Common Causes of Spring Failure in Garage Doors

Common Causes of Spring Failure in Garage Doors

Spring failure in garage doors is a common issue that many homeowners face, often leading to inconvenience and potential safety hazards. Understanding the common causes of spring failure can help you address the problem promptly and prevent further damage. Here are some of the most frequent reasons why garage door springs might fail:


Firstly, age is a significant factor in spring failure. Garage door springs are designed to last for several years, but over time, they can wear out due to continuous use. The constant tension and release cycles put on the springs as the door opens and closes can cause them to weaken and eventually break. Regular maintenance, such as lubricating the springs and checking their tension, can extend their lifespan.


Another common cause of spring failure is improper installation. If the springs are not installed correctly, they may not function properly or could even be damaged during installation. This can lead to uneven tension on the springs, causing one side to break before the other. Its crucial to hire a professional who knows how to install garage door springs correctly.


Overloading is also a frequent cause of spring failure. If you have heavy items in your garage or if you frequently open and close your garage door with heavy objects inside, it puts extra stress on the springs. This additional weight can cause them to stretch beyond their capacity and eventually break.


Inadequate lubrication is another factor that contributes to spring failure. Garage door springs need regular lubrication to reduce friction and allow them to move smoothly. Without proper lubrication, the metal parts of the spring can rub against each other, causing excessive wear and tear.


Finally, environmental factors such as extreme temperatures or humidity levels can also affect spring performance. High temperatures can cause metals to expand slightly while low temperatures make them contract slightly which may affect how well they hold up under pressure from opening/closing cycles repeatedly throughout daily use patterns


By being aware of these common causes of spring failure in garage doors youll be better equipped at preventing future issues from arising by taking proactive measures like regular maintenance checks & timely replacements when needed

How Spring Lifecycles Impact Garage Door Safety

 

Lake County, Indiana
County
Former Lake County Courthouse in Crown Point, Indiana
Former Lake County Courthouse
in Crown Point, Indiana
Official seal of Lake County, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°25′N 87°22′W / 41.417°N 87.367°W / 41.417; -87.367
Country  United States
State  Indiana
Region Northwest Indiana
Metro area Chicago Metropolitan
Settled October 1834[1]
Established February 16, 1837[2]
Named after Lake Michigan
County seat Crown Point
Largest city Hammond (population)
Gary (total area)
Incorporated
municipalities
19 cities and towns
  • Cedar Lake (town)
  • Crown Point (city)
  • Dyer (town)
  • East Chicago (city)
  • Gary (city)
  • Griffith (town)
  • Hammond (city)
  • Highland (town)
  • Hobart (city)
  • Lake Station (city)
  • Lowell (town)
  • Merrillville (town)
  • Munster (town)
  • New Chicago (town)
  • Schererville (town)
  • Schneider (town)
  • St. John (town)
  • Whiting (city)
  • Winfield (town)
Government
[3]
 • Type County
 • Body Board of Commissioners
 • Commissioner Kyle W. Allen, Sr. (D, 1st)
 • Commissioner Jerry J. Tippy (R, 2nd)
 • Commissioner Michael C. Repay (D, 3rd)
 • County Council
Members
  • David Hamm (D, 1st)
  • Clorius Lay (D, 2nd)
  • Charlie Brown (D, 3rd)
  • Pete Lindemulder (R, 4th)
  • Christine Cid (D, 5th)
  • Ted F. Bilski (D, 6th)
  • Randy Niemeyer (R, 7th)
Area
 
 • County
626.5 sq mi (1,623 km2)
 • Land 498.9 sq mi (1,292 km2)
 • Water 127.6 sq mi (330 km2)
 • Metro
 
10,874 sq mi (28,160 km2)
 • Rank 12th largest county in Indiana
 • Region 2,726 sq mi (7,060 km2)
Dimensions
[4]
 • Length 36 mi (58 km)
 • Width 16 mi (26 km)
Elevation
[5] (mean)
663 ft (202 m)
Highest elevation
[6]—NE Winfield Twp
801 ft (244 m)
Lowest elevation
[7]—at Lake Michigan
585 ft (178 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • County
498,700
 • Estimate 
(2023)
500,598 Increase
 • Rank 2nd largest county in Indiana 131st largest county in U.S.[8]
 • Density 800/sq mi (310/km2)
 • Metro
 
9,522,434
 • Region
 
819,537
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (Central)
ZIP Codes
46303, 46307–08, 46311–12, 46319–25, 46327, 46341–42, 46355–56, 46373, 46375–77, 46394, 46401–11
Area code 219
Congressional district 1st
Indiana Senate districts 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th
Indiana House of Representatives districts 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th and 19th
FIPS code 18-089
GNIS feature ID 0450495
Interstates
U.S. Routes
State Routes

Airports Gary/Chicago International
Griffith-Merrillville
Waterways Grand Calumet River
Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal
Kankakee River
Lake Michigan
Amtrak stations Dyer – Hammond-Whiting
South Shore Line stations Hammond Gateway – East Chicago
Adam Benjamin Metro Center
Gary/Chicago Airport – Miller
Public transit East Chicago Transit
Gary Public Transportation
Broadway Metro Express
Website www.lakecountyin.org
  • Indiana county number 45
  • Second most-populous county in Indiana

Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 2020, its population was 498,700,[9] making it Indiana's second-most populous county. The county seat is Crown Point.[10] The county is part of Northwest Indiana and the Chicago metropolitan area, and contains a mix of urban, suburban and rural areas. It is bordered on the north by Lake Michigan and contains a portion of the Indiana Dunes.[11][12] It includes Marktown, Clayton Mark's planned worker community in East Chicago.[13]

History

[edit]

Early settlement

[edit]

Originally inhabited by the Potawatomi and generations of indigenous ancestors, Lake County was established by European Americans on February 16, 1837.[2] From 1832 to 1836 the area that was to become Lake County was part of La Porte County.[14] From 1836 to 1837 it was part of Porter County.[14] It was named for its location on Lake Michigan.[15] The original county seat was Liverpool, but in 1840 Lake Court House, later renamed as Crown Point, was chosen.[16]

Lake County's population grew slowly before the 1850s. Construction of railroads to link Chicago to the rest of the country stimulated rapid development, and tens of thousands of settlers and immigrants bought land in the region. Small-scale industrialization began, but was primarily relegated to the northern coast of the county, where it could take advantage of the railroads along the coast and shipping on the Great Lakes. The 1900 Census gives a population of 37,892 residents.

Industrialization and immigration

[edit]

Inland Steel Company established a plant in East Chicago in 1903 and U.S. Steel founded one in Gary in 1906; with industrial jobs the demand for labor associated with industrial jobs, the county's population exploded. Immigrants poured into the area from all over Central and Eastern Europe (there was also a smaller Mexican immigrant community). In addition, both black and white migrants came from many regions of the United States, particularly Appalachia and the South. Mostly rural blacks went north in the Great Migration, seeking both industrial jobs and escape from Jim Crow violence and disenfranchisement in the South.

By 1930, Lake County's population surpassed 260,000, with first- and second-generation Americans constituting a majority of the population. The second wave of the Ku Klux Klan gained a large following here in the 1920s, as it did for a time in the rest of Indiana. The KKK organized against the numerous European immigrants, who were mostly Catholic. While the steel industry reigned supreme, other industries also found the county to be an ideal location for cheap land and well-developed transportation networks, such as automobiles, oil, chemicals, consumer goods, food processing, and construction supply companies.[17]

The Great Depression was devastating to Lake County, as it was to other areas with economies based on heavy industry. The Depression, combined with industrial strife, changing demographics, and unionization, caused a realignment of politics in Lake County. It became a stronghold of the Democratic Party; Lake County has supported the Democratic nominee for president in every election since 1932 (exceptions occurred in 1956 and 1972). Indiana's 1st congressional district has elected Democratic candidates in every election since 1930.

World War II restored prosperity, as industry revived to support the war effort. Good economic times continued into the 1970s. During this period, unions helped industrial workers gain middle-class wages. In addition to attracting refugees and immigrants from Europe, black Americans and Mexicans migrated here in the postwar period in even higher numbers than in the 1910-1930 period. As minority populations exploded in such industrial cities as East Chicago and Gary, racial tensions surfaced again. Following construction of state and federal highways, development of cheaper land provided newer housing to middle-class people who could afford it. Both whites and established black families moved out of the aging industrial cities.[17]

Recent history

[edit]

Lake County's population peaked at 546,000 in 1970. Severe industrial decline took place during the 1973-1991 period, brought on by foreign competition, new management philosophies that called for major workforce reductions, and productivity gains from technology. The decline was particularly intense in the steel industry: steel employment exceeded 60,000 in the 1960s, and declined progressively to just 18,000 by 2015. Lake County's population declined 13% to bottom out at 475,000 in 1990.

The industrial decline of the 1980s cast a long shadow over Lake County: the county did not regain the level of employment it had in 1980 until 1996, after which the employment level roughly flatlined. The county's economic output peaked in 1978, and has not since recovered, remaining 15-20% below the peak after adjusting for inflation. As prosperity declined, so did the immigration that powered the county's explosive population growth before 1950: per the 2000 census, only 5.3% of Lake County's residents were foreign-born, compared to over 11% for the United States as a whole.[18]

The population recovered somewhat during the 1990s and 2000s, as the local economy adjusted. Suburban growth has also been driven by commuter populations of workers who are employed in Chicago and commute via expressways or the South Shore Line. In 2007, it was estimated that 44,000 workers commuted from Lake County, Indiana, to Chicago for work.[18] The decline of industrial cities and growth of suburbs has been so sharp, that by 1990 a majority of the county's population lived outside of the four traditional industrial cities. Lake County still continues to struggle with urban decline and poverty, suburban sprawl and traffic jams, and a stagnating population.[17]

Geography

[edit]

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 626.56 square miles (1,622.8 km2), of which 498.96 square miles (1,292.3 km2) (or 79.63%) is land and 127.60 square miles (330.5 km2) (or 20.37%) is water. It is the second-largest county in total area in Indiana, but has the largest water area of all 92 counties.[19]

The northern and southern portions of the county (north of U.S. 30 and south of Lowell) are mainly low and flat, except for a few sand ridges and dunes and were both once very marshy and had to be drained. The lowest point, at 585 feet (178 m),[7] is along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

The central part of the county is higher and hillier. As you travel south from the low and relatively flat lake plain in the northern part of the county, the land gradually rises in elevation until the peak of the Valparaiso Moraine. The highest point, at 801 feet (244 m),[6] is in northeastern Winfield Township near 109th Street and North Lakeshore Drive in Lakes of the Four Seasons. From here the land descends south into the Kankakee Outwash Plain until the Kankakee River is reached.

The geographic center of Lake County is approximately 200 feet (60 m) northwest of Burr Street and West 113th Avenue in Center Township

41°24′53.8″N 87°24′14.3″W / 41.414944°N 87.403972°W / 41.414944; -87.403972.

Adjacent counties

[edit]
  • Cook County, Illinois (northwest)
  • Will County, Illinois (west)
  • Kankakee County, Illinois (southwest)
  • Porter County (east)
  • Jasper County (southeast)
  • Newton County (south)

National protected area

  • Indiana Dunes National Park – also in LaPorte and Porter counties

Transit

  • East Chicago Transit
  • Gary Public Transportation Corporation (Broadway Metro Express)

Airports

  • Gary/Chicago International Airport
  • Griffith-Merrillville Airport

Major highways

Interstate 65 in Lake County is called the Casimir Pulaski Memorial Highway. Interstate 80/94/US 6 is the Frank Borman Expressway from the Illinois state line east to the Indiana Toll Road interchange in the eastern portion of the county. Interstate 94 has been referred to as the Chicago-Detroit Industrial Freeway. US 6 is part of the Grand Army of the Republic Highway. Broadway (Indiana 53) is also the Carolyn Mosby Memorial Highway. Indiana 51 is known for its entire length as the Adam Benjamin Memorial Highway. US 30 is part of the historic Lincoln Highway. US 12 from Gary eastward is part of Dunes Highway. Cline Avenue (Indiana 912) from US 12 north and westward is known as the Highway Construction Workers Memorial Highway.

  • Interstate 65
  • Interstate 80
  • Indiana Toll Road
  • Interstate 94
  • U.S. Route 6
  • U.S. Route 12
  • U.S. Route 20
  • U.S. Route 30
  • U.S. Route 41
  • U.S. Route 231
  • State Road 2
  • State Road 51
  • State Road 53
  • State Road 55
  • State Road 130
  • State Road 152
  • State Road 312
  • State Road 912

Railroads

  • Amtrak
  • Canadian National Railway
  • Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad
  • Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad
  • CSX Transportation
  • Gary Railway
  • Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad
  • Norfolk Southern Railway
  • South Shore Line

Municipalities

[edit]
Lakes of the Four Seasons, IndianaSchneider, IndianaSt. John, IndianaCrown Point, IndianaHobart, IndianaLowell, IndianaLake Dalecarlia, IndianaCedar Lake, IndianaDyer, IndianaWinfield, IndianaGary, IndianaMerrillville, IndianaLake Station, IndianaNew Chicago, IndianaGriffith, IndianaSchererville, IndianaMunster, IndianaEast Chicago, IndianaHammond, IndianaWhiting, IndianaHighland, Lake County, Indiana
 


The municipalities in Lake County, and their populations as of the 2020 Census, are:

Cities

[edit]
  • Crown Point – 33,899
  • East Chicago – 26,370
  • Gary – 69,093
  • Hammond – 77,879
  • Hobart – 29,752
  • Lake Station – 13,235
  • Whiting – 4,559

Towns

[edit]
  • Cedar Lake – 14,106
  • Dyer – 16,517
  • Griffith – 16,528
  • Highland – 23,984
  • Lowell – 10,680
  • Merrillville – 36,444
  • Munster – 23,894
  • New Chicago – 1,999
  • Schererville – 29,646
  • Schneider – 269
  • St. John – 20,303
  • Winfield – 7,181

Census-designated places

[edit]
  • Lake Dalecarlia – 1,332
  • Lakes of the Four Seasons – 3,936
    (7,091 including portion in Porter County)
  • Shelby – 453

Unincorporated communities

[edit]
  • Ainsworth
  • Belshaw
  • Brunswick
  • Creston
  • Deep River
  • Deer Creek
  • Dinwiddie
  • Green Acres
  • Klaasville
  • Kreitzburg
  • Leroy
  • Liverpool
  • New Elliott
  • Orchard Grove
  • Palmer
  • Range Line
  • Ross
  • Southeast Grove

Townships

[edit]

The 11 townships of Lake County, with their populations as of the 2020 Census, are:

  • Calumet – 91,970
  • Cedar Creek – 12,725
  • Center – 38,630
  • Eagle Creek – 1,719
  • Hanover – 18,214
  • Hobart – 40,652
  • North – 156,686
  • Ross – 48,529
  • St. John – 68,972
  • West Creek – 7,676
  • Winfield – 12,927

Economy

[edit]

Despite the decline of heavy industry, manufacturing was still the largest employment sector in Lake County in 2010 with over 45,000 workers employed, followed closely by healthcare and social assistance at 44,000 workers, public administration at 40,000 workers, retail trade at 37,000 workers, accommodation and food services at 25,000 workers, and construction at 15,000 workers.[18]

Lake County's GDP in 2010 was measured at nearly $25 billion. Manufacturing was also the largest sector of the economy in economic terms, contributing over $5.8 billion to the county's GDP in 2010. It was followed by healthcare and social assistance at $2.6 billion, public administration at $2.5 billion, and retail trade at $1.9 billion. While Lake County's average income was approximately 24% higher than the national average in 1978, in 2010 Lake County had fallen significantly behind the United States as a whole, with average income being approximately 12.9% lower. The national average surpassed Lake County sometime around 1986.

Businesses with the largest number of employees in the county are: [20]

  • Americall Group, Inc. – Hobart
  • Ameristar Casino – East Chicago
  • BP Whiting Refinery – Whiting
  • Canadian National Railway – Whiting
  • Cargill – Hammond
  • Cleveland-Cliffs Indiana Harbor Works – East Chicago
  • Community Hospital – Munster
  • Franciscan Alliance, Inc. – locations throughout the region
  • Franciscan Health Hammond – Hammond (closed)
  • Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana – Gary
  • Horseshoe Casino – Hammond
  • Majestic Star Casino – Gary (closed)
  • Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus – Merrillville
  • NiSource – Merrillville
  • Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza – Merrillville (closed)
  • St. Catherine Hospital – East Chicago
  • St. Mary Medical Center – Hobart
  • Times Media Company – Munster
  • Unilever – Whiting
  • U.S. Steel Gary Works – Gary

Education

[edit]

Public school districts

[edit]

The administration of public schools in Lake County is divided among 16 corporations and governing bodies,[21] more than any other Indiana county.[22]

  • Crown Point Community School Corporation – Center and Winfield townships
  • Gary Community School Corporation – City of Gary
  • Griffith Public Schools – Town of Griffith
  • Hanover Community School Corporation – Hanover Township
  • Lake Central School Corporation – St. John Township
  • Lake Ridge Schools Corporation – unincorporated Calumet Township
  • Lake Station Community Schools – City of Lake Station
  • Merrillville Community School Corporation – Ross Township
  • River Forest Community School Corporation – Town of New Chicago and some portions of adjacent communities
  • School City of East Chicago – City of East Chicago
  • School City of Hammond – City of Hammond
  • School City of Hobart – City of Hobart within Hobart Township
  • School City of Whiting – City of Whiting
  • School Town of Highland – Town of Highland
  • School Town of Munster – Town of Munster
  • Tri-Creek School Corporation – Cedar Creek, Eagle Creek and West Creek townships

Private schools

[edit]

Elementary and secondary schools operated by the Diocese of Gary:

  • Andrean High School, Merrillville (9–12)
  • Aquinas School at St. Andrew's, Merrillville (PK–8)
  • Bishop Noll Institute, Hammond (9–12)
  • Our Lady of Grace, Highland (PK–8)
  • St. Casimir, Hammond (PK–8)
  • St. John Bosco, Hammond (PK–8)
  • St. John the Baptist, Whiting (PK–8)
  • St. John the Evangelist, St. John (PK–8)
  • St. Mary, Crown Point (PK–8)
  • St. Mary, Griffith (PK–8)
  • St. Michael, Schererville (PK–8)
  • St. Stanislaus, East Chicago (PK–8)
  • St. Thomas More, Munster (PK–8)

Other parochial and private schools:

  • St. Paul's Lutheran School, Munster (PK–8)
  • Trinity Lutheran School, Crown Point (PK–8)
  • Trinity Lutheran School, Hobart (PK–8)

Colleges and universities

[edit]
  • Calumet College of St. Joseph
  • Hyles–Anderson College
  • Indiana University Northwest
  • Ivy Tech Community College
  • Purdue University Northwest[23]
  • University of Phoenix
  • Indiana Wesleyan University

Public libraries

[edit]

The county is served by seven different public library systems:

  • Crown Point Community Library has its main location with a branch in Winfield.[24]
  • East Chicago Public Library has its main location and the Robart A. Pastrick branch.[25]
  • Gary Public Library has its main location, the Gary Public Library and Cultural Center, and the Kennedy and Woodson branches.[26]
  • Hammond Public Library[27]
  • Lake County Public Library has its main location in Merrillville as well as Cedar Lake, Dyer-Schererville, Griffith-Calumet Township, Highland, Hobart, Lake Station-New Chicago, Munster and St. John branches.[28]
  • Lowell Public Library has its main location with branches in Schneider and Shelby.[29]
  • Whiting Public Library[30]

Hospitals

[edit]
  • Community Hospital, Munster – 454 beds[31]
  • Franciscan Health Crown Point, Crown Point – 203 beds (Level III Trauma Center)[31][32][33]
  • Franciscan Health Dyer, Dyer – 223 beds[31][32]
  • Franciscan Health Munster, Munster – 63 beds[31][32]
  • Methodist Hospitals – 536 beds[31]
    • Northlake Campus, Gary
    • Southlake Campus, Merrillville
  • NW Indiana ER and Hospital, Hammond – 6 beds[31]
  • St. Catherine Hospital, East Chicago – 216 beds[31]
  • St. Mary Medical Center, Hobart – 215 beds[31]
  • UChicago Medicine Crown Point, Crown Point – 8 beds (opening April 2024)[34]

Media

[edit]

The Times, based in Munster, is the largest daily newspaper in Lake County and Northwest Indiana and the second largest in the state. Lake County is also served by the Post-Tribune, a daily newspaper based in Merrillville.

Lakeshore Public Television operates WYIN-TV Gary on channel 56 and is the local PBS station in the Chicago television market.

These eight broadcast radio stations serve Lake County and are part of the Chicago market:

  • WJOB (1230 AM) – Hammond
  • WWCA (1270 AM) – Gary
  • WLTH (1370 AM) – Gary
  • WLPR (89.1 FM) – Lowell
  • WRTW (90.5 FM) – Crown Point
  • WPWX (92.3 FM) – Hammond
  • WXRD (103.9 FM) – Crown Point
  • WZVN (107.1 FM) – Lowell

Climate and weather

[edit]
Climate data for Lowell, Indiana (1981-2010 normals, extremes 1963-present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 66
(19)
73
(23)
85
(29)
91
(33)
95
(35)
104
(40)
101
(38)
104
(40)
98
(37)
92
(33)
77
(25)
70
(21)
104
(40)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 31.2
(−0.4)
35.8
(2.1)
47.5
(8.6)
60.8
(16.0)
71.3
(21.8)
80.7
(27.1)
83.8
(28.8)
82.0
(27.8)
76.4
(24.7)
63.6
(17.6)
49.4
(9.7)
35.1
(1.7)
59.8
(15.5)
Daily mean °F (°C) 22.8
(−5.1)
26.7
(−2.9)
37.4
(3.0)
49.3
(9.6)
59.8
(15.4)
69.7
(20.9)
73.1
(22.8)
71.1
(21.7)
64.2
(17.9)
51.9
(11.1)
40.2
(4.6)
27.1
(−2.7)
49.4
(9.7)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 14.4
(−9.8)
17.7
(−7.9)
27.4
(−2.6)
37.9
(3.3)
48.2
(9.0)
58.7
(14.8)
62.4
(16.9)
60.3
(15.7)
52.0
(11.1)
40.2
(4.6)
31.0
(−0.6)
19.1
(−7.2)
39.1
(3.9)
Record low °F (°C) −28
(−33)
−23
(−31)
−9
(−23)
7
(−14)
26
(−3)
33
(1)
41
(5)
38
(3)
28
(−2)
18
(−8)
2
(−17)
−29
(−34)
−29
(−34)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.96
(50)
1.75
(44)
2.57
(65)
3.78
(96)
4.38
(111)
4.69
(119)
4
(100)
3.98
(101)
3.14
(80)
3.44
(87)
3.43
(87)
2.34
(59)
39.46
(999)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 8.8
(22)
8.2
(21)
3.4
(8.6)
0.3
(0.76)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.2
(0.51)
0.7
(1.8)
7.7
(20)
29.3
(74.67)
Source: NOAA (normals, 1981–2010)[35]
Satellite imagery of Lake County, IN

In recent years, average temperatures in Lowell have ranged from a low of 14.4 °F (−9.8 °C) in January to a high of 83.8 °F (28.8 °C) in July, although a record low of −29 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in December 1989 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.75 inches (44 mm) in February to 4.69 inches (119 mm) in June. Temperatures at or below 0 °F (−18 °C) occur on average 11 days annually and exceed 90 °F (32 °C) degrees on 14 days.[35] In winter, lake-effect snow increases snowfall totals compared to the areas to the west.[36] In spring and early summer, the immediate shoreline areas sometimes experience lake-breeze that can drop temperatures by several degrees compared to areas further inland.[37] In summer, thunderstorms are common, occurring an average 40–50 days every year,[38] and on about 13 days, these thunderstorms produce severe winds.[39]

Government

[edit]

The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code.

County Council: The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four-year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes.[40][41]

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.[40][41]

Court: The county maintains a small claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.[41]

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.[41]

County elected officials

[edit]

Politics

[edit]

While the state of Indiana is strongly Republican, having voted Republican in every election since 1964 (except in 2008), Lake County has long been a Democratic stronghold due to being part of the Chicago metropolitan area. It has given pluralities or majorities to Democrats in every presidential election since 1932 with the exceptions of 1956 and 1972. Like the rest of the Rust Belt, however, Lake County has recently trended Republican, with Donald Trump scoring the highest percentage of the vote since 1972 in the 2024 presidential election.

Lake is part of Indiana's 1st congressional district, which is held by Democrat Frank J. Mrvan.[43] In the State Senate, Lake is part of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th districts, which are held by three Democrats and one Republican. In the Indiana House of Representatives, Lake is part of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th and 19th districts, which are held by four Democrats and four Republicans.

United States presidential election results for Lake County, Indiana[44]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 97,270 46.30% 109,086 51.92% 3,746 1.78%
2020 91,760 41.65% 124,870 56.67% 3,700 1.68%
2016 75,625 37.29% 116,935 57.66% 10,241 5.05%
2012 68,431 33.85% 130,897 64.75% 2,819 1.39%
2008 67,742 32.41% 139,301 66.64% 1,996 0.95%
2004 71,903 38.24% 114,743 61.03% 1,376 0.73%
2000 63,389 36.02% 109,078 61.98% 3,527 2.00%
1996 47,873 29.22% 100,198 61.15% 15,789 9.64%
1992 53,867 28.91% 102,778 55.17% 29,653 15.92%
1988 79,929 43.03% 105,026 56.55% 780 0.42%
1984 94,870 44.30% 117,984 55.10% 1,289 0.60%
1980 95,408 46.02% 101,145 48.78% 10,786 5.20%
1976 90,119 42.36% 120,700 56.74% 1,922 0.90%
1972 115,480 56.24% 88,510 43.10% 1,352 0.66%
1968 77,911 36.48% 99,897 46.77% 35,766 16.75%
1964 73,722 35.19% 134,978 64.42% 823 0.39%
1960 78,278 37.04% 132,554 62.72% 526 0.25%
1956 92,803 52.00% 85,000 47.63% 657 0.37%
1952 74,073 44.66% 90,721 54.70% 1,051 0.63%
1948 51,413 38.77% 77,025 58.09% 4,157 3.14%
1944 48,147 38.84% 75,066 60.56% 737 0.59%
1940 45,898 38.79% 71,985 60.83% 447 0.38%
1936 33,689 32.47% 68,551 66.07% 1,510 1.46%
1932 42,596 46.56% 46,060 50.34% 2,836 3.10%
1928 48,768 59.68% 32,321 39.55% 630 0.77%
1924 30,990 64.61% 10,918 22.76% 6,060 12.63%
1920 26,296 69.15% 7,136 18.77% 4,596 12.09%
1916 13,262 55.00% 9,946 41.25% 903 3.75%
1912 5,176 29.61% 5,136 29.38% 7,171 41.02%
1908 9,499 60.97% 5,502 35.32% 578 3.71%
1904 6,429 64.11% 2,933 29.25% 666 6.64%
1900 5,337 58.00% 3,733 40.57% 131 1.42%
1896 4,883 58.11% 3,418 40.68% 102 1.21%
1892 2,958 48.02% 3,010 48.86% 192 3.12%
1888 2,543 54.21% 2,068 44.08% 80 1.71%

2008 presidential primary

[edit]

In the 2008 Democratic presidential primary on May 6, 2008, Lake County was one of the last counties to report results.[45] Lake County had reported no results at 11 p.m. ET,[46] and at midnight ET, only 28% of Lake County's vote had been reported.[47] A large number of absentee ballots and a record turnout delayed the tallies, and polls closed an hour later than much of the state because Lake County is in the Central Time Zone.[46] Early returns showed Senator Barack Obama leading by a potentially lead-changing margin, leaving the race between Senator Hillary Clinton and Obama "too close to call" until final tallies were reported.

Crime

The NWI Times reported that over 800 registered sex offenders live in Lake and Porter Counties of Indiana in 2021.[48]

Culture and contemporary life

[edit]

Entertainment and the arts

[edit]
  • Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, concerts held at Living Hope Church – Merrillville
  • Theatre at the Center, located at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts – Munster

Major attractions

[edit]
  • Ameristar Casino – East Chicago
  • Horseshoe Casino – Hammond
  • Majestic Star Casino – Gary
  • Majestic Star Casino II – Gary
  • Pierogi Fest – Whiting
  • Southlake Mall – Hobart
  • Three Floyds Brewing – Munster

Professional sports teams

[edit]
  • Gary SouthShore RailCats, an American Association professional baseball team, play their games at U.S. Steel Yard in Gary.

Recreation

[edit]
List of parks and recreational facilities – Lake County Parks and Recreation
  • Bellaboo's Play and Discovery Center – Lake Station
  • Buckley Homestead – Lowell
  • Cedar Creek Family Golf Center – Cedar Lake
  • Deep River County Park – Hobart
  • Deep River Waterpark – Crown Point
  • Gibson Woods Nature Preserve – Hammond
  • Grand Kankakee Marsh – Hebron
  • Lake Etta – Gary
  • Lemon Lake – Crown Point
  • Oak Ridge Prairie & Oak Savannah Trail – Griffith
  • Stoney Run County Park – Hebron
  • Three Rivers County Park – Lake Station
  • Turkey Creek Golf Course – Merrillville
  • Whihala Beach – Whiting
List of recreational facilities – Indiana Dunes National Park
  • Calumet Prairie State Nature Preserve – Lake Station
  • Hobart Prairie Grove – Hobart
  • Hoosier Prairie State Nature Preserve – Griffith
  • Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education – Gary

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
Census Pop. Note
1840 1,468  
1850 3,991   171.9%
1860 9,145   129.1%
1870 12,339   34.9%
1880 15,091   22.3%
1890 23,886   58.3%
1900 37,892   58.6%
1910 82,864   118.7%
1920 159,957   93.0%
1930 261,310   63.4%
1940 293,195   12.2%
1950 368,152   25.6%
1960 513,269   39.4%
1970 546,253   6.4%
1980 522,965   −4.3%
1990 475,594   −9.1%
2000 484,564   1.9%
2010 496,005   2.4%
2020 498,700   0.5%
2023 (est.) 500,598 [49] 0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[50]
1790-1960[51] 1900-1990[52]
1990-2000[53] 2010-2019[9]

2020 census

[edit]
Lake County, Indiana – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[54] Pop 2010[55] Pop 2020[56] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 293,457 274,162 251,106 60.56% 55.27% 50.35%
Black or African American alone (NH) 121,372 125,506 121,048 25.05% 25.30% 24.27%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 854 913 691 0.18% 0.18% 0.14%
Asian alone (NH) 3,862 5,981 7,334 0.80% 1.21% 1.47%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 106 63 95 0.02% 0.01% 0.02%
Other race alone (NH) 450 463 1,682 0.09% 0.09% 0.34%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 5,335 6,254 16,817 1.10% 1.26% 3.37%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 59,128 82,663 99,927 12.20% 16.67% 20.04%
Total 484,564 496,005 498,700 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 496,005 people, 188,157 households, and 127,647 families residing in the county.[57] The population density was 994.1 inhabitants per square mile (383.8/km2). There were 208,750 housing units at an average density of 418.4 per square mile (161.5/km2).[19] The racial makeup of the county was 64.4% white, 25.9% black or African American, 1.2% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 5.8% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 16.7% of the population.[57] In terms of ancestry, 16.1% were German, 11.1% were Irish, 9.6% were Polish, 5.4% were English, 4.8% were Italian and 3.7% were American.[58]

Of the 188,157 households, 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.2% were non-families, and 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.19. The median age was 37.4 years.[57]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $58,931. Males had a median income of $50,137 versus $33,264 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,142. About 12.2% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.3% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.[59]

Places by population and race[60]
Place Population (2010) White Black or African
American
Asian Other
[note 1]
Hispanic or Latino
(of any race)
Lake County 496,005 64.4% 25.9% 1.2% 8.5% 16.7%
Cedar Lake, town 11,560 94.9% 0.5% 0.4% 4.2% 6.5%
Crown Point, city 27,317 88.2% 6.3% 1.8% 3.7% 8.1%
Dyer, town 16,390 90.1% 2.5% 2.9% 4.5% 9.3%
East Chicago, city 29,698 35.5% 42.9% 0.1% 21.5% 50.9%
Gary, city 80,294 10.7% 84.8% 0.2% 4.3% 5.1%
Griffith, town 16,893 75.8% 16.9% 0.8% 6.5% 13.3%
Hammond, city 80,830 59.4% 22.5% 1.0% 17.1% 34.1%
Highland, town 23,727 88.6% 4.2% 1.6% 5.6% 12.8%
Hobart, city 29,059 85.3% 7.0% 1.0% 6.7% 13.9%
Lake Dalecarlia, CDP 1,355 97.3% 0.2% 0.1% 2.4% 3.4%
Lake Station, city 12,572 79.7% 3.6% 0.3% 16.4% 28.0%
Lakes of the Four Seasons, CDP[note 2] 7,033 93.4% 1.2% 1.0% 4.4% 8.5%
Lowell, town 9,276 95.9% 0.5% 0.3% 3.3% 6.9%
Merrillville, town 35,246 46.4% 44.5% 1.2% 7.9% 12.9%
Munster, town 23,603 85.6% 3.5% 5.8% 5.1% 10.2%
New Chicago, town 2,035 81.0% 2.2% 0.7% 16.1% 27.4%
St. John, town 14,850 93.5% 1.3% 1.3% 3.9% 8.2%
Schererville, town 29,243 86.8% 5.4% 2.8% 5.0% 10.6%
Schneider, town 277 97.1% 0.0% 1.1% 1.8% 2.5%
Shelby, CDP 539 95.5% 1.7% 0.2% 2.6% 0.9%
Whiting, city 4,997 76.3% 3.5% 0.7% 19.5% 40.7%
Winfield, town 4,383 88.5% 3.7% 3.5% 4.3% 8.9%
Places by population and standard of living[61][62]
Place Population (2010) Per
capita
income
Median
household
income
Median
home
value
Lake County 496,005 $23,792 $49,315 $137,400
Cedar Lake, town 11,560 $25,477 $59,090 $151,400
Crown Point, city 27,317 $31,454 $64,876 $174,900
Dyer, town 16,390 $35,020 $78,881 $197,500
East Chicago, city 29,698 $13,457 $27,171 $86,800
Gary, city 80,294 $15,764 $26,956 $66,900
Griffith, town 16,893 $26,548 $53,225 $141,600
Hammond, city 80,830 $18,148 $38,677 $94,800
Highland, town 23,727 $30,036 $61,930 $155,200
Hobart, city 29,059 $24,740 $54,468 $134,400
Lake Dalecarlia, CDP 1,355 $25,035 $52,321 $165,400
Lake Station, city 12,572 $16,953 $36,955 $82,400
Lakes of the Four Seasons, CDP[note 2] 7,033 $32,908 $84,242 $182,600
Lowell, town 9,276 $23,619 $60,549 $146,500
Merrillville, town 35,246 $23,605 $53,470 $132,600
Munster, town 23,603 $34,735 $70,708 $197,600
New Chicago, town 2,035 $18,083 $38,672 $97,700
St. John, town 14,850 $36,490 $97,868 $254,600
Schererville, town 29,243 $33,984 $68,004 $204,300
Schneider, town 277 $18,774 $50,972 $89,500
Shelby, CDP 539 $29,700 $61,667 $89,700
Whiting, city 4,997 $21,427 $44,368 $111,500
Winfield, town 4,383 $23,792 $49,315 $137,400

See also

[edit]
  • Lake County Indiana Sheriff's Department
  • List of public art in Lake County, Indiana
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Lake County, Indiana

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Forstall, Richard L. (1995). U. S. Population of States and Counties - 1790 Through 1990. National Technical Information Services (NTIS). ISBN 0-934213-48-8.
  • Schoon, Kenneth J. (2003). Calumet Beginnings: Ancient Shorelines and Settlements at the South End of Lake Michigan. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-34218-X.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Other = Combined percentages for American Indian or Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; other races; and two or more races
  2. ^ a b Population is 3,936 within Lake County; 3,097 reside in Porter County

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Lake County History". Lake County Historical Museum. Archived from the original on June 2, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
  2. ^ a b William Frederick Howat (1915). A Standard History of Lake County, Indiana, and the Calumet Region, Volume 1. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company. p. 100.
  3. ^ a b c d "2016 Public Officials Directory". Lake County Board of Elections and Voter's Registration. Archived from the original on June 8, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  4. ^ Timothy Horton Ball (1873). Lake County, Indiana, from 1834 to 1872. Chicago: J.W. Goodspeed. p. 5.
  5. ^ "Lake County". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  6. ^ a b Palmer Quadrangle – Indiana – Lake Co (Map). 1:24,000. 7.5-Minute Series (Topographic). United States Geological Survey. 2013.
  7. ^ a b Whiting Quadrangle – Indiana – Lake Co (Map). 1:24,000. 7.5-Minute Series (Topographic). United States Geological Survey. 2013.
  8. ^ "USA Counties in Profile". STATS Indiana. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  9. ^ a b "Lake County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  10. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  11. ^ Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2006). Alice Gray, Dorothy Buell, and Naomi Svihla: "Preservationists of Ogden Dunes", The South Shore Journal, 1. "South Shore Journal - Alice Gray, Dorothy Buell, and Naomi Svihla: Preservationists of Ogden Dunes". Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  12. ^ Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2009). "The Historical Roots of the Nature Conservancy in the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland Region: From Science to Preservation", The South Shore Journal, 3. "South Shore Journal - the Historical Roots of the Nature Conservancy in the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland Region: From Science to Preservation". Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  13. ^ Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2011). "Marktown: Clayton Mark's Planned Worker Community in Northwest Indiana", South Shore Journal, 4. "South Shore Journal - Marktown: Clayton Mark's Planned Worker Community in Northwest Indiana". Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  14. ^ a b Kenneth J. Schoon (2003). Calumet Beginnings: Ancient Shorelines and Settlements at the South End of Lake Michigan. Indiana: Indiana University Press. pps. 20-23.
  15. ^ De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & Co. p. 565.
  16. ^ William Frederick Howat (1915). A Standard History of Lake County, Indiana, and the Calumet Region, Volume 1. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company. p. 44.
  17. ^ a b c "Lake County, IN". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago History Museum. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  18. ^ a b c "Northwest Indiana Regional Analysis: Demographics, Economy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation" (PDF). Cleveland State University. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  20. ^ "Largest Employers in Lake County, Indiana". Lake County Economic Alliance. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  21. ^ "2020 Census - School District Reference Map: Lake County, IN" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 20, 2022. - Text list
  22. ^ "Page Not Found: STATS Indiana". www.stats.indiana.edu. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2017. cite web: Cite uses generic title (help)
  23. ^ Joseph S. Pete (March 5, 2016). "Purdue University Northwest now officially exists". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  24. ^ "Crown Point Community Library". Archived from the original on July 11, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  25. ^ "East Chicago Public Library". Archived from the original on June 1, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  26. ^ "Gary Public Library". Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  27. ^ "Hammond Public Library". Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  28. ^ "Lake County Public Library". Archived from the original on July 1, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  29. ^ "Lowell Public Library". Archived from the original on April 3, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  30. ^ "Whiting Public Library". Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g h "Hospital Facility Directory for Lake County". Indiana Department of Health. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  32. ^ a b c "Franciscan Health is New Name for Leading Hospital System". Franciscan Alliance, Inc. September 6, 2016. Archived from the original on September 20, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  33. ^ "Trauma Centers in Indiana". Indiana Department of Health. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  34. ^ "UChicago Medicine's new Crown Point multispecialty care facility opens April 29". University of Chicago Medical Center. February 26, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  35. ^ a b "NCDC: U.S. Climate Normals". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014.
  36. ^ "Average annual snowfall for the Midwest region | Scenarios for Climate Assessment and Adaptation". Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  37. ^ Laird, Neil F.; Kristovich, David A. R.; Liang, Xin-Zhong; Arritt, Raymond W.; Labas, Kenneth (March 1, 2001). "Lake Michigan Lake Breezes: Climatology, Local Forcing, and Synoptic Environment". Journal of Applied Meteorology. 40 (3): 409–424. Bibcode:2001JApMe..40..409L. doi:10.1175/1520-0450(2001)040<0409:lmlbcl>2.0.co;2.
  38. ^ Service, National Weather. "NWS JetStream - Thunderstorms". www.srh.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  39. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.cite web: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  40. ^ a b Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  41. ^ a b c d Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 29, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  42. ^ Bill Dolan (September 16, 2017). "New Lake County Sheriff Martinez credited experience, Hammond support for victory". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  43. ^ "US Congressman Pete Visclosky". US Congress. Archived from the original on October 9, 2008. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  44. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  45. ^ "Awaiting one county". CNN. May 6, 2008. Archived from the original on November 19, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  46. ^ a b Indiana's Lake County has tradition of late vote tallies [dead link]
  47. ^ "Clinton's Indiana win keeps Democratic race alive - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  48. ^ "GALLERY: Registered sex offenders in Valparaiso".
  49. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  50. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  51. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  52. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on October 4, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  53. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  54. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Lake County, Indiana". United States Census Bureau.
  55. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lake County, Indiana". United States Census Bureau.
  56. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lake County, Indiana". United States Census Bureau.
  57. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  58. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  59. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  60. ^ U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics 2010, Table DP-1, 2010 Demographic Profile Data. U.S. Census website . Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  61. ^ U.S. Census Bureau. 2008-2012 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table DP03, Selected Economic Characteristics. U.S. Census website . Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  62. ^ U.S. Census Bureau. 2008-2012 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table DP04, Selected Housing Characteristics. U.S. Census website . Retrieved June 14, 2014.
[edit]
  • Lake County official website
  • Lake County Parks
  • South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority

 

 

A telephone keypad using the ITU E.161 standard.
Numeric keypad, integrated with a computer keyboard
A calculator
1984 flier for projected capacitance keypad

A keypad is a block or pad of buttons set with an arrangement of digits, symbols, or alphabetical letters. Pads mostly containing numbers and used with computers are numeric keypads. Keypads are found on devices which require mainly numeric input such as calculators, television remotes, push-button telephones, vending machines, ATMs, point of sale terminals, combination locks, safes, and digital door locks. Many devices follow the E.161 standard for their arrangement.

Uses and functions

[edit]

A computer keyboard usually has a small numeric keypad on the side, in addition to the other number keys on the top, but with a calculator-style arrangement of buttons that allow more efficient entry of numerical data. This number pad (commonly abbreviated to numpad) is usually positioned on the right side of the keyboard because most people are right-handed.

Many laptop computers have special function keys that turn part of the alphabetical keyboard into a numerical keypad as there is insufficient space to allow a separate keypad to be built into the laptop's chassis. Separate external plug-in keypads can be purchased.

Keypads for the entry of PINs and for product selection appear on many devices including ATMs, vending machines, point of sale payment devices, time clocks, combination locks and digital door locks.

Keypad technologies

[edit]

Apart from mechanical keypads,[1][2][3] there are a wide range of technologies that can be used as keypads, each with distinctive advantages and disadvantages. These include Resistive,[4] Capacitive,[5] Inductive,[6] Piezoelectric,[7] and Optical.[8]

Key layout

[edit]

The first key-activated mechanical calculators and many cash registers used "parallel" keys with one column of 0 to 9 for each position the machine could use. A smaller, 10-key input first started on the Standard Adding Machine in 1901.[9] The calculator had the digit keys arranged in one row, with zero on the left, and 9 on the right. The modern four-row arrangement debuted with the Sundstrand Adding Machine in 1911.[10]

There is no standard for the layout of the four arithmetic operations, the decimal point, equal sign or other more advanced mathematical functions on the keypad of a calculator.

The invention of the push-button telephone keypad is attributed to John E. Karlin, an industrial psychologist at Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey.[11][12] On a telephone keypad, the numbers 1 through 9 are arranged from left to right, top to bottom with 0 in a row below 789 and in the center. Telephone keypads also have the special buttons labelled * (star) and # (octothorpe, number sign, "pound", "hex" or "hash") on either side of the zero key. The keys on a telephone may also bear letters which have had several auxiliary uses, such as remembering area codes or whole telephone numbers.

The layout of calculators and telephone number pads diverged because they developed at around the same time. The phone layout was determined to be fastest by Bell Labs testing for that application, and at the time it controlled all the publicly connected telephones in the United States.

Origin of the order difference

[edit]

Although calculator keypads pre-date telephone keypads by nearly thirty years, the top-to-bottom order for telephones was the result of research studies conducted by a Bell Labs Human Factors group led by John Karlin. They tested a variety of layouts including a Facit like the two-row arrangement, buttons in a circle, buttons in an arc, and rows of three buttons.[11] The definitive study was published in 1960: "Human Factor Engineering Studies of the Design and Use of Pushbutton Telephone Sets" by R. L. Deininger.[13][14] This study concluded that the adopted layout was best, and that the calculator layout was about 3% slower than the adopted telephone keypad.

Despite the conclusions obtained in the study, there are several popular theories and folk histories explaining the inverse order of telephone and calculator keypads.

  • One popular theory suggests that the reason is similar to that given for the QWERTY layout, the unfamiliar ordering slowed users to accommodate the slow switches of the late 1950s and early 1960s.[15]
  • Another explanation proposed is that at the time of the introduction of the telephone keypad, telephone numbers in the United States were commonly given out using alphabetical characters for the first two digits. Thus 555-1234 would be given out as KL5-1234. These alpha sequences were mapped to words. "27" was given out as "CRestview", "28" as "ATwood", etc. By placing the "1" key in the upper left, the alphabet was arranged in the normal left-to-right descending order for English characters. Additionally, on a rotary telephone, the "1" hole was at the top, albeit at the top right.

Keypad track design

[edit]
Figure 1. Keypad wiring methods: separate connections (left), x/y multiplexing (center), Charlieplexing (right).

Separate connections

[edit]

A mechanically-switched 16-key keypad can be connected to a host through 16 separate connecting leads, plus a ground lead (Figure 1, left). Pressing a key will short to ground, which is detected by the host. This design allows any number or combination of keys can be pressed simultaneously. Parallel-in serial-out shift registers may be used to save I/O pins.

X/Y multiplexing

[edit]

These 16 + 1 leads can be reduced to just 8 by using x/y multiplexing (Figure 1, center). A 16-key keypad uses a 4 × 4 array of 4 I/O lines as outputs and 4 as inputs. A circuit is completed between an output and an input when a key is pressed. Each individual keypress creates a unique signal for the host. If required, and if the processor allows, two keys can be pressed at the same time without ambiguity. Adding diodes in series with each key prevents key ghosting, allowing multiple simultaneous presses.

Charlieplexing

[edit]

8 leads can detect many more keys if tri-state multiplexing (Figure 1, right) is used instead, which enables (n-1) × (n/2) keys to be detected with just n I/O lines. 8 I/O can detect 28 individual keys without ambiguity. Issues can occur with some combinations if two keys are pressed simultaneously. If diodes are used, then the number of unique keys detectable is doubled.[16]

See also

[edit]
  • Arrow keys
  • Charlieplexing
  • Digital door lock
  • Keyboard (computing)
  • Keyboard matrix circuit
  • Keyboard technology
  • Key rollover
  • Mobile phone
  • Numeric keypad
  • Push-button telephone
  • Rotary dial
  • Silicone rubber keypad
  • Telephone keypad

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Mechanical keypad". Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  2. ^ "Mechanical keypads". Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  3. ^ "Mechanical push-button keypad". Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  4. ^ "Resistive membrane keypad" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  5. ^ "Capacitive keypads". Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  6. ^ "Inductive keypads" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  7. ^ "Piezo keypads". Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  8. ^ "Optical keypads". Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  9. ^ "William and Hubert Hopkins machines". Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  10. ^ "Sundstrand Adding Machine - Underwood Sundstrand". Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  11. ^ a b Fox, Margalit (2013-02-08). "John E. Karlin, Who Led the Way to All-Digit Dialing, Dies at 94". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  12. ^ "Monmouth man, inventor of touch-tone keypad, dies at 94". The Star-Ledger. 2013-02-09. Archived from the original on 2013-02-13. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  13. ^ Deininger, R. L. (July 1960). "Human Factor Engineering Studies of the Design and Use of Pushbutton Telephone Sets" (PDF). The Bell System Technical Journal. 39: 995. doi:10.1002/j.1538-7305.1960.tb04447.x. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-24. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
  14. ^ Feldman, Dave (1987). Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise. New York, USA: Harper & Row.
  15. ^ "Why is the keypad arrangement different for a telephone and a calculator?". How Stuff Works. 2001-05-22. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
  16. ^ "Touch sensor". Retrieved 2023-08-04.
[edit]
  • Interfacing Matrix Keypad to 8051 Controller

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

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