Merrillville is a town in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is located in the eastern part of Lake County and is part of the larger Chicago metropolitan area. In 2020, about 36,444 people lived there.

Merrillville became the most populated town in Indiana on January 1, 2015. This happened when Fishers, another town, changed its status to a city. Merrillville is also a very important shopping area for the Northwest Indiana region.

Geography of Merrillville
History of Merrillville
Economy in Merrillville
Population and People
- Merrillville's Population in 2020
- Merrillville's Population in 2010
Transportation
Education
Notable People
See also

Geography of Merrillville

Merrillville from the junction of US 30 and I-65

Merrillville covers an area of about 33.26 square miles (86.14 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with only a small part being water.

The town's center is where two major roads meet: U.S. Route 30 and Interstate 65. These roads help people travel easily through and to Merrillville.

The historic Lincoln Highway also runs through Merrillville. The old part of this highway is called 73rd Avenue. The newer part, which is US 30, is known as 81st Avenue. Other important roads, State Road 53 (Broadway) and State Road 55 (Taft Street), go from north to south through the town.

Merrillville shares its borders with many other towns and areas. To the north, it borders Gary and Calumet Township. Hobart is to the northeast, and Union Township is to the east. To the south, you'll find Winfield and Crown Point. Schererville is to the west, and Griffith is to the northwest.

Weather chart for Merrillville

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temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: Countrystudies.us

Metric conversion

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
43 0 -9	36 2 -8	64 9 -2	94 16 3	94 22 8	99 28 14	94 29 17	94 29 16	104 25 12	71 19 7	84 11 1	66 2 -6
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

History of Merrillville

Merrillville was once a forest area where the Potawatomi Native American tribe lived. In 1834, a clearing was made for special ceremonies and was called McGwinn Village. A year later, a man named Jeremiah Wiggins settled there, and the place became known as Wiggins Point.

Wiggins Point became a popular stop for wagon trains. These wagons were traveling to Joliet, Illinois along the Sauk Trail, which was an old Native American path. Many trails branched out from Wiggins Point. After Wiggins died in 1838, settlers renamed the place Centerville. Later, it was named Merrillville after two brothers, Dudley and William Merrill. Dudley Merrill owned a hotel and store in Centerville.

Other small settlements were also in the area, like Deep River and Turkey Creek. In 1848, all these settlements, including the old Merrillville, were combined into one area called Ross Township. Over time, parts of Ross Township were taken by Hobart and Crown Point as they grew.

In 1971, the area officially became the town of Merrillville under Indiana law. This new Merrillville included the original Merrillville and other nearby settlements. During this time, many people moved to Merrillville from nearby Gary, which helped the town grow a lot.

In 1993, Merrillville tried to add more land by joining with Winfield Township. However, the people living in Winfield Township stopped this by creating their own town called Winfield.

Purdue Technology Center at Ameriplex at the Crossroads in Merrillville

In 2009, a walking bridge at Hidden Lake Park broke. This happened after a Fourth of July fireworks show when many people tried to cross the bridge. About 25 people were hurt when the 30-year-old wooden bridge collapsed, sending them into the lake.

Two historic places in Merrillville, the Morgan-Skinner-Boyd Homestead and the John Wood Old Mill, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites.

Economy in Merrillville

Merrillville is a major center for shopping in Northwest Indiana. Along the US 30 road, there are many large stores, hotels, restaurants, and car dealerships. This area is very busy with shoppers.

Ameriplex at the Crossroads is a special park for businesses and technology. It opened in 2005. It has a business incubator, which helps new businesses start, and a technology center run by the Purdue Research Foundation.

Merrillville does not have a lot of heavy industries like steelmaking or oil refining, which are common in other parts of Lake County. Instead, it is home to the main offices of several important companies. These include NiSource, a large energy company, White Lodging, which manages hotels, and Centier Bank, which is Indiana's biggest privately owned bank.

Centier Bank

For air travel, the closest commercial airports are Griffith-Merrillville Airport in Griffith and Gary/Chicago International Airport in Gary.

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1970	15,918	—
1980	27,677	73.9%
1990	27,257	−1.5%
2000	30,560	12.1%
2010	35,246	15.3%
2020	36,444	3.4%
Source: US Census Bureau.

Merrillville's Population in 2020

In 2020, Merrillville had 36,444 people living in 15,176 households. The town's population density was about 1,096 people per square mile (423 people per square kilometer).

The people in Merrillville come from many different backgrounds. In 2020, about 29.7% of the population was White (not Hispanic), 50.1% was African American (not Hispanic), and 1.3% was Asian (not Hispanic). About 3.6% of people were of two or more races. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up about 14.8% of the population.

About 22.4% of households had children under 18. The average age in Merrillville was 39.1 years. The average income for a household was about $62,221.

Merrillville's Population in 2010

In 2010, Merrillville had 35,246 people living in 13,696 households. The population density was about 1,061 people per square mile (410 people per square kilometer).

The racial makeup of the town in 2010 was 46.4% White, 44.5% African American, and 1.2% Asian. About 12.9% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The average age in the town was 36.7 years. About 25.5% of residents were under 18, and 13.7% were 65 or older. The average income for a household was about $49,469.

Transportation

Barons Bus Lines offers bus service in Merrillville every day. You can take a bus from Merrillville to places like Cleveland, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois.

The Gary Public Transportation Corporation also provides bus service along Broadway Avenue and in the US 30 shopping area. If you want to take the South Shore Line train, the closest station is in downtown Gary. You can get there using the Broadway Metro Express bus. The nearest Amtrak train station is in Dyer, Indiana, but there isn't a direct public bus to it.

Education

Public schools in Merrillville are managed by the Merrillville Community School Corporation. There is also a private Catholic high school called Andrean High School, which is run by the Diocese of Gary.

The Lake County Public Library has its main library in Merrillville, located at 1919 West 81st Avenue.

Notable People

Gregg Popovich in 2010

Many interesting people have connections to Merrillville, including:

CJ Alexander, a Major League Baseball player
David Bedella, an actor
Dan Dakich, a basketball sportscaster
Dianne Durham, a gymnast
Kenneth Grant, a football player
Kody Hoese, a professional baseball player
Tom Jelesky, a National Football League player
Brandon Jordan, a football player and coach
Ted Karras Jr., a football player and coach
Sean Manaea, a Major League Baseball pitcher
Len Matela, a professional basketball player
Karen McDougal, a model
Mike Neal, a National Football League player
David Neville, an athlete
Craig Osika, a National Football League player
Gregg Popovich, a National Basketball Association coach
Jeff Samardzija, a Major League Baseball pitcher
Michael Tanke, a soccer player and coach
Ryan Tatusko, a professional baseball pitcher
Pete Visclosky, a politician
Eugene Wilson, a National Football League player

Merrillville, Indiana facts for kids

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