Ogden Dunes, Indiana Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Ogden Dunes, Indiana
Town
Town Hall
Location of Ogden Dunes in Porter County, Indiana.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Porter
Township	Portage
Area
• Total	1.46 sq mi (3.78 km²)
• Land	0.74 sq mi (1.91 km²)
• Water	0.72 sq mi (1.87 km²)
Elevation	600 ft (200 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	1,168
• Density	1,586.96/sq mi (612.54/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	46368
Area code(s)	219
FIPS code	18-56088
GNIS feature ID	2396829

Ogden Dunes is a small town in Portage Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States. It sits right on the shore of Lake Michigan. The town is inside Indiana Dunes National Park and is almost completely surrounded by the city of Portage. In 2020, about 1,168 people lived there.

The town is named after Francis A. Ogden. He was a very rich man who owned the land before he passed away in 1914. He was mainly interested in the sand from the dunes, which he could sell. Luckily, the sand would naturally come back over time! Many people living in Ogden Dunes have worked hard to protect parts of the beautiful Indiana Dunes.

You can reach Ogden Dunes by train at the Portage / Ogden Dunes station. This station is part of the South Shore Line, which connects to Chicago. The main road near the town is U.S. Route 12. This road runs along the southern edge of Ogden Dunes. It links the town to nearby places like Gary to the west and Burns Harbor to the east.

History of Ogden Dunes
- The Famous Ski Jump
Geography and Location
Population Information
Images for kids
See also

History of Ogden Dunes

The land where Ogden Dunes now stands was bought by Samuel Reck in 1923. He bought it from Francis Ogden's family. The town was officially planned out a year later. In 1930, only 50 people lived in Ogden Dunes. By the 1950s, the population grew to almost 800. In 1991, about 1,000 people called it home.

The town became an official town in 1925. This was done to make sure people could always cross the New York Central Railroad tracks. The people who developed the town first wanted to build a resort. This resort would have included a golf course, a clubhouse, and a hotel. But these plans were later dropped. For many years, the roads were made of sand. Cinders were finally put on the main street in 1931 to make it better.

The Famous Ski Jump

The Ogden Dunes Ski Jump, later moved to Silvermine, Wisconsin.

In the late 1920s, Ogden Dunes became famous for having the largest ski jump in the country! It was a huge slide, about 30 stories high and 500 feet long. Big international skiing competitions were held there.

In 1927, a group called the Grand Beach Ski Club (later the Ogden Dunes Ski Club) bought land on one of the town's tall dunes. They built a ski jump that was 192 feet (59 m) tall. The first competition was held on January 22, 1928. For the next four years, many ski meets took place in Ogden Dunes. The longest jump ever recorded on this structure was 195 feet.

In 1932, even the Norwegian Olympic Ski Team came to try out the tower. This team included famous skiers like Birger Rund, Hans Beck, and Kaare Wahlberg, who had won gold, silver, and bronze medals.

During the Great Depression, the Ski Club faced money problems. There also wasn't much snow. Because of this, the club decided to sell the tower.

In 1935, a ski club in Rockford, Illinois, bought the tower and moved it that summer. They added the steel part of the ski jump from Ogden Dunes to their own jump.
The tower was moved a third time in 1955. It went to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and was set up at Hendrickson Hill.
Later, in 1968-69, Hendrickson Hill was no longer used. The steel tower was taken apart again and moved to its current spot at Silver Mine Hill. This ski jump is still used today!

Some of the first houses built in Ogden Dunes were simple but stylish. They were built on the steep, wooded hills. Later, some amazing houses were built along the beach. These homes showed that the area was becoming a very fancy and special place to live in Porter County.

Geography and Location

Ogden Dunes is a quiet town mainly for homes. It covers about 1.46 square miles (3.78 km²) of land and water. About half of this area is land, and the other half is water.

The town is part of Portage Township, Porter County, Indiana. It's a residential area, meaning mostly homes are there. Near Ogden Dunes, within Indiana Dunes National Park, are other similar communities. These include Miller Beach to the west and Beverly Shores and Dune Acres to the east. Like Ogden Dunes, many homes in these areas are used as summer or weekend getaways by people from Chicago.

Population Information

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1930	50	—
1940	144	188.0%
1950	429	197.9%
1960	947	120.7%
1970	1,361	43.7%
1980	1,489	9.4%
1990	1,499	0.7%
2000	1,313	−12.4%
2010	1,110	−15.5%
2020	1,168	5.2%
Source: US Census Bureau

In 2010, there were 1,110 people living in Ogden Dunes. These people lived in 508 households, and 335 of these were families. The town had about 1,500 people per square mile.

Most of the people in Ogden Dunes were White (96.1%). A small number were African American (1.1%), Asian (1.3%), or from other backgrounds. About 3.2% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 19.7% of households had children under 18 living with them. Most households (57.9%) were married couples. The average household had 2.19 people, and the average family had 2.67 people.

The average age of people in Ogden Dunes was 55.1 years old. About 15.7% of residents were under 18. Many residents (41.8%) were between 45 and 64 years old. About 25.3% were 65 or older. The town had slightly more females (50.3%) than males (49.7%).