Hobart, Indiana

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Coordinates: 41°31′43″N, 87°16′3″W
Hobart, Indiana
The gazebo at Hobart's Lakefront Park on the shore of Lake George.
Location in the state of Indiana
County	Lake
Government
- Mayor	Linda Buzinec
Area
- City	69.2 km² (26.7 sq mi)
- Land	67.9 km² (26.2 sq mi)
- Water	1.3 km² (0.5 sq mi)
Population (2000)
- City	25,363
- Density	373.6/km² (967.6/sq mi)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Website: www.city.hobart.in.us

Hobart is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 25,363 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Recreation
5 Business
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Hobart is located at 41°31′43″N, 87°16′3″W (41.528715, -87.267420)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 69.2 km² (26.7 mi²). 67.9 km² (26.2 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (1.83%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 25,363 people, 9,855 households, and 6,977 families residing in the city. The population density was 373.6/km² (967.5/mi²). There were 10,299 housing units at an average density of 151.7/km² (392.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.73% White, 1.39% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.60% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.05% of the population.

There were 9,855 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,759, and the median income for a family was $35,078. Males had a median income of $43,702 versus $26,619 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,508,662. 4.8% of the population and 2.9% of families were below the poverty line. Of the total population, 5.8% of those under the age of 18 and 4.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

[edit] History

Hobart was named by founder George Earle in honor of his brother, Frederick Hobart Earle.

After purchasing land from the Potowatomi Indians, Earle founded the city in 1846 and built the city's first business: a grist mill.

Hobart was home to numerous brickyards in the nineteenth century, including the W.B. Owen Terra Cotta Works, the Natco yards, and the Kulage Brick Works. This provided Hobart High School with its unique nickname for its athletic teams: the Brickies. Under head coach Don Howell, the Hobart Brickies won the Indiana state championship for football in 1987, 1989, 1991, and 1993, as well as 19 straight sectional title wins. Hobart's brickyard was built in the area which is known as Lake Park Avenue today. When the brickyard was still in business, bricks would be transported to other areas via trains on the former Pennsylvania Railroad (The former Pennsylvania Railroad is now known as the CF&E Railroad) mostly to Valparaiso and Chicago.

[edit] Recreation

Hobart is home to Lake George, a popular place for people to gather to walk along the city's waterfront. Couples getting married are often seen taking pictures at a gazebo near the Hobart branch of the Lake County Public Library. Musical entertainment can be found near the clock tower in Lakefront Park and at the Revelli Bandshell during the warm months. People enjoy fishing, boating, and strolling along the shores of Lake George. Hundreds of resident ducks, geese and ring billed gulls live here permantly through the year, so duck feeding is another fun activity.

In the past, fishermen fished at Hobart's Robinson Lake. As of October 2006, Mayor Linda Buzenic announced the "highest and best use" for Robinson Lake would be to put it up for sale, according to the Post-Tribune. ^[1]. The deadline for proposals for Robinson Lake is Nov. 30, 2006, according to the Post-Tribune. ^[2].

The city features 14 parks, 2 public 18-hole golf courses, and many sports fields for basketball, football, baseball, soccer, rugby, and many other sports. A skateboard park is located in Pavese Park. The city recently bought an outdoor swimming pool.

The Oak Savannah rails-to-trails route cuts through the city and offers biking and hiking.^[3]. The Oak Savannah trail passes by the 90 acre Hobart Prairie Grove Unit of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.^[4] ^[5].

The Shirley Heinze Land Trust, Inc. owns other nature preserves in the city of Hobart, including a tallgrass prairie.^[6]. The Cressmoor Prairie is a dedicated state nature preserve.^[7] The Cressmoor Prairie is the largest state-protected rare "black soil" or silt-loam prairie in Indiana.^[8].

The city's Mundell Field has a quarter-mile outdoor oval track for walking.

Hobart is home to one of Indiana's largest indoor shopping malls: Westfield Shoppingtown Southlake, located in the southern part of the city near the intersection of US 30 and Interstate 65. The area is filled with outdoor strip malls that contain over 200 stores and restaurants.

Hobart residents drive 15 minutes west to visit casino boats on Lake Michigan and 15 minutes east to visit the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and the Indiana Dunes State Park, containing 15 thousand acres of beaches, sand dunes, bogs, and protected wildlife.

Hobart is approximately 31 miles from Chicago and many residents take advantage of this proximity to enjoy the world-class offerings of The Windy City.

[edit] Business

Hobart is home to many thriving businesses in its downtown shopping district, including the historic Art Theatre.^[9]

Hobart is also home to Westfield Shoppingtown Southlake Mall and many surrounding shopping and restaurant attractions, although most businesses prefer to list their addresses as Merrillville. Though the area where the mall is was historically an unincorporated section of Lake County before it was annexed by Hobart, it is served by the Merrillville post office.

The nearest large airports serving Hobart are the Gary/Chicago International Airport (GYY) in Gary and Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) and O'Hare International Airport (ORD) in nearby Chicago. The Hobart Sky Ranch Airport (3HO) is located 2 miles north of the city's downtown business district.

Hobart contains 3 major railroads: Norfolk Southern, which runs through County Line Road to Liverpool Road, CF&E Transportation, which runs through County Line Road to Wisconsin Street, and Canadian National, which runs through Colorado Street and through a portion of Hobart in the southernmost part of the area known as Ainsworth.