VALPARAISO, INDIANA

'Valparaiso' (IPA: ) is a city in Porter County, Indiana, USA, and is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is the county seat of Porter County. The city's nickname is Valpo.

Contents

History

Geography

Demographics

Education

Higher education

Primary and secondary education

Culture

City Fairs

Infrastructure

Notable natives

Notes

External links

History

Established in 1836 as the county seat of ''Portersville'', it was renamed to Valparaiso in 1837 after Valparaíso, Chile, near which the county's namesake David Porter battled in the War of 1812.^[1]
Until 1991 it was the terminal of Amtrak's ''Calumet'' commuter service.

Geography

It is situated at the critical junctions of U.S. Route 30, State Road 2, and State Road 49. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.5 km² (11.0 mi²). 28.2 km² (10.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.73%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 27,428 people, 10,867 households, and 6,368 families residing in the city. The population density was 971.6/km² (2,515.4/mi²). There were 11,559 housing units at an average density of 409.4/km² (1,060.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.35% White, 1.60% African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.49% 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 $45,799, and the median income for a family was $60,637. Males had a median income of $46,452 versus $26,544 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,509. 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.

Education

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, a highly ranked NCAA Division I institution occupying 310 acres 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.

Primary and secondary education

★ Public schools

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★ Valparaiso High School

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★ Morgan Township High School

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★ Washington Township High School

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★ Boone Grove High School

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★ Porter County Career and Technical Center

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★ Benjamin Franklin Middle School

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★ Thomas Jefferson Middle School

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★ Central Elementary

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★ Cooks Corner Elementary School

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★ Flint Lake Elementary

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★ Hayes Leonard Elementary

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★ Flint Lake Elementary School

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★ Thomas Jefferson Elementary School

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★ Memorial Elementary

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★ Northview Elementary School

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★ Parkview Elementary

★ Private schools

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★ The Classical Academy

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★ Immanuel Lutheran School (K-8)

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★ Montessori School of Valparaiso

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★ Saint Paul's Catholic School (K-8)

Culture

★ Valparaiso is very close to Lake Michigan and the Indiana dunes, which are open year-round and offer hiking, swimming, and camping.[1]

★ The Taltree Arboretum and Gardens is worth a visit.

★ Valparaiso is featured in ''Valparaiso'', a successful play by Don DeLillo.

★ Valparaiso's Banta neighborhood features many beautiful historic homes. Architectural designs include: Italianate, Arts & Crafts, and English/Cottswald.

★ The Memorial Opera House is a popular destination for musical theatre fans throughout the year.

★ Valparaiso hosts the Chicago Street Theatre, run by the local Community Theater Guild.

★ The 49er Drive-In is an active drive-in theater.

★ The Wizard of Oz Festival is now hosted by the city at the County Expo Center.

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.

Infrastructure

Valparaiso gets all of its water from wells that draw water from depths between 90 and 120 feet. The supply is treated with chlorine solution to remove the iron[2], 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 north of Valparaiso, next to Lake Michigan. [3]

Notable natives

★ Newton Arvin, literary critic

★ Beulah Bondi, actress

★ Kevin L. Brown, former MLB player

★ Mark N. Brown, astronaut

★ Bryce Drew, former NBA player

★ Michael Essany, reality television talk show host

★ Henry C. Gordon, astronaut

★ Samuel Austin Kendall, politician

★ Earl F. Landgrebe, politician -- staunch defender of Richard Nixon

★ David Lilienthal, politician

★ Orville Redenbacher, hybrid popcorn developer

★ Jeff Samardzija, former University of Notre Dame football and baseball player, currently in the Chicago Cubs farm system.

★ Carly Schroeder, actress

★ R. Harold Zook, architect

★ Chris Funk, Guitarist for The Decemberists

★ Walter Wangerin, Jr., noted author and professor at Valparaiso University

Notes

1. Indiana Place Names, , Ronald L., Baker, Indiana University Press, 1995, ISBN 0-253-28340-X

External links

★ Valparaiso city website

★ Valparaiso community website

★ Valparaiso University

★ Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce

★ Downtown Wireless Network

★ Historical Society of Porter County Website (Contains information on the city's Old Jail House)

★ Valparaiso Public Library