Munster is a suburban town in North Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is in the Chicago metropolitan area, approximately southeast of the Chicago Loop, and shares municipal boundaries with Hammond to the north, Highland to the east, Dyer and Schererville to the south, and Lansing and Lynwood directly west over the Illinois border. Its population was 23,894 at the 2020 US Census.
Geography
Munster is located at a point on an ancient shoreline of Lake Michigan (known as the Calumet Shoreline) which is today known as Ridge Road. This ridge runs east and west through the north part of town, hence the town's nickname "Town on the Ridge".
The town's boundaries contain three small lakes, one of which, located within Centennial Park, is marshy and undeveloped. Munster is bordered on the north by the Little Calumet River, a shallow river surrounded by a thin strip of wooded area; and on the West by the Illinois state line.
According to the 2010 census, Munster has a total area of , of which (or 98.95%) is land and (or 1.05%) is water.
History The Ibach House and Stallbohm Barn-Kaske House are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Early history The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Potawatomi. Although a village did not exist in what was to become Munster's town boundaries, a trail along the dry sandy ridge now known as Ridge Road was well traveled by the indigenous inhabitants. Today, Munster's downtown area, the Town Hall, Police and Fire Department headquarters, the Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, the site of a former school, and the Munster Post Office are all situated on Ridge Road.
In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the area that is today Munster was part of land claimed by France as French territory. In the 1760s the British claimed the land where the Potawatomi lived as part of the British Empire. Twenty years later George Rogers Clark overran the British in the American Revolutionary War, claiming the land for the newly independent United States of America.
In the 1850s, as the numbers of Native Americans dwindled, pioneer settlers began to inhabit the area which would become Munster to grow crops and provide dairy products to the profitable markets in Chicago.
When Jacob Munster, a young man from the Netherlands who until the 1860s spelled his surname "Monster,"Hmurovic, Edward, _Munster, Indiana_ (part of the "Images of America" series), Arcadia Publishing, 2003, p. 13 opened an area general store complete with a U.S. postal station on the back, the local farmers and settlers came to rely on the postal station, which soon became a United States Post Office. The post office was named Munster, as it was located in Jacob Munster's general store.
Before long more and more people moved to the "Munster" area, and in 1907 Munster was incorporated as a town, with 76 residents voting "yes" for the incorporation and 28 voting "no."
Modern times
Munster soon became a booming town that attracted many people. Munster saw difficult times through the rough years of the Great Depression. During the Cold War, Munster served as the site of the Nike-Zeus Missile defense base C-46. The site was closed in 1971 and is now under private ownership.
In September 2008, Munster's northern portions suffered flooding resulting from the impact of Hurricane Ike, which caused the Little Calumet River to overflow. A main break occurred in the levee located near the intersection of Calumet Avenue and River Drive in the northwest quadrant of the town. Munster has requested the Army Corps of Engineers to elevate the levee in low-lying areas. The levee improvements have been completed and the majority of homes destroyed have been rebuilt, in most cases, with larger, more amenity-filled homes.
The 2010 Comprehensive Plan for Munster's next twenty years includes plans for a new town center with shopping and dining to be organized around a proposed train station.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Munster town, Indiana – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)19,09818,68916,34388.78%79.18%68.40%Black or African American alone (NH)2168061,4561.00%3.41%6.09%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1129250.05%0.12%0.10%Asian alone (NH)9581,3691,5174.45%5.80%6.35%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)4250.02%0.01%0.02%Other race alone (NH)1432560.07%0.14%0.23%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)1602667700.74%1.13%3.22%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,0502,4103,7224.88%10.21%15.58%Total21,51123,60323,894 100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Munster had a population of 23,894. The median age was 44.7 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.5 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 9,182 households in Munster, of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.4% were married-couple households, 14.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 9,570 housing units, of which 4.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.7%.
Income and poverty As of 2011, the median income for a household in the town was $75,349 while the mean income for a household in the town was $97,222. The median income for a family was $95,108, and the mean income for a family is the highest in Lake County at $117,985. The estimated per capita income for the town was $36,914. About 2.3% of families and 3.1% of the population were estimated to be below the poverty line.
2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 23,603 people, 9,015 households, and 6,540 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 9,393 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 85.6% White, 3.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 5.8% Asian, 3.1% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.2% of the population.
There were 9,015 households, of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.5% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.10.
The median age in the town was 44.8 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.1% were from 25 to 44; 30.9% were from 45 to 64; and 18.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.0% male and 52.0% female. The average was done in 1999.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,511 people, 8,091 households, and 6,141 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 8,339 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 92.28% White, 1.03% African American, 0.06% Native American, 4.49% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.10% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.88% of the population.
There were 8,091 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 65.5% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $63,243, and the median income for a family was $74,255. Males had a median income of $53,387 versus $34,490 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,952. About 2.8% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.
Businesses and attractions
The town is home to a number of local, regional and national companies and extensive community resources. Among them are the Community Hospital, the Center for Visual and Performing Arts, The Times of Northwest Indiana newspaper, a PepsiCo bottling and distribution facility, a Whole Foods Market distribution center, the Community Veterans Memorial, the LEED-certified Centennial Park and Golf Course, Kaske House Museum at Heritage Park, Bieker Woods Nature Area, eleven miles of bike paths, an innovative Public Art and Sculpture Program, the new Munster Music Festival, the Munster Centennials Vintage Baseball Team, and the Babe Ruth Baseball.
The town of Munster is also home to the Powers Health (Community Healthcare System) Immediate Care Center. This facility opened in February 2024, and replaced the previous center located on 45th street in Munster. Alongside immediate care, this building houses an occupational health clinic, pediatric, ENT, and family medicine physician offices, and imaging/diagnostic services.
Munster is also home to the Three Floyds Brewing Company, a microbrewery and craft beer-drinker's destination noted for its "Dark Lord Day" event, which draws 6,000 people every April.
Lake Business Center
In spring 2011, Simborg Development revitalized plans for a $60 million renovation of the 72-acre Lake Business Center site fronting Calumet Avenue that will open new commercial opportunities for the Town of Munster. This development, originally to be named Munster Town Center that would have created a mixed-use center of retail shops and restaurants, commercial offices, medical facilities as well as an extended-stay hotel, was modified to maintain the warehouse facility and maintain a high-tech image exterior for the development.
A Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel anchors the north end of the development.
Centennial Village
One of Munster's newest redevelopment projects is the area immediately surrounding the former Munster Steel site, located to the north of the town's Centennial Park. The area, named "Centennial Village," will be a mixed-use transit-oriented development that will feature both retail and multi-unit residential housing once it is completed. The Calumet Avenue grade separation has been planned since the early 1940s, with Henry Ford leading the change. However, American involvement in World War II and the creation of the federal highway system stopped these plans until the present day.
The project will be completed in two phases; it is part of the larger 45th Avenue/Calumet Avenue underpass and realignment project in which Phase 1 includes extending 45th Avenue east into the Centennial Village development with two new stoplights and creating an underpass under the Canadian National railroad tracks to align with 45th at Columbia Avenue. Meanwhile, Phase 2 includes creating an underpass at Calumet Avenue. So far, Phase 1 has been completed.
Transportation Commercial/Private Air