Hobart is a city in
Lake County, Indiana
Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 2020, its population was 498,700, making it Indiana's second-most populous county. The county seat is Crown Point. The county is part of Northwest Indiana and the Chicago metropo ...
, United States. The population was 29,890 at the 2020 census, up from 29,059 in 2010. It has been historically primarily residential, though recent annexation has added a notable retail corridor to the city.
History
Hobart 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 1849.
George Earle, an English immigrant bought land from the
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...
Native American tribe, who built a dam on Deep River, creating
Lake George. He named the settlement that later developed into Hobart, after his brother, Frederick Hobart Earle, who never left England. The first school of the city was built in 1878.
The
First Unitarian Church of Hobart,
Hobart Carnegie Library Hobart Commercial District, and
Pennsylvania Railroad Station are listed in 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 ...
.
The Lake George Commercial Historic District is noted locally. Hobart is also the site of several
WPA projects, including a
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, Hobart has a total area of , of which (or 98.6%) is land and (or 1.4%) is water.
Hobart is approximately southeast of
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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.
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 29,059 people, 11,650 households, and 7,664 families residing in the city. 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 12,399 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.3%
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 ...
, 7.0%
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 ...
, 0.4%
Native American, 1.0%
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 ...
, 4.0% 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 2.4% 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 ...
or
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 13.9% of the population.
There were 11,650 households, of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% 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, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.2% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.06.
The median age in the city was 38 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.
2000 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 2000, there were 25,363 people, 9,855 households, and 6,977 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 10,299 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.73%
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 ...
, 1.39%
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 ...
, 0.21%
Native American, 0.54%
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 ...
, 0.02%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 2.60% 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 1.51% 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 ...
or
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 8.05% of the population.
There were 9,855 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% 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, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,759, and the median income for a family was $35,078. Males had a median income of $43,702 versus $26,619 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 city was $21,508. 4.8% of the population and 2.9% of 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 ...
. Of the total population, 5.8% of those under the age of 18 and 4.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Economy
Hobart is home to a number businesses in its downtown shopping district, including the historic Art Theatre.
Hobart is also home to the super-regional
Southlake Mall near the intersection of
U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...
and
Interstate 65
Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf ...
. and many surrounding retailers and restaurants, although most businesses along the south side of Hobart are required to list their addresses as
Merrillville
Merrillville is a town in Ross Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 35,246 at the 2010 census. Merrillville is in east-central Lake County, in the Chicago metropolitan area. On January 1, 2015, Merrillville became the ...
. This area was historically an unincorporated section of
Ross Township prior to a 1993 annexation by the city of Hobart and is served by the Merrillville post office.
The nearest large airports serving Hobart are the
Gary/Chicago International Airport
Gary/Chicago International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport in Gary, in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is three miles northwest of the city center of Gary, and southeast of the Chicago Loop. It is operated by the Gar ...
(GYY) in Gary and
Chicago Midway International Airport
Chicago Midway International Airport , typically referred to as Midway Airport, Chicago Midway, or simply Midway, is a major commercial airport on the Southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the Lo ...
(MDW) and
O'Hare International Airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Chicago Loop, ...
(ORD) in nearby
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. The
Hobart Sky Ranch Airport (3HO) is located north of the city's downtown business district.
Hobart contains three major railroads:
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...
, which runs through County Line Road to Liverpool Road;
Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad
The Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad is a short line railroad offering service from Tolleston, Indiana to Crestline, Ohio, United States over the former Fort Wayne Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It began operations in 2004 as a divi ...
, which runs through County Line Road to Wisconsin Street; and
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN i ...
, which runs through Colorado Street and through a portion of Hobart in the southernmost part of the area known as
Ainsworth
Ainsworth may refer to:
Places
;Canada
*Ainsworth Hot Springs, British Columbia
;United Kingdom
*Ainsworth, Greater Manchester, England
;United States
* Ainsworth, Indiana
*Ainsworth, Iowa
*Ainsworth, Nebraska
*Ainsworth, Wisconsin
*Ainsworth, Wa ...
.
Hobart is also home to the
Indiana Botanic Gardens, which is the nation's largest and oldest retailer of herbs. The company moved to Hobart in the mid-1990s and is located off Business Route 6. Another manufacturing concern headquartered in Hobart since 1952 is Midwest Products, a manufacturer of hobby materials and
radio controlled model aircraft.
Parks and recreation
Hobart is home to
Lake George, a popular place for people to gather to walk along the city's waterfront. Musical entertainment can be found near the clock tower in Lakefront Park and at the Revelli Bandshell during the warm months. Fishing and boating are two popular activities at Lake George. At Festival Park, people can feed the ducks that live there. In the past, fishermen fished at Hobart's Robinson Lake. In October 2006, then-Mayor Linda Buzenic announced the "highest and best use" for Robinson Lake would be to put it up for sale, according to the
Post-Tribune.
The city features 14 parks, a public 18-hole golf courses (Cressmoor Country Club having closed in 2006), and many sports fields for basketball, football, baseball, soccer, rugby, and other sports. The city recently bought an outdoor swimming pool.
Hobart Nature District
The Hobart Nature District is located in the City of Hobart, Indiana and encompasses over 1,000 acres of scenic parks, wetlands and floodplains, winding rivers, peaceful lakes, open prairies, oak savannas, old-growth forests, and undulating ravine ...
is located in Hobart.
The Oak Savannah
rails-to-trails
A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...
route cuts through the city and offers biking and hiking. The Oak Savannah trail passes by the Hobart Prairie Grove Unit of
Indiana Dunes National Park
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 ...
.
The
Shirley Heinze Land Trust The Shirley Heinze Land Trust, originally known as the Shirley Heinze Environmental Fund, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust dedicated to the preservation of natural areas in Northwest Indiana. The Heinze Trust manages more than 2,800 acres of pr ...
, Inc. owns other nature preserves in the city of Hobart, including a
tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals (primarily bison) provided periodic disturbances to these ecosystems, limiting the encroach ...
.
The Cressmoor Prairie is a dedicated state nature preserve,
and is the largest state-protected rare "black soil" or silt-loam prairie in Indiana.
Education
Most of the city is within the
School City of Hobart
School City of Hobart is a school district headquartered in Hobart, 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 larges ...
, although other parts of the city are within the
River Forest Community School Corporation or the
Merrillville Community School District.
Hobart High School
Hobart High School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, situated in the village of Loddon, near Norwich in Norfolk, England. It typically has around 850 pupils.
The school previously had specialist science college status ...
students are referred to as the "Brickies," in reference to the brickyards that were once located on city's northern side near Cressmore Prairie. The school mascot is named Yohan and bears a strong resemblance to "Boilermaker Pete" from Purdue University. Hobart High School at one time was considered a leader in music education; in the early twentieth century, its band won national Sousa band competitions under the direction of William Revelli, who later left to lead the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
band. The city is also home to Trinity Lutheran School, a pre-school through 8th grade parochial school and Montessori Academy in the Oaks.
The Merrillville section is served by John Wood Elementary School and the feeder schools in Merrillville.
The Lake County Public Library operates the Hobart Branch.
Notable people
*
Omar Apollo
Omar Apolonio Velasco (born May 20, 1997), known professionally as Omar Apollo, is an American singer and songwriter.
After signing a record deal with Warner Records, his debut album, ''Ivory'', was released in 2022 to positive reviews for his ...
- singer-songwriter
*
Larry Bigbie
Larry Robert Bigbie (born November 4, 1977) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball from 2001 through 2006 for the Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals.
...
- professional baseball player
*
Brent Dickson
Brent E. Dickson (born July 18, 1941) is an American attorney and jurist who served as a justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from January 6, 1986 to April 29, 2016, and was chief justice of the Court from 2012 to 2014. He retired from the Indian ...
- Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court (1986 - ), Chief Justice (2012-2014)
*
Darren Elkins
Darren Elkins (born May 16, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he fights in the Featherweight division. Elkins is known for his toughness and comeback victories.
Background
Elkins was bor ...
- professional
MMA
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...
fighter
*
Brian Gallagher
Brian Gallagher is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way Worldwide.
Early life and education
Gallagher was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was raised in Hobart, Indiana, where he was one of six children. His father was a ...
- president and chief executive officer of
United Way Worldwide
United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016.
United Way o ...
*
Tim Gill
Tim Gill (born October 18, 1953) is an American computer software programmer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and LGBTQ rights activist. He was among the first openly gay people to be on the Forbes 400 list of America's richest people.
He is the fo ...
-
computer scientist
A computer scientist is a person who is trained in the academic study of computer science.
Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation, as opposed to the hardware side on which computer engineers mainly focus (al ...
and
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
activist
*
Bob Kuechenberg
Robert John Kuechenberg (October 14, 1947 – January 12, 2019) was a National Football League guard for the Miami Dolphins for 14 seasons between 1970 and 1983, spending the 1984 season on injured reserve. He was a mainstay in a line that inclu ...
- professional football player
*
Rudy Kuechenberg
Rudy Kuechenberg (born February 7, 1943) is a former professional American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons with the following teams: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, and Atla ...
- professional football player
*
Dale Messick
Dalia Messick (April 11, 1906 – April 5, 2005) was an American comic strip artist who used the pseudonym Dale Messick. She was the creator of '' Brenda Starr, Reporter'', which at its peak during the 1950s ran in 250 newspapers.
Early life
Me ...
- graphic artist, creator of comic strip ''
Brenda Starr''
*
Craig Osika
Craig Osika is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) and is also currently a high school principal/ football head coach.
Playing career
Osika played high school football at Hobart High School and col ...
- professional football player, and Hobart High School football coach
*
Gary Primich
Gary Primich (April 20, 1958 – September 23, 2007) was an American blues harmonica player, singer, guitarist and songwriter. He is best known for his 1995 album, ''Mr. Freeze''.
Biography
Gary Alan Primich was born in Chicago, Illinois, b ...
- blues musician and recording artist
*
William Revelli
William D. Revelli (February 12, 1902 – July 16, 1994) was an American music educator and conductor best known for his association with the University of Michigan, where he directed the university's bands including the Michigan Marching Ba ...
- band director, first in Hobart and later at
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
*
Everett Robinson, minor league baseball player and manager
References
External links
City of Hobart, Indiana website
{{authority control
Cities in Indiana
Cities in Lake County, Indiana
Northwest Indiana
Populated places established in 1889
1889 establishments in Indiana
Sundown towns in Indiana