McGwinn Village) were collected into one and called Ross Township. As time went by, bits and pieces of Ross Township were taken by Hobart and Crown Point when those towns incorporated. In 1971, the area officially became Merrillville (which now includes the old Merrillville as well as other settlements nearby) and was incorporated as a town under Indiana law. During this time, the majority of the town's growth was due to white flight from Gary. In 1993, Merrillville tried to annex unincorporated Winfield Township to get more land. The residents blocked Merrillville by creating the town of Winfield. In 2009, a pedestrian bridge at Hidden Lake Park collapsed, injuring at least 25 people The catastrophe occurred around 10 PM after the annual Fourth of July fireworks display, when several dozen people attempted to cross the wood suspension bridge. Police officers stationed at either side of the bridge were unable to stop the advancing parkgoers, and with numerous people jumping up and down the 30-year-old bridge collapsed, sending somewhere around 50 people into the waters of Hidden Lake. The Morgan-Skinner-Boyd Homestead and John Wood Old Mill are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Economy Merrillville is a hub for retail trade in Northwest Indiana. The US 30 corridor between Taft Street and Colorado Street harbors a large concentration of big-box retailers, hotels, restaurants, and automobile dealerships. Ameriplex at the Crossroads, an industrial and technology park, opened at Broadway between 93rd Avenue and 101st Avenue in 2005. The development is designated an Indiana Certified Technology Park and includes a business incubator and technology center operated by the Purdue Research Foundation. Heavy industry such as steelmaking and petroleum refining, which characterizes the economy of northern Lake County, does not have a significant presence in Merrillville. The town is home to the corporate headquarters of Fortune 500 energy company NiSource, hospitality management firm White Lodging, and Centier Bank, Indiana's largest privately owned independent bank. Merrillville's nearest commercial airports are Griffith-Merrillville Airport in Griffith and Gary/Chicago International Airport in Gary. Demographics 2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 35,246 people, 13,696 households, and 9,016 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 14,842 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 46.4% White, 44.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 4.6% from other races, and 3.2% from two