By KEVIN NEVERS

The population of the Town of Burns Harbor has broken 1,000.

According to an estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau, as of July 1, 2006, 1,015 people resided in Burns Harbor, an increase since 2000 of 249 or 32.50 percent.

That growth is largely attributable to the town’s purchase of Bethlehem Steel Corporation’s wastewater treatment plant and its construction of a sanitary sewer system, making new residential development possible. Of those 249 new residents, 31 or 12.44 percent replace those lost between 1990, when Burns Harbor’s population totaled 788, and 2002, when it fell to a low of 757.

Still, the big news from the U.S. Census Bureau’s recently released estimates may actually be to the south and the east, where the Town of Chesterton was estimated to have a population on July 1, 2006, of 12,456.

That number represents an increase since 2000 of 1,968 or 18.76 percent, the fastest six-year growth rate–with the exception of Burns Harbor’s–of any municipality in Porter County.

More: since 1990, when 9,124 people resided in Chesterton, the town’s population has grown by 3,332 or a whopping 36.51 percent, the fastest 16-year growth rate–with the exception of the Town of Porter’s–of any municipality in Porter County.

Porter’s 16-year growth rate is much larger than Chesterton’s, 70.39 percent, but the bulk of that increase occurred between 1990 and 2000, when the population grew from 3,118 to 4,972, a spike of 59.46 percent. Between 2000 and July 1, 2006, Porter’s population grew by only 341 or 6.85 percent.

Chesterton’s growth rate has been fueled chiefly by the mushrooming of new subdivisions: Golf View Estates, Rose Hill Estates, Dogwood Estates, Westwood Manor, and Abercrombie Woods among them. Some of those were developed after annexation.

This year the Chesterton Town Council has annexed 39 acres along C.R. 1050N in Crocker, whose owners have indicated their desire to build a mixed-use planned unit development with 94 residential units. It has also annexed the first phase of 132 acres formerly known as the Olson Farm, located at the terminus of East Porter Ave., east of Friday Road (C.R. 250E), whose owners have proposed building 360 residential units.

Meanwhile, in Coffee Creek Center around 100 town homes are currently under construction, while there is space for hundreds of more residential units should Lake Erie Land Company and its joint development partner, Chesterton Development Partners LLC, wish to go in that direction.

Portage and Valparaiso

Between 2000 and July 1, 2006, the City of Portage grew from 33,496 to 36,000, an increase of 2,804 or 8.37 percent. Between 1990 and 2006 Portage grew by 7,240 or 24.91 percent.

Between 2000 and July 1, 2006, the City of Valparaiso grew from 27,428 to 29,516, an increase of 2,088 or 7.61 percent. Between 1990 and 2006 Valparaiso grew by 5,102 or 20.89 percent.

Since 2000 Elsewhere

The Town of Dune Acres has grown from 213 to 225, an increase of 12 or 5.63 percent.

The Town of Beverly Shores has grown from 708 to 737, an increase of 29 or 4.09 percent.

The Town of Ogden Dunes has fallen from 1,313 to 1,281, a decrease of 2.47 percent.

The Town of Hebron has grown from 3,596 to 3,629, an increase of 33 or 0.91 percent.

The Town of Kouts has grown from 1,698 to 1,813, an increase of 115 or 6.77 percent.

Census estimates

50 largest Indiana cities and towns

By The Associated Press

Estimated populations for the 50 largest incorporated places in Indiana on July 1, 2006, and on the same date in 2005 and 2000:

City or Town Population Estimates

2006 2005 2000

1. Indianapolis 785,597 782,871 781,837

2. Fort Wayne 248,637 247,000 250,153

3. Evansville 115,738 115,642 121,156

4. South Bend 104,905 105,207 108,241

5. Gary 97,715 98,393 102,520

6. Hammond 78,292 78,960 82,250

7. Bloomington 69,247 69,101 71,599

8. Muncie 65,287 66,078 67,922

9. Fishers 61,840 57,221 38,921

10. Lafayette 61,244 60,522 61,161

11. Carmel 60,570 58,936 51,254

12. Anderson 57,496 57,479 59,693

13. Terre Haute 57,259 56,967 59,506

14. Elkhart 52,748 52,272 52,538

15. Mishawaka 48,912 48,482 46,980

16. Kokomo 45,923 46,115 46,568

17. Greenwood 44,767 42,370 36,689

18. Lawrence 41,791 40,892 39,070

19. Noblesville 40,115 38,828 29,489

20. Columbus 39,690 39,419 39,179

21. Richmond 37,371 37,560 39,112

22. New Albany 36,963 36,787 37,839

23. Portage 36,300 35,635 33,615

24. Michigan City 32,116 32,139 32,884

25. Merrillville 31,896 31,424 30,564

30. Goshen 31,882 31,242 29,687

31. East Chicago 30,594 30,846 32,340

32. Marion 30,528 30,853 32,262

33. Valparaiso 29,516 29,138 27,839

34. Jeffersonville 29,220 28,625 27,913

35. West Lafayette 28,997 28,626 28,675

36. Schererville 28,881 28,315 24,952

37. Hobart 28,043 27,678 25,494

38. Plainfield 24,734 23,493 18,823

39. Crown Point 23,493 22,639 19,825

40. Highland 22,961 23,097 23,544

41. Franklin 22,356 21,799 19,621

42. Munster 22,346 22,275 21,517

43. Clarksville 21,308 21,060 21,401

44. LaPorte 21,231 21,047 21,609

45. Seymour 19,111 18,923 18,193

46. Logansport 19,083 19,246 19,711

47. Brownsburg 18,850 18,249 14,913

48. New Castle 18,663 18,704 19,278

49. Shelbyville 18,372 18,075 18,069

50. Vincennes 17,997 18,048 18,661

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Posted 6/29/2007