Schererville ( , ) is a town in St. John and

Center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

townships, Lake County,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, United States. The population was 29,646 at the 2020 census It is a suburb of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, located 30 miles south of the city.

History

Long before Indiana became a state, long before the founding of Schererville, people called the area the "Crossroads," as several Native American trails intersected here, that later became routes for the wagons of settlers traveling west. One of those settlers was Nicholas Scherer, who was born in 1830 at Scheuern, today part of

Tholey Tholey () is a municipality in the Sankt Wendel (district), district of Sankt Wendel, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated approximately west of Sankt Wendel, and north of Saarbrücken. History Local history The first traces of settlement in t ...

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, in southwestern

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, who arrived in the U.S. in 1846. When he came to this place at the southern tip of Lake Michigan in 1865, he founded the community that bears his name. Schererville was incorporated as a town in 1911. Today, trails still cross at Schererville, the modern trails of a motorized society, U.S. Highways 41 and 30. Nearby are newer trails, I-80/94 and I-65. All these are primary transcontinental routes and gives Schererville its slogan: "Crossroads of the Nation." The town was named one of the "100 Best Places to Live in the U.S." by

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in 2007. Schererville's former Town Council President, Perry Ferrini, died on December 13, 2009. The Town Council's new president became Jerry Tippy, and the vacant seat held by Perry was filled by Sharon Moore on January 9, 2010. The town of Schererville celebrated its sesquicentennial in September 2016.

Geography

Schererville is located at (41.489135, -87.443137) in Lake County, Indiana. Schererville is 11 miles south of the Lake Michigan shore and 2 miles east of the Indiana/Illinois state line. Considered part of the

Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...

and located just 30 miles from

, Schererville is considered a suburb of this municipality. Many residents commute daily for school and work. According to the 2010 census, Schererville has a total area of , of which (or 99.64%) is land and (or 0.36%) is water. One of Schererville's neighborhoods,

Briar Ridge Briar Ridge is a gated, upscale residential community partly in Dyer and partly in Schererville, in Lake County, Indiana. The neighborhood has a golf course, a community pool, and a dining hall. Overview Bordered on the south by 213th St, on ...

, spans both Schererville and adjacent Dyer. The ridge south of Route 30 is the Glenwood Shoreline.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 29,243 people, 11,883 households, and 7,981 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 12,393 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 86.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 5.4%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 2.9% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 10.6% of the population. There were 11,883 households, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.8% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age in the town was 40.9 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.9% were from 25 to 44; 30.3% were from 45 to 64; and 14% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.5% male and 51.5% female. As of 2010, the median income for a household in the town was $66,160 while the mean income for a household in the town was $77,738. The median income for a family was $84,507 and the mean income for a family was $92,404. The estimated per capita income for the town was $31,983. About 4.3% of families and 7.1% of the population were estimated to be below the poverty line.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 24,851 people, 9,660 households, and 6,829 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 10,006 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 91.45%

, 2.14%

, 0.11% Native American, 2.56% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 2.03% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 6.34% of the population. There were 9,660 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were

living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.08. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $59,243, and the median income for a family was $70,474. Males had a median income of $50,732 versus $30,745 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $28,528. About 1.4% of families and 3.1% 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 1.9% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Schererville is served by the Lake Central School Corporation, which also services the adjacent town of Dyer as well as most of St. John and a section of

Griffith Griffith may refer to: People * Griffith (name) * Griffith (surname) * Griffith (given name) Places Antarctica * Mount Griffith, Ross Dependency * Griffith Peak (Antarctica), Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Glacier, Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Ridge, ...

. ''List of schools - Lake Central School Corporation:'' *

Lake Central High School Lake Central High School (LCHS) is a high school in St. John, Indiana, for students in grades nine through twelve. Its students come from St. John Township which includes the towns of St. John and Dyer (generally north of 101st Ave), almost t ...

(St. John) *Grimmer Middle School *Kahler Middle School (Dyer) *Clark Middle School (St. John) *Peifer Elementary *Bibich Elementary (Dyer) *Kolling Elementary (St. John) *Homan Elementary *Protsman Elementary (Dyer) *Watson Elementary *St. Michael School Private schools in the town includ
St. Michael Catholic School
a Roman Catholic school run by the Diocese of Gary and Forest Ridge Academy. The campus of Hammond Baptist Schools, affiliated with the First Baptist Church of Hammond, is also located in Schererville. Other private schools Schererville residents attend include Andrean High School (Merrillville), Bishop Noll Institute (Hammond), St. John Evangelist School (St. John), Illiana Christian High School (Dyer), Marian Catholic High School (Chicago Heights, IL), and Mount Carmel High School (Chicago, IL)

Public libraries

Lake County Public Library operates the Dyer-Schererville Branch, which also serves Dyer, at 1001 West Lincoln Highway in Schererville.

Newspaper

Schererville is served by ''

The Times of Northwest Indiana ''The Times of Northwest Indiana'' (NWI) is a daily newspaper headquartered in Munster, Indiana. It is the second-largest newspaper in Indiana, behind only ''The Indianapolis Star''. History The paper was founded on June 18, 1906, as ''The Lake ...

'', and ''The Post-Tribune'', which is owned by the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

''.

Recreational sports

Kids play a variety of activities in both local leagues and club travel leagues. Lake Central Youth Basketball oversees one of the largest youth basketball programs in the area open to all residents in surrounding communities. The Schererville Soccer Club is a non-profit organization committed to youth soccer in Northwest Indiana and provides a volunteer led introductory community soccer league for boys and girls ages 4–17 (U6 through REC Plus.) There is also Lake Central Pop Warner Football for ages 5- 16 years of age offering flag football, tackle football and cheer.

Transportation

Schererville residents and visitors fly via Chicago's O'Hare International or Midway. The Borman Expressway (I-80/94/US 6), the

Indiana Toll Road The Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East–West Toll Road, is a controlled-access toll road that runs for east–west across northern Indiana from the Illinois state line to the Ohio state line. It has been advertised as the "Main ...

Interstate 65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway System, 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 th ...

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

and

US 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Highway, United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major ...

are within a radius of Schererville. Commuters to nearby Chicago rely on local South Shore Line with train service from

Millennium Station Millennium Station, (previously known as Randolph Street Terminal and occasionally referred to as Randolph Street station or Randolph/South Water Street station) is a commuter rail terminal located in the Chicago Loop, Loop area of Chicago, do ...

in Chicago to the South Bend International Airport in South Bend, IN. In 2014 an extensive expansion and improvement project was started to improve reliability, frequency and efficiency for daily commuters. Completion of this upgraded service is expected in 2024.

Nickname

The town's nickname, "The Crossroads of America," stems from the fact that

U.S. Route 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miam ...

, (stemming from Upper Peninsula Michigan to

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

)

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route of the United States Numbered Highway System, with the highway traveling across the Northern U.S. With a length of , it is the third-longest U.S. Highway, afte ...

, (stemming from

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a Port, port city in and the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the ...

) and the old

Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is one of the first transcontinental highways in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated Octob ...

(the east end starting in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

and the west end starting in

Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US president Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, to near Ardmore Avenu ...

San Francisco, CA San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of 2024, San Francisco is the fourth-most populous city in the ...

) intersect in Schererville.

Notable residents

* Lazo Alavanja (born 1977), soccer player * Tyler Wideman (born 1995), American basketball player in the Israeli National League

References

External links

Town of Schererville, Indiana website
{{Authority control Northwest Indiana Towns in Indiana Chicago metropolitan area Towns in Lake County, Indiana Populated places established in 1866 1866 establishments in Indiana