Dune Acres is a town in Westchester Township,

Porter County Porter County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 173,215, making it the 10th most populous county in Indiana. The county seat is Valparaiso. The county is part of Northwest Indiana, as well as the Chicago m ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. The population was 182 at the 2010 census. Dune Acres is located in the duneland of the south shore of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

. Many residents of Dune Acres and surrounding communities helped preserve parts of the

Indiana Dunes Indiana Dunes National Park is a United States national park located in northwestern Indiana managed by the National Park Service. It was authorized by Congress in 1966 as the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and was redesignated as the nation ...

History

Dune Acres was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

ted in 1923 as a lakeside resort village. The Dune Acres Clubhouse was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2007.

Geography

Dune Acres is located at (41.646416, -87.084905). According to the 2010 census, Dune Acres has a total area of , of which (or 63.08%) is land and (or 36.92%) is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 182 people, 94 households, and 58 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 163 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.1%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 2.2%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.5% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.6% of the population. There were 94 households, of which 10.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 1.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.94 and the average family size was 2.41. The median age in the town was 63.4 years. 8.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 4.3% were from 25 to 44; 36.8% were from 45 to 64; and 46.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 52.2% male and 47.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 213 people, 101 households, and 76 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 154 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.06%

, and 0.94% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.41% of the population. There were 101 households, out of which 13.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.3% were

living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.39. In the town, the population was spread out, with 11.7% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 13.1% from 25 to 44, 33.8% from 45 to 64, and 38.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 60 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $94,843, and the median income for a family was $102,524. Males had a median income of $83,632 versus $41,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $68,051. None of the population or families were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

Transportation

In the past, Dune Acres was served by the eponymous station on the

South Shore Line The South Shore Line is an electrically powered interurban commuter rail line operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) between Millennium Station in downtown Chicago and the South Bend International Airport in ...

, which was located at Mineral Springs Road. That station was closed in 1994 as part of NICTD's effort to consolidate the line's Porter County stations. Since then, the community has been served by the Dune Park station.

V-Line The V-Line is the local bus operation in Valparaiso, Indiana. Service began on October 1, 2007 making Valparaiso one of the smallest cities in the United States to have its own independent public transit system. Operations The V-line was origina ...

's Orange Line route stops at the station Friday-Sunday, allowing Dune Acres residents to connect to Valparaiso (and vice versa).

Coach USA Coach USA, LLC is a holding company for various American transportation service providers providing scheduled intercity bus service, local and commuter bus transit, city sightseeing, tour, yellow school bus, and charter bus service across the Un ...

's ''Tri-State/United Limo'' Service stops at the nearby town of Portage, providing a direct connecting to Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Dunes Highway (

U.S. Route 12 U.S. Route 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States Numbered Highways, United States highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90) an ...

) is the closest highway to Dune Acres. The closest airport is located in western

Gary Gary may refer to: *Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Gary, Indiana, the largest city named Gary Places ;Iran *Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province ;Unit ...

, and the closest Amtrak station is located further northeast in Michigan City.

Notable people

Jim Gaffigan James Christopher Gaffigan (born July 7, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. His material often addresses fatherhood, laziness, food, religion, and general observations. He is regarded as a "clean" comic, using l ...

, comedian * Jack Knight, Aviation pioneer

References

External links

Town of Dune Acres, Indiana website
{{authority control Towns in Porter County, Indiana Towns in Indiana