LOCATION 
County: Lake
Distance & direction to major cities:
Chicago, IL (NW) 20 miles
Indianapolis, IN (SE) 165 miles
Detroit, MI (NE) 250 miles 

POPULATION  
Census Year	Town	County 
1970		18,168	546,253 
1980 		17,026	522,965 
1990 		17,916	475,594 
 
  Metropolitan statistical area: Gary-Hammond 

CLIMATE 
Annual average temperature: 48.9° F 
Coldest month: January Avg. temp of: 20.1° F 
Hottest month: July Avg. temp of: 72.9° F 
Annual total rain: 34.6 inches 
Annual total snow: 39.2 inches 
Elevation: 610 feet 
 

GOVERNMENT 
Form & organization: Town; council, clerk/treasurer, 5 councilmen 
Term of office: 4 years 
Current term expires: 12-31-95 
Incorporated or unincorporated: Incorporated 
Class (if any): None 
Area within town: 8.7 square miles  
Annual budget: $4,880,000 
Primary source of revenue: State & local taxes 
Streets: 55.3 miles Paved: 100% 
Street lights: Yes 
Town net assessed valuation: $68,441,390 (90-91) 
Town bond rating: AA 

INDEBTEDNESS (7-16-91)
Town: $55,000
County: $5,260,002
Sewer: $750,000
Sanitary District: $775,000
Lake County Public Library System: $3,900,000
Griffith Municipal Bldg. Corp. (lease rental): $1,085,000
Griffith Public Schools: $340,901
School Building Corp.: $2,070,000
NW Indiana Special Ed. School Bldg. Corp. (includes 10 school corps. in Lake Co.): $1,200,000 

POLICE 
Regular: 27 Special: Civil Defense 

FIRE DEPARTMENT 
Regular: 0 Volunteer: 43 
Fire insurance rating in community: 7 

LAND USE 
Town covered by zoning ordinances: Yes 
Territory covered: Entire town 
Zoning plans: Yes 
Master plan: Yes 
Annexation plans: No 

ENVIRONMENTAL ORDINANCES
Water pollution ordinance: Yes
Air: Yes 
 

TAXES 
LOCAL
(Applicable State Property Tax Replacement Credit will reduce gross tax rates)
Total gross rate within town per $100 valuation:  
Griffith: (Cal.): $15.08 
Griffith (St. John): $15.37 
Assessed at: 33-1/3% 
Year payable: 1992 
Total gross rate(s) for surrounding towns/townships: 
Highland: $14.98
Schererville: : $13.76 
St. John: $14.98
 
Town gross rate trend last five years:
Griffith (Cal.):(91) $15.56 (90) $13.97 (89) $17.52 (88) $16.09 (87) $16.77 
 

Griffith (St. John):(91) $16.09 (90) $14.06 (89) $19.33 (88) $17.37 (87) $18.34 
 

STATE
State retail sales tax: 5%
State gross income or adjusted gross income tax: 
Corp. gross income tax: 0.3% - 1.2% or adjusted gross 3.4%
Supplemental net income tax: 4.5%
Unemployment contribution rate: 0.2 - 5.4% experience rating
Benefits: $116 - $171; 26 weeks maximum (7-8-91) 
Exemptions: 
Homestead: $2,000 
Veterans: Up to $6,000 
Mortgage: $1,000 
Industrial: $1,000 gross income 
Corporate franchise tax: None 
Machinery, equipment, inventory tax: Property tax 
Corporate organization fee: 
$90 fee including certificate; $15.00 fee for filing annual reports 
 

HOUSING 
Total housing units: 6,914 
No. of hotels/motels: 0 
Total rooms: 0 
 

HEALTH AND WELFARE 
Name of Hospitals: Community Hospital - Munster
Total no. of beds: 324 
No. of doctors: 12 
No. of dentists: 11 
No. of nursing homes: 0 
No. of ambulances available: 2 
Other special health facilities: None 
 

EDUCATION 
  
ELEMENTARY
No. of schools: 4 
Total enrollment: 1,440 
Grades included: K-6 
Pupil to teacher ratio: 18.1 
Foreign languages taught: None 
 
  
MIDDLE
No. of schools: 1 
Total enrollment: 603 
Grades included: 7-9 
Pupil to teacher ratio: 17.0   
Foreign languages taught: French, Spanish 
 
  
HIGH SCHOOL
No. of Schools: 1 
Total enrollment: 562 
Grades included: 10-12 
Pupil to teacher ratio: 17.0
Foreign languages taught: French, Spanish 
 
  
GENERAL INFO
Certification requirement of teachers: Bachelor degree, Indiana license
Cost of education per pupil: $4,098.00 
No. of special education facilities: None 
 
  
1991 AVERAGE COMBINED VERBAL AND MATH SCORES
Average SAT score: 839 
Average Indiana SAT score: 865
Average National SAT score: 896 
 
  
PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS
No. of schools: 1 
Total enrollment: 389 
Grades includes: K-8 
 
  
PRIVATE SCHOOLS
No. of schools: 0 
Total enrollment: 0 
Grades includes: 0 
 
VOCATIONAL TRAINING FACILITIES
Hammond Area Career Center; Indiana Vocational Technical College 
  
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
Liberal arts: Purdue Calumet, Calumet College, Indiana University Northwest, Valparaiso University
Engineering: Purdue University Calumet
Business administration: Purdue Calumet, Indiana University Northwest, Calumet College, Valparaiso University
Graduate schools: Indiana University Northwest, Purdue University Calumet, Valparaiso University
Research labs & institutions: Inland Steel Research Laboratory
Foreign languages taught: Purdue Calumet: French, German, Spanish, Japanese 
Calumet College: Spanish, French 
Indiana University Northwest: French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Latin 
Valparaiso University: French, Spanish, Latin, Greek, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Chinese 
 

CIVIC AND RECREATIONAL 
MAJOR CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS
Rotary, Lions, Jaycees, Chamber of Commerce

NUMBER OF CHURCHES 
Catholic: 1 
Jewish: 0 
Protestant: 14 
Other: 1 

MAIN CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS 
Art in the Park (Summer event); Radisson Star Plaza; Northwest Indiana Symphony; Center for the Visual and Performing Arts (Munster) 

LIBRARY(S) 
No. of Volumes: 635,818 - Lake County Public Library System 

PARKS 
Town: 7 
County: 1, Oak Ridge Prairie 
State: Hoosier Prairie; Indiana Dunes State Park, 25 miles National: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, 15 miles 

THEATERS 
No. of theaters: 1 

GOLF COURSES 
Public: 1 18-hole, par 3 Private: 0 

SPORTS   
High School: Yes 
College: Yes; Valparaiso University 
Professional: Chicago, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend 

WATERWAYS   
No. nearby lakes: Lake Michigan (10 miles) 
Rivers: 1 
 

AREA RESOURCES 
  Ample supply of available water: Yes 
  Mineral resources: Sand, gravel 
  Agricultural and forest products: Fruit, Vegetables 
  Average annual market value of farm products sold in Lake County: $32,553,000 (1987) 

LABOR MARKET 
APRIL 1992 GARY-HAMMOND PMSA LABOR FORCE ESTIMATES 
Labor force: 210,390 Present employment: 193,900 
Unemployment Rate: 7.8% 

1990 LAKE COUNTY EMPLOYMENT PATTERNS
Total covered employment average: 191,926
Mfg. average - goods producing: 44,979
Non-mfg. average - service producing: 124,281
Government average: 22,666

1989 LAKE COUNTY OCCUPATIONAL WAGE SURVEY - MIDDLE RANGE WAGES
Office: $265.00 - $535.00
Technical & data processing: $285.00 - $575.00
Selected skilled: $8.25 - $14.25
Selected semi-skilled production: $6.5 - $12.25

HOURLY WORKERS NOT ELSEWHERE CLASSIFIED 
Skilled: $12.25 - $13.25 
Semi-skilled: $11.25 - $11.75 
Unskilled: $9.25 - 10.75   

GENERAL INFO
% manufacturing workers in union: 87%
State right to work law: No 
 

INDUSTRY 
MAJOR INDUSTRIES 
Aeromet 
Product: welding, steel mill repair, fabricating No. of employees: 40 

Calumet Testing Services 
Product: labs, testing, inspection No. of employees: 35 

American Chemical Service, Inc. 
Product: specialty chemicals No. of employees: 41 

G & N Aircraft, Inc. 
Product: engine rebuilding No. of employees: 90 

LaSalle Steel/ Fluid Power 
Product: chrome plated bars, rods No. of employees: 36 

Packaging Corp. of America 
Product: molded pulp prdts., egg cartons No. of employees: 165 

Smith Victor Corp. 
Product: photography, video lighting equip. No. of employees: 60 

Walsh & Kelly 
Product: asphalt paving materials No. of employees: 50 

Plant openings in last 5 years: None 
 

UTILITIES 
ELECTRIC 
Service by: Northern Indiana Public Service Co. 
Total resources of system: 3,361 mw (1990) 
Total system peak demand: 2,547 mw (1990) 
Capacity margin: 814 mw (1990) 
No. of electric generating units: 19 
% of generation: 
Coal-fired: 93.6% Oil: 0% 
Nuclear: 0% Hydro: 6% 
Natural Gas: 7% Purchased power: 1.8% 
Historic all-time peak usage: 2,739 mw (9-6-90 -- includes control area) 

NATURAL GAS 
Service by: Northern Indiana Public Service Co. 
Available for industrial space heating: Yes 
Historic all-time peak sendout: 1.55 Bcf (1-20-84) 
Total gas deliveries: 241,645 dekatherms (1990) 
Gas storage capacity: 
LNG -- 4,000,000 Mcf; Underground storage 6,750,000 Mcf 

WATER 
Service by: Gary-Hobart Water Corporation Pumping capacity: 5,700,000 gpd 
Peak demand: 1,500,000 gpd 
Source: Lake Michigan 
Future supply: Unlimited 
Total hardness (parts/million): 78.2 grains/gal. as CaCO3 
Availability of water for industrial use: Ample  

SANITATION 
Sewerage treatment plant: Hammond Sanitary District 
Capacity: 60,000,00 gpd 
Wet weather flow: 60,000,000 gpd 
Peak demand: 48,000,000 gpd 
Dry weather flow: 36,000,000 gpd 
Area covered by plant: 
Town Sewer use charge: $1.75/1,000 gal. 
Storm sewers: Yes 
Garbage pick-up provided: Yes 
 

TRANSPORTATION 
HIGHWAYS 
Interstate: I-80/94, 65 Distance: 2, 4 miles 
U.S.: 6 Distance: 0 miles 
State: 912 Distance: 0 miles 
State highway load limits: 80,000 lbs. gross 
Truck clearance, if any: 13 feet 6 inches 

RAIL 
Conrail, E.J.&E., Grand Trunk, C&O 
Distance to main line: 0 miles   
Services or trips daily: 
Freight: Yes; 
Passenger: South Shore (East Chicago, Hammond) 
Reciprocal switching: Yes (Hammond) 

TRUCK LINES 
No. of lines: 0 
No. of terminals: 0 
Overnight service available: Yes - Terminals in Hammond 

AIR 
Local Airport: Griffith Regional 
Flights per day: None regularly scheduled 
Charter service available: yes 
Approaches: VOR 
Runways: 4,013 feet   
Nearest major airports:  
Gary Regional Airport O'Hare, Chicago, 1 hour 
Midway, Chicago, 1 hour   

CITY TRANSPORTATION
Inter-city bus lines: Hammond Yellow Coach - Chicago Loop; TriState 
Coach Lines - O'Hare and Midway Airports
Intra-city bus lines: None 

PORT FACILITIES (Nearest)
Burns International Harbor - Portage, 20 miles 
 

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS 
BANKS
Mercantile; Calumet National Bank; Centier; Gainer
Combined assets: $2,747,891,104 (1991) 

SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS
Griffith Federal S. & L.; Hobart Federal S. & L.
Combined assets: $116,623,375 (1991) 

CREDIT UNIONS 
No local offices
Combined assets: -- 
 

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