Schererville, Indiana

Town of Schererville, Indiana
—  Town  —
Nickname(s): Crossroads of the Nation
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates: 41°29′21″N 87°26′35″W
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Lake
Township	St. John
Founded	1866
Government
• Type	Town
• Town Council President	Jerry Tippy
• Town Manager	Robert Volkmann
Area
• Total	13.6 sq mi (35.3 km2)
• Land	13.6 sq mi (35.2 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	669 ft (204 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	29,243
• Density	2,146/sq mi (828.4/km2)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	46375
Area code(s)	219
FIPS code	18-68220
GNIS feature ID	0443066
Website	http://www.schererville.org

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1930	580		—
1940	998		72.1%
1950	1,457		46.0%
1960	2,875		97.3%
1970	3,663		27.4%
1980	13,209		260.6%
1990	19,926		50.9%
2000	24,851		24.7%
2010	29,243		17.7%
Source: US Census Bureau

Schererville is a town in St. John Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 29,243 at the 2010 census.

History

Long before Indiana became a state, long before the founding of Schererville, people called this place the "Crossroads." The name was appropriate, for several Indian trails intersected here that later became routes for the wagons of settlers traveling west.

One of those settlers was Nicholas Scherer, who arrived in the U.S. from Germany in 1846. When he came to this place at the southern tip of Lake Michigan in 1866, he founded the community that bears his name.

Today, trails still cross at Schererville, the modern trails of a motorized society, U.S. Highways 41 and 30. Nearby are newer trails, I-80/94 and I-65. All these are primary transcontinental routes and gives Schererville its slogan: "Crossroads of the Nation."

Since the 1990s, Schererville has attracted many former Illinois residents. The town's strategic location, reasonable housing costs, and high level of municipal services have contributed to its growth in recent years.

The town was named one of the "100 Best Places to Live in the U.S." by Money Magazine in 2007.

Schererville's former Town Council President, Perry Ferrini, died on December 13, 2009. The Town Council's new president became Jerry Tippy, and the vacant seat held by Perry was filled by Sharon Moore on January 9, 2010.

Geography

Schererville is located at 41°29′21″N 87°26′35″W (41.489135, -87.443137).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.6 square miles (35 km²), of which, 13.6 square miles (35 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) of it (0.22%) is water. One of Schererville's neighborhoods, Briar Ridge, spans both Schererville and adjacent Dyer and Munster.

The ridge south of Route 30 is the Glenwood Shoreline.

Many residents of Schererville commute to work in downtown Chicago due to the city's proximity.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 29,243 people, 11,334 households, and 7,609 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,825.9 people per square mile (705.0/km²). There were 12,393 housing units at an average density of 735.2 per square mile (283.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 86.80% White, 5.40% African American, 0.20% Native American, 2.80% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 2.90% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.60% of the population.

As of 2010, the median income for a household in the town was $66,160 while the mean income for a household in the town was $77,738. The median income for a family was $84,507 and the mean income for a family was $92,404. The estimated per capita income for the town was $31,983. About 4.3% of families and 7.1% of the population were estimated to be below the poverty line.

Education

Schererville is served by the Lake Central School Corporation, which also services the adjacent towns of St. John and Dyer.

List of schools - Lake Central School Corporation:

• Lake Central High School
• Grimmer Middle School
• Kahler Middle School
• Clark Middle School
• Peifer Elementary
• Bibich Elementary
• Kolling Elementary
• Homan Elementary
• Protsman Elementary
• Watson Elementary

Private schools in the town include St. Michael School and the Forest Ridge Academy. The campus of Hammond Baptist Schools, affiliated with the First Baptist Church of Hammond, is also located in Schererville.

Public libraries

Lake County Public Library operates the Dyer-Schererville Branch, which also serves Dyer, at 1001 West Lincoln Highway in Schererville.

Newspaper

Schererville is served by The Times of Northwest Indiana, the fastest-growing English-language newspaper in the United States, according to an April, 2008 report by the Audit Bureau of Circulations and The Post Tribune, which is owned by the Sun-Times.

Recreational Sports

The Schererville Soccer Club provide a soccer environment for boys and girls ages 4–17 (U6 through REC Plus.)

There is also Tri-Town Football for ages going all the way to 15 or 16 years of age.

Transportation

The closest commercial airport to Schererville is the Gary/Chicago International Airport in Gary, but most Schererville residents and visitors fly via Chicago's O'Hare International or Midway.

Schererville is situated at the crossroads of US 30 and US 41. The Borman Expressway (I-80/94/US 6), the Indiana Toll Road, Interstate 65, US 12 and US 20 are within a 25-mile (40 km) radius of Schererville.

EasyGo Lake Transit's Green Route bus service has stops in the northern portion of Schererville, connecting riders to Highland, Hammond, East Chicago, Whiting, and Chicago's East Side community area. EasyGo Lake Transit customers can also use this route to transfer to the East Chicago South Shore Line (NICTD) station and the Hammond–Whiting Amtrak station.

External links

• Town of Schererville, Indiana website