Hammond, Indiana | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Hammond | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Hammond inLake County,Indiana | |
| Coordinates:41°37′40″N87°29′35″W / 41.62778°N 87.49306°W /41.62778; -87.49306 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Indiana |
| County | Lake |
| Township | North |
| Settled | 1847 |
| Founded | 1869 |
| Incorporated (town) | December 4, 1883[1] |
| Incorporated (city) | April 21, 1907[1] |
| Named after | George H. Hammond |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Mayor | Thomas McDermott Jr. (D) |
| • Clerk | Robert Golec |
| • Councilmembers | Katrina Alexander Dan Spitale Janet Venecz Mark Kalwinski Alfonso Salinas III Barry Tyler Jr. William Emerson Dave Woerpel Scott Rakos |
| Area | |
• City | 23.827 sq mi (61.712 km2) |
| • Land | 22.741 sq mi (58.898 km2) |
| • Water | 1.086 sq mi (2.812 km2) |
| Elevation | 584 ft (178 m) |
| Population | |
• City | 77,879 |
• Estimate (2023)[6] | 76,193 |
| • Rank | IN:8th |
| • Density | 3,350/sq mi (1,294/km2) |
| • Urban | 8,671,746 (US:3rd) |
| • Metro | 9,262,825 (US:14th) |
| Standard of living (2018–22) | |
| • Per capita income | $26,109 |
| • Median home value | $129,100 |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 46320, 46321, 46322, 46323, 46324, 46325, 46327 |
| Area code | 219 |
| FIPS code | 18-31000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2394280[4] |
| Sales tax | 7.0%[8] |
| Website | gohammond.com |
Hammond (/ˈhæmənd/HAM-ənd) is a city inLake County, Indiana, United States. Located alongLake Michigan, it is part of theChicago metropolitan area and the only city in Indiana to borderChicago. As of the2020 census, it is theeighth-most populous city in Indiana, with 77,879 residents.[5] It was first settled in the mid-19th century and it is one of the oldest cities of northern Lake County.
From north to south, Hammond runs from Lake Michigan down to theLittle Calumet River; from east to west along its southern border, it runs from theIllinois state line toCline Avenue. The city is traversed by numerous railroads and expressways, including theSouth Shore Line,Borman Expressway, andIndiana Toll Road. Notable local landmarks include the parkland aroundWolf Lake and theHorseshoe Hammondriverboat casino. Part of theRust Belt, Hammond has been industrial almost from its inception but is also home to a campus ofPurdue University and numerous historic districts.
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The first European-descended residents arrived around 1847 to settle on land between theGrand andLittle Calumet Rivers, on the south end of Lake Michigan. Those first residents of European descent wereGerman immigrant farmers looking for land and opportunity. Before that time, the area was a crossroad for Indian tribes, explorers, stagecoach lines and supply lines to the West. Convenient location and abundant fresh water from Lake Michigan led to the beginning of Hammond's industrialization in 1869 with the George H. Hammond Company meat-packing plant following merchants and farmers to the area. Hammond was incorporated on April 21, 1884, and was named after theDetroit butcher.[9]
Hammond is one of the oldest cities in Lake County, withCrown Point being the oldest (established in 1834).According to theEncyclopedia of Chicago, George Henry Hammond, a pioneer in the use of refrigerated railcars for the transport of fresh meat, first used this method with his small packing company in Detroit, Michigan. In 1868, Hammond received a patent for a refrigerator car design. In the early 1870s, he built a new plant in northern Indiana along the tracks of the Michigan Central Railroad. By 1873, the George H. Hammond Co. was selling $1 million worth of meat a year; by 1875, sales were nearly $2 million. The company's large packing house in Hammond rivaled those located at the Union Stock Yard in Chicago. By the middle of the 1880s, when it built a new plant in Omaha, Nebraska, Hammond was slaughtering over 100,000 cattle a year and owned a fleet of 800 refrigerator cars. After Hammond died in 1886, the company became less important and no longer challenged the giant Chicago packers, who acquired Hammond at the turn of the century and merged it into their National Packing Co.[citation needed]
The Hammond Whiting & East Chicago Electric Railway Companytrolley service ran from 1893 to 1940.[10]
On June 22, 1918, theHammond circus train wreck occurred about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) east of the city, killing 86 and injuring 127 persons.[11]
The downtown Hammond shopping district along State Street and Hohman Avenue included major chains such asSears andJ. C. Penney. The largest stores in downtown were theGoldblatt's and E.C. Minas department stores.[12] The E.C. Minas store was constructed in 1894 and was in business until August 1984.[13] The building which housed the Goldblatt's store had been purchased by the Chicago-based retailer in 1931 and operated until 1982 when it closed due to bankruptcy.[14]
ThePullman Standard Car Company builtM4 Shermantanks in Hammond duringWorld War II.[15][16]
ArchitectVictor Gruen designed theWoodmar Mall[17] in theWoodmar neighborhood. The mall opened in 1954 and was anchored by aCarson Pirie Scott and Co. store.[18]
According to the1960 United States census Hammond's population reached a record high of 111,698 residents.[19] Hammond, like other industrial cities in theRust Belt, went into decline during the 1970s and 1980s, with the city's population plunging to 94,000 in 1980, and 83,000 in 2000. However, Hammond's economy was more diversified than neighboringGary, Indiana,East Chicago, Indiana, and the south side of Chicago, which all relied on heavy industry (primarily steel production). Hammond's economy, on the other hand, depended on light manufacturing, transportation & warehousing, retail, banking & insurance, healthcare, hospitality & food service, and construction.[citation needed] In 1981, a toxic flood in Gary led Hammond to erect a barrier on 165th Street, one of several roads connecting the two cities, which led to lasting tensions with Gary.[20]
Prominent manufacturing companies in Hammond include Unilever's soap factory, Atlas Tube, Cargill food processing, Munster Steel, Lear Seating Corporation, Jupiter Aluminum, Tri-State Automation, and Dover Chemical. Warehousing and storage is also prominent, with ExxonMobil and Marathon Petroleum having large oil storage facilities, and FedEx has a distribution center. Large railroad marshalling yards are also present in the city, with theIndiana Harbor Belt Railroad's headquarters in the city. TheState Line Generating Plant operated on the Indiana-Illinois state line from 1929 to 2012, and was demolished in 2014.[citation needed]
The Empress Casino opened in Hammond in June 1996 and was replaced with theHorseshoe Hammond casino in 2001.[21]
In February 2006, the decision was made to demolish Woodmar Mall except for the Carson's store.[22] The Hammond Redevelopment Commission announced plans in June 2016 for a $12 million sports complex to be built on the site of the former mall.[23] The Carson's store closed in 2018, and was demolished in 2019, as part of itsparent company's liquidation.[24]
The city sits within the boundaries of the formerLake Chicago, and much of its land area consists of formerdune and swale terrain that was subsequently leveled. Most of the city is on sandy soil with a layer of black topsoil that varies from non-existent to several feet (a meter or more) thick. Much of the exposed sand was removed for purposes such as industrial use to make concrete and glass.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.827 sq mi (61.71 km2), of which, 22.741 sq mi (58.90 km2) is land and 1.086 sq mi (2.81 km2) is water.[3]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 699 | — | |
| 1890 | 5,284 | 655.9% | |
| 1900 | 12,376 | 134.2% | |
| 1910 | 20,925 | 69.1% | |
| 1920 | 36,004 | 72.1% | |
| 1930 | 65,559 | 82.1% | |
| 1940 | 70,183 | 7.1% | |
| 1950 | 87,595 | 24.8% | |
| 1960 | 111,698 | 27.5% | |
| 1970 | 107,983 | −3.3% | |
| 1980 | 91,985 | −14.8% | |
| 1990 | 84,236 | −8.4% | |
| 2000 | 83,048 | −1.4% | |
| 2010 | 80,830 | −2.7% | |
| 2020 | 77,879 | −3.7% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 76,193 | [6] | −2.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[25] 2020 Census[5] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[26] | Pop 2010[27] | Pop 2020[28] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 51,822 | 33,534 | 23,674 | 62.40% | 41.49% | 30.40% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 11,876 | 17,568 | 19,584 | 14.30% | 21.73% | 25.15% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 160 | 145 | 112 | 0.19% | 0.18% | 0.14% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 357 | 753 | 611 | 0.43% | 0.93% | 0.78% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 36 | 9 | 21 | 0.04% | 0.01% | 0.03% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 89 | 90 | 287 | 0.11% | 0.11% | 0.37% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 1,235 | 1,168 | 2,248 | 1.49% | 1.45% | 2.89% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 17,473 | 27,563 | 31,342 | 21.04% | 34.10% | 40.24% |
| Total | 83,048 | 80,830 | 77,879 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2020 census, there were 77,879 people, 29,486 households, and 18,580 families residing in the city.[29] Thepopulation density was 3,426.4/sq mi (1,322.9/km2). There were 31,822 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 39.2%White, 26.0%African American, 1.2%Native American, 0.8%Asian, 0.0%Pacific Islander, 18.5% fromsome other races and 14.2% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 40.2% of the population.[30] 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18, 5.3% were under 5 years of age, and 13.2% were 65 and older.
As of the2010 census, there were 80,830 people, 29,949 households, and 19,222 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,549.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,370.3/km2). There were 32,945 housing units at an average density of 1,446.2 per square mile (558.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 59.4%White, 22.5%African American, 0.5%Native American, 1.0%Asian, 13.3% fromother races, and 3.3% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 34.1% of the population.
There were 29,949 households, of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% weremarried couples living together, 19.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.8% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.36.
The median age in the city was 33.3 years. 27.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.2% were from 45 to 64; and 10.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.
As of the2000 census, there were 83,048 people, 32,026 households and 20,880 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,630.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,401.6/km2). There were 34,139 housing units at an average density of 1,492.2 per square mile (576.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 72.35%White, 14.57%African American, 0.41%Native American, 0.46%Asian, 0.08%Pacific Islander, 9.32% fromother races, and 2.81% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 21.04% of the population.
There were 32,026 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% weremarried couples living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 29.7% 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 2.58 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,528, and the median income for a family was $42,221. Males had a median income of $35,778 versus $25,180 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $16,254. About 12.0% of families and 14.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 19.7% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
According to the city, those businesses employing 200 or more employees in Hammond are:[31]
| # | Employer | # of employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franciscan Health Hammond | 2,500 |
| 2 | School City of Hammond | 2,485 |
| 3 | Horseshoe Casino | 1,866 |
| 4 | City of Hammond | 875 |
| 5 | Walmart | 785 |
| 6 | Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad | 759 |
| 7 | Lear Seating Corporation | 615 |
| 8 | Contract Services Group | 300 |
| 9 | Unilever | 255 |
| 10 | Morrison Construction Company | 250 |
| 11 | Cargill | 240 |
The following single properties and nationalhistoric districts are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places:
Hammond Public Library, located at 564 State Street, includes the Suzanne G. Long Local History Room. The system used to operate the E.B. Hayward Branch at 1212 172nd Street and the Howard Branch at 7047 Grand Avenue. Both branches have since been closed. The Hammond Public Library was the first library in the state to form a recognized union, a local of AFSCME. Patricia E. Robinson was the first president of the library union.[32]
Hammond was defeated by the team fromTaipei,Taiwan in the1972 Little League World Series.[33]
TheHammond Pros was one of the earliest professional football teams in the United States. When the American Professional Football Association was formed in 1920, the Hammond Pros was a charter member, as it also was when the league changed its name toNational Football League in 1922. However, four years later, when the NFL decided to reduce the number of teams, it did so by simply folding smaller franchises. The Hammond Prosnever played a home game in Hammond.
During the four years of the Hammond Pros' existence, the NFL had nine African-American players, six of whom played for the Pros. The NFL's first African-American head coach wasHall-of-Famer coachFritz Pollard of the Pros.
Hammond is incorporated as acity underIndiana law. It therefore has amayor and a nine-membercity council. Hammond's City Hall is located at5925 Calumet Avenue. The Hammond City Council has meetings scheduled for the second and fourth Mondays of each month.
The city maintains a city court on the second floor of the City Hall,[34] exercising a limited jurisdiction withinLake County. The court handles not only local ordinance violations and certain minor criminal matters, but also a significant portion of the debt collection and eviction actions brought in Lake County.
| # | Name | Term | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcus Towle | 1884–1888 | Republican |
| 2 | Thomas Hammond | 1888–1893 | Democratic |
| 3 | Patrick Reilly | 1893–1894 | Democratic |
| 4 | Fred R. Mott | 1894–1898 | Republican |
| 5 | Patrick Reilly | 1898–1902 | Democratic |
| 6 | Armanis F. Knotts | 1902–1904 | Republican |
| 7 | Lawrence Becker | 1904–1911 | Democratic |
| 8 | John D. Smalley | 1911–1918 | Democratic |
| 9 | Daniel Brown | 1918–1925 | Republican |
| 10 | Adrian E. Tinkham | 1925–1930 | Republican |
| 11 | Charles O. Schonert | 1930–1935 | Republican |
| 12 | Frank Martin | 1935–1942 | Democratic |
| 13 | G. Bertram Smith | 1942–1948 | Democratic |
| 14 | Vernon C. Anderson | 1948–1956 | Republican |
| 15 | Edward Dowling | 1956–1968 | Democratic |
| 16 | Joseph Klen | 1968–1976 | Democratic |
| 17 | Edward J. Raskosky | 1976–1984 | Democratic |
| 18 | Thomas M. McDermott, Sr. | 1984–1992 | Republican |
| 19 | Duane Dedelow, Jr. | 1992–2004 | Republican |
| 20 | Thomas M. McDermott, Jr. | 2004–present | Democratic |
All of Hammond is served by theSchool City of Hammond,[35] aschool corporation under Indiana state law that is independent of the civil city.
In June 2021, the School City of Hammond permanently closed two junior/senior High Schools: Donald E. Gavit and George Rogers Clark, first opened in the 1930s and 1960s respectively.
Catholic schools are under theRoman Catholic Diocese of Gary.
St. Catherine of Siena, a Catholic elementary school, opened prior to 1959. Prior to 2009 its enrollment had declined, with 130 students that year, and its financial state had deteriorated. The school closed in 2009.[37]
Most of Hammond's streets are laid out in a grid pattern similar to Chicago's streets. While Madison Street in Chicago acts as the reference point for north–south street numbering the first "1" is removed; this makes what would be a five digit address number in Illinois into a four digit address number in Hammond. The state line is used as the reference point for east–west street numbering.
Other cities and towns in Northwest Indiana that use the Hammond numbering system areWhiting,Munster andHighland.Dyer also uses the Hammond numbering system but the first number removed from the north–south streets is a "2," as by that point the Illinois numbers across the state line start with the number 2 (Munster's street numbers start with a "1" north of the Dyer line, making them 5 digits); andEast Chicago uses the canal located in the middle of the city as the east–west reference point, while embodying Hammond's numbering system for the north–south streets.
TheSouth Shore Line, aChicago toSouth Bend, Indiana commuter rail line, stops atHammond Gateway station. It is operated by theNorthern Indiana Commuter Transportation District. TheSouth Hammond station, on the South Shore Line'sMonon Corridor, is expected to open in 2025.[38]
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides twice-daily service in both directions, operating itsWolverine through theHammond–Whiting station betweenChicago andPontiac, Michigan, just north ofDetroit.
The nearest commercial airport isChicago Midway International Airport about 25 miles away in Chicago.
Bus transit was provided by theNorthwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority, which assumed responsibility from the city'sHammond Transit System in 2010, establishing EasyGo Lake Transit system in its place.[39] All EasyGo buses were discontinued on June 30, 2012, due to a lack of funding.[40] In addition,Pace routes 350 and 364 andGPTC Tri-City Connection Route 12 fromGary, Indiana stop at Hammond's Dan Rabin Transit Plaza.
The only hospital in Hammond wasFranciscan St. Margaret Health on Stateline Road, across the street fromCalumet City,Illinois. It is an accredited chest pain center serving Northwest Indiana and the south suburbs of Chicago. The hospital was founded in late 1898 and was originally called St. Margaret Hospital, later merging with Our Lady Of Mercy Hospital inDyer, Indiana, in the 1990s and was part of the formerSisters of St. Francis Health Services. The hospital closed in December 2022.
At various points in the city's 125-year history, major national retailers like Sears, J.C. Penney, Kresge's and F.W. Woolworth all had downtown storefronts, but the giants of Hohman and State were local stores, E.C. Minas and Goldblatt's. The two department stores occupied more than 300,000 square feet of retail space.
The Minas building was constructed in 1894 and the neighboring building, the Henderson building, was constructed prior to 1904...The store closed its doors for good on August 15, 1984.
The Goldblatts building had stood on Hohman Avenue since the 1920s, when it was known as the Lion's store. Goldblatt Brothers Inc. bought the store in 1931 and retained control until the store closed in 1982.
Pullman made railroad cars on Chicago's South Side but was pressed into military service during the war. In less than a year, Hammond native Raymond Fox set up a tank and weapons factory at 165th Street and Columbia Avenue in south Hammond.
Hammond was one of 10 locations in the U.S. that built the M4 medium tank.
The original Empress Casino in Hammond — officially open for business on June 29, 1996 — was a standard boat at 43,000 square feet of gaming space.
Carson's will close its department stores in Southlake Mall in Hobart, the Marquette Mall in Michigan City and in Hammond, where the three-story store is all that remains of the once-thriving but now largely demolished Woodmar Mall.
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Municipalities and communities ofLake County, Indiana,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties. | |
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