White, 6.30% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.80% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.90% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races...

, to the southeast. The Highland portion of the trail is also known locally as the Crosstown Trail. The trail runs along the former right-of-way of the Erie-Lackawanna and Baltimore and Ohio
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...

 Railroads, and will eventually connect pedestrians to Chicago, Illinois, to the northwest and beyond Crown Point to the southeast by planned trail extensions. The trail also links Highland, by connections with other trails, with Porter County, Indiana
Porter County, Indiana
Porter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 164,343. Much of the population growth has to do with the expansion of the Chicago Metropolitan Area eastward into Indiana. The county seat is Valparaiso...

, to the east.

EasyGo Lake Transit
Hammond Transit
Hammond Transit System is the provider of bus service in the Chicago suburb of Hammond, Indiana. It features four local intra-city routes and one route that provides access to neighboring Whiting and Chicago's East Side neighborhood. The system was established in 1976 as replacement for the...

 Green Route provides public transportation in Highland, traversing Indianapolis Boulevard. The route extends from northern Schererville
Schererville, Indiana
Schererville is a town in St. John Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 29,243 at the 2010 census.- History :...

 to Chicago's East Side neighborhood
East Side, Chicago
East Side is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago, Illinois. It is located on the far south side of the city, between the Calumet River and the Illinois-Indiana state line, approximately south of Downtown Chicago...

, making stops in 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 ....

, East Chicago
East Chicago, Indiana
East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Chicago is located at ....

 and Whiting
Whiting, Indiana
Whiting is a city located in the Chicago Metropolitan Area in Lake County, Indiana, which was founded in 1889. The city is located on the southern shore of Lake Michigan. It is roughly 16 miles from the Chicago Loop and just short of two miles from Chicago's South Side. Whiting is home to Whiting...

. The route provides connections to the East Chicago
East Chicago (NICTD)
The East Chicago station is located on 5615 Indianapolis Boulevard in East Chicago, Indiana. The phone number is 398-0055. It serves the South Shore Line commuter rail line from Chicago, Illinois to South Bend, Indiana...

 South Shore Line station and Hammond-Whiting Amtrak station.

Education

School Town of Highland, the town's public school system, operates one high school
Highland High School (Highland, Indiana)
Highland High School is a public high school located in Highland, Indiana. It is part of the School Town of Highland. The school was found in 1960, and also has Highland Middle School attached to it...

, one middle school, and four elementary schools: Johnston (north side), Merkley (central), Southridge (central), and Warren (south). Their two private schools are Highland Christian and Our Lady of Grace. The area where one of the now-defunct schools (Main school) once stood is marked by a gazebo
Gazebo
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest...

, which was demolished in October 2006, and rebuilt in 2007. It and the surrounding land is named Main Square Park, after Main Elementary, which stood on the site until the early 1980s. One of the other defunct schools, Lincoln Elementary, was converted into a community center in the early 1980s. The other, Orchard Park Elementary, became a Calumet Baptist School in the early 1990s.

Highland High School and Highland Middle School are located in the same building, at 9135 Erie Street. Highland High School was established in 1960. At the time the school was established, there were about 280 students graduating in each class. The Northwest Indiana Education Service Center is currently housed in part of Highland Middle School.

Police Department - Fallen Officers

In the history of the Highland Police Department, two officers have been killed in the line of duty.
Officer Date of death Age Tenure Cause of death
Officer Donald R. Sheppard November 12, 1971 34 5 years Gunfire
Officer Robert J. Markley March 10, 1978 26 4 years Vehicular assault

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK