Merrillville, Indiana
Encyclopedia : M : ME : MER : Merrillville, Indiana
Merrillville (IPA: [ˈmɛɹ.ʌl.vɪl]) is a town in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 30,560 at the 2000 census. Merrillville is located in the east-central portion of Lake County.
Geography
Merrillville is located at (41.485669, -87.335390)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 86.3 km² (33.3 mi²). 86.2 km² (33.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.09%) is water.
The town is centered around the intersection of US 30 and Interstate 65. The Lincoln Highway runs through Merrillville. The original alignment of Lincoln Highway is known as 73rd Avenue in Merrillville, while the current Lincoln Highway (US Highway 30) is known as 81st Avenue. Indiana 53 (Broadway) and Indiana 55 (Taft Street) traverse the town from north to south.
Economy
Merrillville is a hub for retail trade in Northwest Indiana. The US 30 corridor between Taft Street and Colorado Street harbors a large concentration of big-box retailers, hotels, restaurants, and automobile dealerships. Westfield Shoppingtown Southlake, one of the largest shopping malls in Indiana, is located in this area.Ameriplex at the Crossroads, an industrial and technology park, opened at Broadway between 93rd Avenue and 101st Avenue in 2005. The development is designated an Indiana Certified Technology Park and includes two Purdue University related facilties: Purdue University Calumet's Academic Learning Center and a business incubator/technology center operated by the Purdue Research Foundation.
Merrillville will soon be a site for an Indiana Weslyan Education Center where large concetrations of adults attend classes due to the ease of taking a class one evening a week. More working adults each year are choosing to enroll in programs at IWU's College of Adult and Professional Studies. A record 9,000 adults are taking classes online and at more than 80 locations across Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. IWU has now become the fastest-growing university in Indiana and one of the fastest in the U.S. IWU has grown by more than 200 percent since 1990 to educate more than 11,400 students.
NiSource, a Fortune 500 company, is headquartered in Merrillville.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 30,560 people, 11,678 households, and 8,127 families residing in the town. The population density was 354.5/km² (918.2/mi²). There were 12,303 housing units at an average density of 142.7/km² (369.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 69.65% White, 22.86% African American, 0.33% Native American, 1.51% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.39% from other races, and 2.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.65% of the population.There were 11,678 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% 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 3.12.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $49,545, and the median income for a family was $56,355. Males had a median income of $41,820 versus $29,005 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,293. About 2.6% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.
Notable People from Merrillville
- Guy Sternberg
- Mike Gough
- Gregg Popovich
- Eugene Wilson
External links
- [Merrillville Chamber of Commerce]
- [Town of Merrillville Website]
- [Maps and aerial photos]
- * Street map from [Google Maps] or [Yahoo! Maps]
- * Topographic map from [TopoZone]
- * Aerial image or topographic map from [TerraServer-USA]
- * Satellite image from [Google Maps] or [Windows Live Local]
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