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Chesterton is a town in
Westchester Westchester most commonly refers to Westchester County, New York, immediately north of New York City. __NOTOC__ It may also refer to: Geography Canada *Westchester Station, Nova Scotia, Canada United States *Town of Westchester, the original seat ...
, Jackson and
Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...
townships in Porter County, in the U.S. state of
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 ...
. The population was 14,241 at the 2020 Census. The three towns of Chesterton, Burns Harbor, and Porter are known as the Duneland area.


Etymology

The name Chesterton comes from its township, with Chester deriving from Westchester and the -ton suffix denoting it as a town.


History

Chesterton was first settled under the name Coffee Creek in 1833, with its post office being established in 1835. The post office would eventually be renamed to Calumet in 1850, as which the town 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 bea ...
ted when the railroad was extended to that point in 1852. Due to a town on the same railroad also being named Calumet, the name would finally be changed to Chesterton in 1870 and it was reincorporated as a town in 1899 after a failed incorporation in 1869, with its population of 788 being the second-largest in Porter County at the time. In 1933, a United Airlines NC13304 flight became the first known case of an attack against an aircraft. It was downed by a nitroglycerine bomb above Chesterton on October 10, 1933. All 7 people aboard the aircraft—four passengers and a crew of three—were killed in the crash. In 1962, United Tractor moved to the town.


Geography

Chesterton is located at (41.604251, -87.058442) Just north of the town is Indiana Dunes State Park and Indiana Dunes National Park. Most of the town is flat. However, going south into the city on the Route 49 overpass, one can see the Valparaiso Moraine in the distance. According to the 2010 census, Chesterton has a total area of , of which (or 98.83%) is land and (or 1.17%) is water.


Climate


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 in ...
of 2010, there were 13,068 people, 5,029 households, and 3,554 families living in the town. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...
was . There were 5,354 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 92.7%
White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 1.4%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.3% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 1.8% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...
or Latino of any race were 6.9% of the population. There were 5,029 households, of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% 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, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.3% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age in the town was 37.8 years. 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.7% male and 51.3% 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 in ...
of 2000, there were 10,488 people, 4,039 households, and 2,879 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 4,212 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.29%
White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 0.44%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.21% Native American, 1.37% Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...
, 0.51% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...
or Latino of any race were 3.31% of the population. There were 4,039 households, out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% 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, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.06. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $55,530, and the median income for a family was $66,239. Males had a median income of $50,599 versus $28,300 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 $26,539. About 3.1% of families and 4.3% of the population 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 ...
, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Chesterton High School, or CHS, serves the tri-town area. Chesterton High School operates Chesterton's only local radio station,
WDSO WDSO (88.3 FM, "The Rock") is a nonprofit high-school radio station at Chesterton High School, in Chesterton, Indiana, with the transmitter at the school. All its disc jockeys are high-school students, who are also responsible for the station's m ...
88.3. Two private schools also operate in Chesterton: St. Patrick Catholic Elementary School and Fairhaven Baptist Academy. In Chesterton, there are 5 public elementary schools. These are Liberty Elementary School, Bailly Elementary School, Yost Elementary School, Jackson Elementary School, and Brummitt Elementary School. These schools serve grades K-4. After 4th grade, students from Jackson and Liberty will move to Liberty Intermediate School for 5th and 6th grade. Students from Bailly, Yost, and Brummitt will move to Westchester Intermediate School for 5th and 6th grades. After the 6th grade, all students from Liberty and Westchester will go to Chesterton Middle School for 7th and 8th grades. After 8th, students will move to Chesterton High School for their Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years. The town has a lending library, the Westchester Public Library.


Media

Chesterton has a local newspaper, the '' Chesterton Tribune'', which was first established in 1882 before shortly going out of business and later being resurrected in 1884. It had been published daily since 1961 before ceasing operations on December 30, 2020. However, it was purchased by Hometown Media Inc. on March, 10th, 2021, becoming a twice-weekly, full color paper. The town also is serviced by Chesterton's high school radio station,
WDSO WDSO (88.3 FM, "The Rock") is a nonprofit high-school radio station at Chesterton High School, in Chesterton, Indiana, with the transmitter at the school. All its disc jockeys are high-school students, who are also responsible for the station's m ...
, which provides local news in addition to its regular music programming.


Transportation

The South Shore Line, operated by the Northwest Indiana Commuter Transportation District, is headquartered in Chesterton. The South Shore Line stops north of Chesterton at the
Dune Park station Dune Park is a station in Westchester Township, Porter County, Indiana, located north of the municipalities of Chesterton and Porter. It is used by South Shore Line trains, and serves as the headquarters of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transpo ...
with multiple trains per day to Chicago and South Bend.
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 near the South Shore station, indirectly connecting Chesterton to
Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a Lutheran university with about 3,000 students from over 50 countries on a campus of . Originally named Valparaiso Male and Female College, Valparaiso Universi ...
on weekends.


Culture


Festivals

Chesterton was home to the annual Wizard of Oz Festival, which is the largest and most famous of its kind. In 2006, former organizers Lakeshore Festivals and Events moved the event to the Porter County Expo Center in
Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso ( ), colloquially Valpo, is a city and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,151 at the 2020 census. History The site of present-day Valparaiso was included in the purchase of land from the ...
. After 3 years, LFE discontinued the festival and it was brought home to Chesterton by the Duneland Business Initiative Group in 2009. The Duneland Business Initiative later rescinded their support of the festival in 2013.


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 ...
, standup comedian and actor * Ron Kittle, former Major League Baseball player * Mitch McGary, University of Michigan basketball player, June 2014 1st round NBA draft pick with the 21st selection overall of the Oklahoma City Thunder * Mickey Morandini, former Major League Baseball player * Zack Novak, former NCAA (University of Michigan) and professional basketball player (Landstede Basketball) * Matt Nover, former professional basketball player and actor * Blake Pieroni, Gold medalist swimmer and current Indiana University swimmer * Eddie Wineland, professional MMA fighter (Bantamweight) * Taylor Zakhar Perez, actor


Environmental amenities


Parkland

Chesterton's park system includes several large public parks downtown and sports fields. The town is also served by the Porter County Park District and the nearby Indiana Dunes State Park. Several trails connect Chesterton with Porter and Indiana Dunes National Park (which is connected to Indiana Dunes State Park).


Coffee Creek

Coffee Creek flows through an area that includes downtown Chesterton. The Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve includes a restored section of the creek and its associated wetland.


Historic Preservation

* Chesterton Commercial Historic District *
Chesterton Residential Historic District Located in Chesterton, Indiana, the Chesterton Residential Historic District is located a block south of the business district, along Second Street from Indiana Ave. to Lincoln Ave. and on Indiana Ave. from Second to Third Streets. The area be ...
*
George Brown Mansion The George Brown Mansion is an example of the Queen Anne's Style of architecture. It was a dominant style during the 1880s and 1890s, the time when Chesterton was a growing city in northern Indiana. George Brown arrived in the United States in ...
*
Norris and Harriet Coambs Lustron House The Norris and Harriet Coambs Lustron House, also known as the Coambs-Morrow House, is a historic Lustron house located in Chesterton, Indiana. It was built in 1950, this was one of the last manufactured Lustron homes (#2329) of the 2500 sold ...
*
New York Central Railroad Passenger Depot, Chesterton, Indiana Chesterton is a disused train station in Chesterton, Indiana. The current depot replaced a wooden structure built in 1852 for the Northern Indiana and Chicago Railroad, a predecessor road of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, that bu ...
* Martin Young House


References


External links


Town of Chesterton, Indiana website

Chesterton Tribune daily newspaper

Chesterton's Radio Station
{{authority control Chicago metropolitan area Northwest Indiana Towns in Indiana Towns in Porter County, Indiana Populated places established in 1833 1852 establishments in Indiana