Lake Station is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 12,572 at the 2010 census.
History
Initially, the site of modern Lake Station was the starting point of two Amerind trails leading to Fort Dearborn. Later it became an early stagecoach depot stop, as the Fort Dearborn-Detroit Stagecoach Route passed through the site during the wet season. The location became known as Lake Station as far back as 1851 when it began to serve as a depot, the western terminus of the Michigan Central Railroad (on what would later become its Detroit to Chicago line). This was the first train station in Lake County. The Michigan Central Railroad built a park and railroad shops around its two-story depot. A year later, in April 1852, George Earle mapped out and platted a town of about on the site, continuing its name of Lake Station.
Being a bedroom community, Lake Station welcomed Abraham Lincoln to its Audubon Hotel, perhaps on more than one occasion, according to oral history. But George Pullman, who tried to negotiate for land in Lake Station for his proposed railcar company, never struck a deal and set up shop on the south side of Chicago instead. Prior to its current location in Crown Point, Indiana, the county seat was located on what is now the west end of Lake Station in a section called Liverpool, although it was a separate settlement at the time.
The name of Lake Station was officially changed to East Gary in 1908 in an attempt to lure executives from the nearby US Steel plant in Gary, Indiana into creating a suburban community. With another name change in 1977, primarily to disassociate itself from the urban decay and crime of Gary, the city reverted to its historical designation of Lake Station.
In September 2015, the mayor of Lake Station, Keith Soderquist, and his wife, Deborah Soderquist, were found guilty of conspiracy, wire fraud and filing false income tax returns. Under state law, a mayor convicted of a felony forfeits his elected office.
Lake Station remains a mostly residential community.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, Lake Station has a total area of , of which (or 98.45%) is land and (or 1.55%) is water.
The city lies on the Calumet Shoreline, which is seen today as a sand ridge.
Major highways
Interstate 65
Interstate 80
Interstate 90
Interstate 94
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 20
Indiana State Road 51
Lakes and rivers
Grand Boulevard Lake
Deep River (Indiana)
Surrounding cities
Hobart
Gary
Portage
Town of New Chicago
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 12,572 people, 4,577 households, and 3,067 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,137 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 79.7% White, 3.6% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 11.7% from other races, and 4.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28.0% of the population.
There were 4,577 households, of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.0% were non-families. 26.5% 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 2.72 and the average family size was 3.28.
The median age in the city was 35.4 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 10.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,948 people, 5,041 households, and 3,528 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,328 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.23% White, 0.77% African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 9.31% from other races, and 2.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.61% of the population.