Chesterton, Indiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chesterton, Indiana
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Town
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Calumet Ave, Downtown
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Location of Chesterton in Porter County, Indiana.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Porter |
| Townships | Westchester, Jackson, Liberty, Pine |
| Settled | 1833 |
| Platted | 1852 |
| Incorporated (town) | May 4, 1899 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town Council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.49 sq mi (24.59 km2) |
| • Land | 9.38 sq mi (24.30 km2) |
| • Water | 0.11 sq mi (0.29 km2) |
| Elevation | 643 ft (196 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 14,241 |
| • Density | 1,517.91/sq mi (586.09/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
46304
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| Area code(s) | 219 |
| FIPS code | 18-12412 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2396642 |
| Website | http://www.chestertonin.org/ |
Chesterton is a town in Porter County, Indiana, United States. It's known as part of the "Duneland" area, along with the towns of Burns Harbor and Porter. This area is famous for its beautiful sand dunes. In 2020, about 14,241 people lived in Chesterton.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name Chesterton comes from its township, Westchester. The "Chester" part comes from Westchester, and the "-ton" part means "town." So, you can think of it as "Westchester Town."
A Look Back in Time
Chesterton began as a settlement called Coffee Creek in 1833. It got its first post office in 1835. Later, the town was called Calumet. But because another town on the same railroad had that name, it was changed to Chesterton in 1870. Chesterton officially became a town in 1899.
In 1962, a company called United Tractor moved its business to Chesterton.
Where is Chesterton?
Chesterton is located in Indiana. Just north of the town, you'll find Indiana Dunes State Park and Indiana Dunes National Park. Most of Chesterton is flat land. However, if you look south from the Route 49 overpass, you can see the Valparaiso Moraine in the distance.
According to the 2010 census, Chesterton covers about 9.44 square miles (24.45 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.
Chesterton's Weather
Chesterton has a climate with warm summers and cold winters. It gets a good amount of rain throughout the year, and snow in the winter months.
| Climate data for Chesterton, Indiana (Indiana Dunes State Park) 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1989–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 66 (19) |
72 (22) |
85 (29) |
88 (31) |
95 (35) |
98 (37) |
102 (39) |
98 (37) |
96 (36) |
89 (32) |
77 (25) |
69 (21) |
102 (39) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 32.1 (0.1) |
35.5 (1.9) |
45.6 (7.6) |
57.2 (14.0) |
68.4 (20.2) |
77.5 (25.3) |
81.6 (27.6) |
80.0 (26.7) |
74.3 (23.5) |
62.3 (16.8) |
48.7 (9.3) |
37.4 (3.0) |
58.4 (14.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 24.9 (−3.9) |
28.3 (−2.1) |
37.7 (3.2) |
48.4 (9.1) |
59.0 (15.0) |
68.5 (20.3) |
73.0 (22.8) |
71.6 (22.0) |
65.3 (18.5) |
53.5 (11.9) |
41.5 (5.3) |
30.8 (−0.7) |
50.2 (10.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 17.8 (−7.9) |
21.1 (−6.1) |
29.8 (−1.2) |
39.5 (4.2) |
49.6 (9.8) |
59.5 (15.3) |
64.3 (17.9) |
63.1 (17.3) |
56.3 (13.5) |
44.7 (7.1) |
34.2 (1.2) |
24.1 (−4.4) |
42.0 (5.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −22 (−30) |
−15 (−26) |
−4 (−20) |
18 (−8) |
31 (−1) |
37 (3) |
45 (7) |
46 (8) |
35 (2) |
25 (−4) |
9 (−13) |
−19 (−28) |
−22 (−30) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.21 (56) |
1.97 (50) |
2.34 (59) |
3.55 (90) |
4.27 (108) |
4.31 (109) |
3.98 (101) |
4.08 (104) |
3.65 (93) |
3.75 (95) |
2.76 (70) |
2.29 (58) |
39.16 (995) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 16.0 (41) |
9.7 (25) |
6.0 (15) |
0.6 (1.5) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.7 (1.8) |
7.3 (19) |
40.3 (102) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 12.6 | 9.0 | 10.9 | 11.3 | 12.3 | 11.7 | 9.7 | 9.9 | 9.6 | 11.5 | 10.6 | 11.9 | 131.0 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 8.4 | 5.6 | 3.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 24.7 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Who Lives in Chesterton?
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 488 | — | |
| 1890 | 931 | 90.8% | |
| 1900 | 788 | −15.4% | |
| 1910 | 1,400 | 77.7% | |
| 1920 | 1,604 | 14.6% | |
| 1930 | 2,231 | 39.1% | |
| 1940 | 2,470 | 10.7% | |
| 1950 | 3,175 | 28.5% | |
| 1960 | 4,335 | 36.5% | |
| 1970 | 6,177 | 42.5% | |
| 1980 | 8,531 | 38.1% | |
| 1990 | 9,124 | 7.0% | |
| 2000 | 10,488 | 14.9% | |
| 2010 | 13,068 | 24.6% | |
| 2020 | 14,241 | 9.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, there were 13,068 people living in Chesterton. Most residents were White (92.7%). About 6.9% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
The average age in Chesterton was 37.8 years old. About 26.5% of the people were under 18.
Learning in Chesterton
Chesterton has a strong school system.
Public Schools
Chesterton High School (CHS) serves students from Chesterton and nearby towns. It even runs Chesterton's local radio station, WDSO 88.3!
For younger students, there are five public elementary schools:
- Liberty Elementary School
- Bailly Elementary School
- Yost Elementary School
- Jackson Elementary School
- Brummitt Elementary School
These schools teach students from kindergarten to 4th grade. After 4th grade, students go to intermediate schools:
- Students from Jackson and Liberty go to Liberty Intermediate School for 5th and 6th grade.
- Students from Bailly, Yost, and Brummitt go to Westchester Intermediate School for 5th and 6th grades.
After 6th grade, all students attend Chesterton Middle School for 7th and 8th grades. Then, they move on to Chesterton High School for their high school years.
Private Schools
Chesterton also has two private schools:
- St. Patrick Catholic Elementary School
- Fairhaven Baptist Academy
Library
The town has a public library called the Westchester Public Library. It's a great place to borrow books and learn new things.
News and Media
Chesterton has its own local newspaper, the Chesterton Tribune. It started in 1882. After a short break, it came back in 1884. The newspaper used to be published every day. Now, it comes out twice a week.
You can also listen to local news on Chesterton's high school radio station, WDSO.
Getting Around
The South Shore Line is a train service that connects Chesterton to other cities. Its main office is in Chesterton. You can catch a train north of Chesterton at the Dune Park station. These trains can take you to Chicago or South Bend.
There's also a bus route called the V-Line's Orange Line. It stops near the South Shore station. This bus connects Chesterton to Valparaiso University on weekends.
Fun in Chesterton
Festivals
Chesterton used to host the annual Wizard of Oz Festival. This festival started in 1982 and was very popular. It was the biggest and most famous festival of its kind. While it moved away for a few years, it returned to Chesterton in 2009.
Famous People from Chesterton
Many talented people have come from Chesterton, Indiana! Here are a few:
- Jim Gaffigan – a well-known standup comedian and actor
- Ron Kittle – a former professional baseball player
- Mitch McGary – a former professional basketball player
- Mickey Morandini – a former professional baseball player
- Zack Novak – a former college and professional basketball player
- Matt Nover – a former professional basketball player and actor
- Blake Pieroni – a gold medalist swimmer
- Eddie Wineland – a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter
- Taylor Zakhar Perez – an actor
Nature and Parks
Parkland
Chesterton has several public parks, including sports fields. The town also benefits from the Porter County Park District. There are trails that connect Chesterton to Porter and the beautiful Indiana Dunes National Park.
Coffee Creek
Coffee Creek flows right through downtown Chesterton. The Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve is a special area that protects a restored part of the creek and its wetlands. It's a great place to explore nature.
Historic Places
Chesterton has several places that are important for their history and architecture:
- Chesterton Commercial Historic District
- Chesterton Residential Historic District
- George Brown Mansion
- Norris and Harriet Coambs Lustron House
- New York Central Railroad Passenger Depot, Chesterton, Indiana
- Martin Young House
Images for kids
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United Airlines NC13304.jpg
United Airlines NC13304, the plane that crashed near Chesterton in 1933.
See also
In Spanish: Chesterton (Indiana) para niños
