On its age, its old homes and the National Register, North Township is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #68 of 593 in Indiana. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of North Township’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, North Township ranks #45 on History.
Indiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Indiana town has 7.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so North Township’s 45.6 sits above most of its state (74% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 705 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about North Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of North Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1900Tolleston sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of North Township.
North Township was formed in 1837 as one of the original townships of Lake County. At that time it stretched across the entire north portion of the county. Its boundaries were reduced a number of times in the 19th century, including in 1849 by the formation of Hobart Township south of the Little Calumet River and in 1883 by the formation of Calumet Township, Lake County, Indiana from the area between Hobart Township and Lake Michigan. In 2022, its boundaries expanded to include much of Griffith, which moved from Calumet Township to North Township after a lengthy dispute between Griffith and Calumet Township.
Passages that mention North Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A standard history of Lake County, Indiana, and the Calumet region1915 · page 349Read the page →
Read the text
Foundation of System In 1892 Prof. W. C. Belman, then superintendent of the schools of North Township, wrote the following history of the public schools of Hammond : ' ' The public schools of North Township are the only schools in the State of Indiana whose limits include one city of 10,000 people, one incorporated village of 1,500 people and one community that is not incorporated of 2,500 people, and yet have a complete system of graded schools whose board of education consists of a township trus-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A standard history of Lake County, Indiana, and the Calumet region1915 · page 173Read the page →
Read the text
Only a General View North Township is in the direct pathway of ten great railroads which traverse its territory, and bind it to the East, Chicago and the Mississippi Valley. All the railroads of the county converge within its bounds, and its centers of population are also brought into close touch through a well planned and executed system of interurban electric lines.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
North Township is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #68 of 593 in Indiana. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in North Township?
27% of North Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1956.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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