Valparaiso, Indiana

Valparaiso is a city in Porter County, Indiana, United States, and is the southeasternmost suburb of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is the county seat of Porter County. The population was 31,730 at the 2010 census, making it the 2nd largest city in Porter County.

History
The site of present day Valparaiso was included in the purchase of land from the Potawatomi Indians by the U.S. Government in October 1832. Chiqua's town or Chipuaw was located a mile east of the current Courthouse along the Sauk Trail. Chiqua's town existed from at or before 1830 until after 1832. The location is just north of the railroad crossing on State Route 2 and County Road 400 North.

Located on the ancient Indian trail from Rock Island to Detroit, the town had its first log cabin in 1834. Established in 1836 as Portersville, county seat of Porter County, it was renamed to Valparaiso (meaning "Valley of Paradise" in Spanish) in 1837 after Valparaíso, Chile, near which the county's namesake David Porter battled in the War of 1812. The city was once called the "City of Churches" due to the large number of churches it was home to at the end of the 19th Century. The city also has a long history of being a travel hub for the region. In 1858 the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne, and Chicago Railroad reached Valparaiso and connected the city directly to Chicago. By 1910 an interurban railway had connected the city to Gary, Indiana. Today, while the city no longer has a passenger train station, it is still very much a part of the "Crossroads of America" due to its proximity to I-94, I-80, I-90, and I-65. Until 1991 it was the terminal of Amtrak's Calumet commuter service.

Flag
Inspired by the sights of rolling hills topped with trees and surrounding rich farmland, the flag's primary color is green. White, being a symbol of purity, was chosen as a secondary color to represent the deep religious roots found in the city. Gold was chosen as a third color to represent the quality of schooling, community life, and government in the area. Emblazoned on the flag is a "V" which stands for the V's of Valparaiso: Valparaiso University, Valparaiso High School, and Valparaiso Technical Institute. The center circle of the flag contains the Valparaiso University Chapel of the Resurrection (for education), a symbol for a church, a tree (for agriculture), and a gear (for industry). The Words "Valparaiso, Indiana" as well as the date of conception, 1866, are found encircling the four symbols. 

Geography
Valparaiso is located at °N, °W (41.476151, -87.056919).

The city is situated at the junctions of U.S. Route 30, State Road 2, Interstate 80, and State Road 49.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.0 square miles (28.5 km²), of which, 10.9 square miles (28.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.73%) is water.

Topography The city is situated on the Valparaiso Moraine, which is near the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

Glatiation has left numerous features on the landscape here. Perhaps hundreds of Kettle lakes and knobs make up the majority of this hilly area of northwest Indiana. The Pines Ski Area is the only remaining Kame in the city; the other one is under the university's Chapel of the Resurrection, however, grading of land in that area makes that particular kame almost nonexistent. Many glacial erratics can be found throughout the city. The moraine has left the city with mostly clay soil.

Demographics
As of the 2010 Census Valparaiso had a population of 31,730. 90.7% of the population lived in households. There were 12,610 households with 56.4% of them being family households. 93.4% of housing units in Valparaiso were occupied. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 85.6% non-Hispanic white, 3.3% black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian Indian, 1.8% other Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% non-Hispanic reporting some other race, 2.1% from two or more races and 7.1% Hispanic or Latino.

As of the census estimates made in 2008, there were 27,428 people, 10,867 households, and 6,368 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,515.4 inhabitants per square mile (971.6/km²). There were 11,559 housing units at an average density of 1,060.1 per square mile (409.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.35% White, 1.60% African American, 0.23% Native American, 2.02% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.34% of the population.

There were 10,867 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 17.4% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,799, and the median income for a family was $65,637. Males had a median income of $46,452 versus $26,544 for females. The per capita income for the city was $30,509. About 4.8% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Law and Government
Valparaiso has an elected mayor and an elected council. The mayor is elected for a four year term.

Higher education
The city is the site of multiple colleges and universities. Purdue University North Central has a satellite campus in Valparaiso, and one of Ivy Tech's 23 regional campuses is located in the city. Valparaiso is also home to namesake Valparaiso University, occupying 310 acre on the south side of the city near downtown. The university is also a cultural center of the city, hosting venues such as the Brauer Museum of Art, home to more than 2,700 pieces of 19th- and 20th century American art.

The official history of Valparaiso University was written by Prof. Richard Baepler. His Flame of Faith, Lamp of Learning details the colorful and impressive history of the University from its Methodist roots in 1859 to its lasting reputation as a Lutheran University (1925). The intellectual story of Valparaiso University in the post-war years might be best summarized by Prof. John Strietelmeier who wrote that what united the VU thinkers of this period was "the dream that somewhere there might be a place where high faith and high intellect might meet to provide an apostate age with a new vision and a new hope." Streietelmeier was a Professor in Geography and an Editor of the University's "The Cresset." His writings represent a critical set of impressions from the 1950s and 1960s at VU and are collected by Baepler in his Witness to His Generation: Selected Writings of John Strietelmeier along with a significant biography of Strietelmeier's life and intellectual context.

Primary and secondary education

 * Public schools
 * Valparaiso Community Schools
 * Valparaiso High School, 2727 Campbell
 * Porter County Career and Technical Center, 1005 N Campbell
 * Benjamin Franklin Middle School, 605 N Campbell
 * Thomas Jefferson Middle School, 1600 Roosevelt Road
 * Central Elementary, 305 Franklin
 * Cooks Corner Elementary School, N Campbell
 * Hayes Leonard Elementary, Hayes Leonard Road at US 30
 * Flint Lake Elementary School, 4106 N Calumet
 * Thomas Jefferson Elementary School,
 * Memorial Elementary, Park Ave
 * Northview Elementary School, 257 Northview
 * Parkview Elementary, E Wood


 * East Porter County Schools
 * Morgan Township High School, 299 S State Route 49
 * Washington Township High School, 381 E State Route 2; serves part of the city of Valparaiso
 * Kouts High School, 302 College, Kouts


 * Porter Township School Corporation (does not serve Center Township or Valparaiso)
 * Boone Grove High School, 260 S 500 W


 * Union Township Schools (does not serve Center Township or Valparaiso)
 * Wheeler High School, 587 W 300 N
 * Union Township Middle School,
 * Union Center Elementary School, 272 N 600 W
 * John Simatovich Elementary School, 424 W 500 N


 * Brunswick Elementary School
 * Bailly Middle School, Duneland schools (not a valpo address)
 * Arthur P. Melton Elementary School


 * Private schools
 * Christ Baptist Christian Academy
 * The Classical Academy
 * Immanuel Lutheran School (K-8), 1700 Monticello Park Drive
 * Montessori School of Valparaiso
 * Saint Paul's Catholic School (K-8), 1755 West Harrison
 * Spirit Of God Accelerated Education,
 * South Haven Christian School (K-12), 786 Juniper Road
 * Victory Christian Academy, 3805 LaPorte Ave

Culture

 * Valparaiso is very close to Lake Michigan and the Indiana dunes, which are open year-round and offer hiking, swimming, and camping.
 * Valparaiso is home to the Taltree Arboretum and Gardens.
 * Valparaiso is featured in Valparaiso, a successful play by Don DeLillo.
 * Valparaiso's Banta Neighborhood features many historic homes; architectural designs include, Italianate, Arts & Crafts, and English/Cottswald.
 * The primary local radio stations are WLJE 105.5 FM "Indiana 105", which broadcasts country music, WAKE 1500 AM, which plays adult standards, and WVLP 98.3 FM "ValpoRadio", a non-profit, low power FM community radio station. Valparaiso formerly had a fourth local station, WNWI 1080 AM, which relocated to Oak Lawn, Illinois in 1998 and is now a Chicago-market station. Radio is usually from the Chicago market.

Live Theater
Valparaiso hosts an annual Popcorn Festival in the downtown area
 * Valparaiso hosts the Chicago Street Theatre, run by the local Community Theater Guild, 154 Chicago Street
 * The Memorial Opera House is a popular destination for musical theatre fans throughout the year, Franklin and Indiana

Museums

 * Brauer Museum of Art, Valparaiso University
 * Indiana Aviation Museum
 * Porter County Museum, also known as the Old Jail Museum.

Local media
Newspapers
 * The Times of Northwest Indiana (or NWI Times), was founded in 1906 and is the second largest of Indiana’s 76 daily newspapers.
 * The Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana was founded in 1907, serving the Northwest Indiana region. The Post-Tribune is owned by the Sun Times Media Group.

Magazines
 * Valparaiso Magazine is a magazine produced by the Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, released quarterly.
 * Shore Magazine is a magazine produced by the NWI Times, which also produces ShoreLines, a weekly newsletter.

Parks & Recreation
Valparaiso boasts of an extensive city park district. There are currently thirteen parks with another in the planning stages. Recent purchase of the old Sears building on Lafayette between Indiana St and Lincolnway.

Parks 200 East, (east McCord St) – a community park with a playground and ball diamond.

Bicentennial Park, (Burlington Beach Road & Campbell St) – Provides a full range of activities, including a playground, tennis courts, basketball courts, ball diamond and picnic shelters. A prairie restoration is under way in the north half of the park.

Fairgrounds Park (Calumet & Evans Avenues) – Has the largest complex of ball diamonds and soccer fields in the city. A playground and basketball court are available. Numerous city sports leagues use Fairgrounds Park for their games and tournaments. The park is surrounded by a paved walking circuit that is well occupied on nice days.

Foundation Meadows (Campbell Street & Bullseye Lake Rd) – One of the city's newer parks.

Glenrose South, (1500 Roosevelt Road) – Provides several ball diamonds and when school is out, Thomas Jefferson Middle Schools track is available for those interested in walking. Glenrose South has been the home of the Valparaiso 4 July Fireworks display and celebration since 2005.

Jessee-Pifer Park, (Elmhurst & Madison Streets) – a community park with a basketball court and picnic shelter.

Kirchhoff Miller Woods, (Roosevelt Road & Institute St – a community park that provides for basketball, baseball, tennis, picnicking and a playground.

Ogden Gardens/Forest Park, (Campbell Street & Harrison Blvd) – Ogden Gardens is the home of the city's botanical garden. The Campbell Street end is a formal garden with a variety of planting that bloom throughout the year. The Gazebo is a favorite place for weddings, wedding pictures and high school prom pictures. A Japanese garden is included with a 22,000 gallon Koi pond. Forest Park is to the west with an open grassy picnic area below a wooded picnic area with a shelter.

Rogers-Lakewood Park, (Meridian Road (N Campbell Street)) – Provide opportunities for swimming, fishing, and hiking trails. It is connected to the north side communities of Valparaiso by the Campbell Street Bike Trail (hiking and biking).

Tower Park, (Evans Ave & Franklin St.) – a community park that offers basketball, baseball, tennis, picnicking and a playground. During winter months, one of the basketball courts is turned into the community skating rink.

Valplayso/Glenrose North, (Glendale Blvd & Roosevelt Rd) – is the home of Valplayso, a community designed and community built playground. At the other end of the parking lot are several ball fields. Separated from Glenrose South by only the Middle Schools track, Glenrose North host over half of the community during the Fourth of July Celebration.

West Side Park, (Joliet Rd) – a community park with a ball field and a playground.

Will Park, (Morgan Blvd & Brown St). – a community park with a basketball court, playground, and picnic shelter.

Golf
 * Valparaiso Country Club
 * Forest Park
 * Creekside
 * Mink Lake
 * The Course at Aberdeen

Bike Trails Valparaiso is building a series of bike trails across the city. Currently, most of the identified bike routes are part of the counties system of recommended roads and streets.

Bikeways (& hikeways), separated from traffic:

Campbell Street Bikeway runs from Rogers-Lakewood Park south 2.5 mi to Vale Park Road (CR 400 N). It continues south on the opposite side of Campbell St. base Valparaiso High School, ending 2 mi south at Ogden Gardens (Harrison Blvd).

At Vale Park, it connects to the Vale Park trail to Valparaiso Street 1 mi. A new bike loop 3 mi is being built that circles north along Valparaiso Street to Bullseye Lake Rd, east to Cumberland Crossing (not open to the public (2008). South to Vale Park, turning west to on Vale Park to return to the corner of Vale Park and Valparaiso Street.

At Glendale, the Campbell Street Bikeway connects to the Glendale cross town bike lane. These travel east 2 mi on Glendale, ending on North Calumet at the Walgreens corner.

City Fairs
The city holds two major festivals every year: the Popcorn Festival and the Porter County Fair. The Popcorn Festival is held on the first Saturday after Labor Day. It honors Orville Redenbacher, a former resident who built a popcorn factory there. Redenbacher participated in most of the festival's parades until his death in 1995. The festival also features racing events and a balloon launch in addition to typical fair activities. The Porter County Fair consists of carnival attractions and hosts a variety of shows such as a demolition derby, motocross races, and live musical performances.

Shopping

 * Cumberland Crossing, North Calumet
 * Downtown, Courthouse and Lincolnway
 * Eastgate, East Lincolnway
 * Valparaiso Marketplace, State Route 2 at Silhavy. Includes Target and Kohls
 * Valparaiso Walk, State Route 2 at Silhavy, includes Menards and Best Buy
 * Strongbow Center, U.S. 30 and State Route 49. includes Walmart
 * Thornapple Plaza, West U.S. 30, includes Wiseway.

Infrastructure
Valparaiso gets all of its water from wells that draw water from depths between 90 and 120 ft. The supply is treated with chlorine solution to remove the iron, and is backed up by diesel fuel generators to maintain the supply during power outage. Valparaiso also has three sewer retention basins. The water department works with the recycling and waste reduction district to educate residents about the hazards of household waste.

Valparaiso’s energy is provided by NIPSCO, which also provides five hundred other companies with energy in states such as Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The NIPSCO energy plant is located only about twenty minutes south of Valparaiso, in Wheatfield Indiana at the Schaeffer Power Plant. 

On October 1, 2007, Valparaiso inaugurated a city bus service, the V-Line. It operates between downtown, the university, shopping centers and the city's northern neighborhoods. It also offers an express service to the Indiana Dunes at the Dune Park train station of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District Friday though Sunday (Friday through Saturday during Valparaiso University's spring, summer and winter breaks), timed to meet certain trains. V-Line does not operate on holidays.

A commuter bus service to Chicago started later this year and is called ChicaGo Dash. Its main station and hub are at Valparaiso's Village Station, a former railroad depot. It was designed eventually serve as a Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District train station as well. The trains were meant to go be linked to the South Shore line and will go to and from Chicago picking up passengers along the way. However, the recent studies suggested that the originally proposed route would not attract enough passengers to be sustainable. NICTD is currently considering alternative routing though Gary in hopes that this will prove to be more viable.

Valparaiso is served by three highways- U.S. Route 30 serves as the major east-west artery on the southern side of the city, Indiana Route 49 serves as the major north-south artery connecting it with Chesterton, Indiana and the Indiana Toll Road. Indiana Route 130 serves as a northwest-southeast route connecting it with Hobart, Indiana.

The three major railroads that have tracks passing through the city are Norfolk Southern Railway, Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad, and Canadian National Railway. The Norfolk Southern Railway operates on the tracks that were previously used by the Nickel Plate Road, and the CF&E Railroad operates on the tracks that were previously used by the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Buildings of Note

 * Porter County Courthouse (Indiana) replaced an earlier brick building in 1883. The current building is 128 feet by 98 feet.  It was built with a square tower rising out of the center.  The tower was 168 feet tall with a clock on each side.  A fire in 1934 damaged in the interior requiring the removal of the tower.

Historic Districts and Structures
 * David Garland Rose House
 * DeForest Skinner House Built in 1860, it is of Italianate design.
 * Dr. David J. Loring Residence and Clinic Built in 1906, this house served Dr. Loring as a home and a business.
 * Heritage Hall Built in 1875 as Flint Hall, to day, it is part of the Law School.
 * Immanuel Lutheran Church In 1862by a German congregation, the church is today known as Heritage Lutheran Church.
 * Josephus Wolf House, outside of city limits, with Valparaiso address.
 * Porter County Jail and Sheriff's House The residence was built in 1860 and the jail was added in 1871. Today, the Historical Society of Porter County has the County Museum in the Jail.
 * Porter County Memorial Opera Hall The Memorial Opera House opened in 1893 as a monument to the men who served during the American Civil War.
 * Valparaiso Downtown Commercial District
 * William McCallum House
 * The 502

Notable natives and residents

 * Newton Arvin, literary critic
 * John L. Bascom, politician
 * Beulah Bondi, actress
 * Kevin L. Brown, former Major League Baseball player
 * Mark N. Brown, astronaut
 * Bryce Drew, former NBA player
 * Michael Essany, reality television talk show host
 * Chris Funk, Guitarist for The Decemberists
 * Henry C. Gordon, astronaut
 * Robbie Hummel, All-American forward for Purdue University men's basketball team
 * Samuel Austin Kendall, politician
 * Heather Kuzmich, 4th runner-up of America's Next Top Model, Cycle 9
 * Earl F. Landgrebe, politician—staunch defender of Richard Nixon
 * David E. Lilienthal, politician
 * Scott Murphy, noted programmer for Sierra Games.
 * Orville Redenbacher, hybrid popcorn developer
 * Jeff Samardzija, former University of Notre Dame football and baseball player, currently a relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.
 * Carly Schroeder, actress
 * Walter Wangerin, Jr., noted author and professor at Valparaiso University
 * R. Harold Zook, architect
 * Michael Hagerty, television/radio personality at KNPB-TV in Reno, Nevada, and public address announcer for the Triple A baseball team the Reno Aces.