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'Crown Point' is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was estimated 22,697 in July of 2005. The city is the county seat of Lake County and was incorporated in 1868. On October 31, 1834, Solon Robinson and his family become first settlers to an area that later became Crown Point. Because of its location, Crown Point is known as the 'Hub of Lake County'.

Contents

History

Geography

Demographics

Schools

Lake County Court House

Fairgrounds

Events

Notable People from Crown Point

See also

References

External links

History

On October 31, 1834, Solon Robinson and his family become the first settlers to stake a claim in the area that will eventually become Crown Point. Crown Point Network,''Crown Point Indian History'' (last accessed 31 Aug 2006) In February, 1837 Lake County is incorporated into a county with Liverpool, Indiana as the county seat. Later that year Solon Robinson funded a $500 project to build a new wooden county courthouse in Crown Point and thus Crown Point becomes the county seat. However it wasn't until 1868 that Crown Point was actually incorporated into a city. In 1878 construction began on a new more impressive county court house and clock tower. This new court house, known as the ''Grand Old Lady'', was built in the center of town and would become the dominant feature of Crown Point (further additions to this courthouse would be made from 1907-1928). Campaigning for the presidency of the United States, William Jennings Bryan addressed a crowd from the steps of the court house in 1896. Crown Point was the site of Cobe Cup Car Race and one of its winners was Louis Chevrolet in 1909. The 'Old Lake County Courthouse' was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and the new Lake County Government Center opened on the north side of the city the next year.
Because Crown Point had no waiting period for marriage licenses, the city became a popular place to get married and became known as the 'Marriage Mill'. Many famous people came to Crown Point to be wed including Tom Mix, Rudolph Valentino, Cassius Clay, Jackson 5 patriarch Joseph Jackson and Ronald Reagan.

Geography

Crown Point is located at (41.421703, -87.356066).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 43.1 km² (16.6 mi²). 43.0 km² (16.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.06% is water. Crown Point is very near to the city of Chicago and as a result is a bedroom community.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 19,806 people, 7,824 households, and 5,359 families residing in the city. The population density was 460.1/km² (1,191.7/mi²). There were 8,166 housing units at an average density of 189.7/km² (491.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.32% White, 1.41% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.98% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.02% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.00% of the population. According to an estimate, from the city's new master plan, of a 2020 census, there is expected to be a population of 58,768 in Crown Point.
There were 7,824 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% 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 3.01.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $52,889, and the median income for a family was $64,274. Males had a median income of $50,090 versus $26,669 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,568. About 2.1% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Public schools, administered by the Crown Point Community School Corporation:

★ Crown Point High School

★ Robert A. Taft Middle School

★ Col. John Wheeler Middle School (Opened in August of 2007)

★ Timothy Ball Elementary School

★ Eisenhower Elementary School

★ Lake Street Elementary School

★ Solon Robinson Elementary School

★ Jerry Ross Elementary School (in Winfield)

★ Winfield Elementary School (in Winfield))

★ MacArthur Elementary School (in Cedar Lake)
Private schools:

★ Crossroads Alternative Achievement Center

★ Pathway Christian School

★ Trinity Lutheran School

★ St. Mary School

★ Crown Point Christian School
Crown Point also has a juvenile detention center, featured on the MTV show Juvies.

Lake County Court House

The old Lake County Court House is prominently situated in the center of Crown Point, which is commonly referred to simply as the square. The first portion of the court house were erected in 1878, with portions being added on all the way up to 1928. Inside the "Grand Old Lady", you can expect to find gift shops, a restaurant, and a musuem which is located on the second floor. It is believed that there are tunnels underneath the streets surrounding the building that lead to the old police department, and today you can see what look like entrances to tunnels that have been barricaded with bricks inside the court house.

Fairgrounds

The Lake County Fairgrounds are located near the center of Crown Point. The fairgrounds include historic brick exhibition buildings, tree covered hills, rambling walking paths, the county's only covered bridge (relocated from Rush County in 1933) and a historic grandstand near the swimming area in Fancher Lake

Events

The Lake County Fair, the largest county fair in the state of Indiana, is held on the fairgrounds each year in early August for 10 days. The Lake County Fair always boasts monster trucks, demolition derby, and an entire arena for horse shows.
The Corn Roast and the Taste of Crown Point, annual festivals featuring food and entertainment, are held downtown around the historic courthouse.
There are also parades held on Memorial Day and on the 4th of July.

Notable People from Crown Point

★ Jerry L. Ross, Astronaut

★ Dan Plesac, Major League Pitcher/Chicago Cubs Analysis

★ Dean White, Entrepreneur and billionaire

★ Solon Robinson, First Settler/Built Courthouse

See also

★ Lake County,Indiana

★ Lake County Indiana Sheriff's Department

★ Indiana State Police

References

External links

★ Official website

★ Crown Point Community School Corporation

★ Crown Point,In. Police Department

★ Lake County,In. Sheriff's Department

★ Indiana State Police