Westville is a town in New Durham Township, LaPorte 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, as of the 2020 census is 5,257. It is included in the

Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. It had a population of 32,075 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along Lake Michigan in the Michiana region, the city is about east of Chicago and is west o ...

La Porte, Indiana La Porte () is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was estimated to be 21,341 in 2022. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana metropolitan stat ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. Westville is located in Northwest Indiana, also known as ''The Region''.

History

Westville 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 Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1851, and incorporated as a town in 1864. It was a station and shipping point at the junction of two railroads. Rev. John Milton Whitehead lived in Westville at the time of his enlistment as a chaplain in the 15th Indiana Infantry Regiment. Whitehead received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for his actions at the Battle of Stones River when he "went to the front during a desperate contest and unaided carried to the rear several wounded and helpless soldiers." The Everel S. Smith House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Westville has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

Note that the census data for 2010 and later include the Westville Correctional Facility.

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 5,853 people, 1,093 households, and 705 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 1,186 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 72.1%

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 ...

, 25.1%

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, 0.3% Asian, 1.6% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.3% of the population. There were 1,093 households, of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% 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, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.5% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% 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 2.97. The median age in the town was 33.1 years. 12% of residents were under the age of 18; 13.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 47.3% were from 25 to 44; 21.4% were from 45 to 64; and 5.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 76.9% male and 23.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,116 people, 897 households, and 556 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 984 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.27%

, 1.23%

, 0.28% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.71% from other races, and 1.23% 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 0.90% of the population. There were 898 households, out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were

living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.93. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $36,761, and the median income for a family was $44,524. Males had a median income of $33,906 versus $21,525 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 $18,306. About 3.3% of families and 6.3% 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 6.0% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The school district is New Durham Township Metropolitan School District. The town has a lending library, the Westville-New Durham Township Public Library. Westville residents may also request a free library card from any La Porte County Public Library branch.

Purdue University Northwest Purdue University Northwest (PNW) is a public university with two campuses in Northwest Indiana; its main campus is in Hammond with a branch campus in Westville. It is part of the Purdue University system and offers more than 70 undergradu ...

's other campus, formerly Purdue North Central, is in Westville.

References

External links

Town of Westville, Indiana website
{{authority control Towns in LaPorte County, Indiana Towns in Indiana