East Chicago, Indiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
East Chicago, Indiana
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| Nicknames:
Indiana Harbor, The Harbor, E.C., The Twin City (East Chicago & Indiana Harbor neighborhoods – used in the early 1900s).
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| Motto(s):
"Progredemur" (We Progress)
and A City of Hope and Progress |
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Location of East Chicago in Lake County, Indiana.
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Indiana |
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| County | Lake | ||
| Township | North | ||
| Incorporated (Town) | 1889 | ||
| Incorporated (City) | 1893 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Mayor-Council | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 14.86 sq mi (38.50 km2) | ||
| • Land | 14.18 sq mi (36.71 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.69 sq mi (1.78 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 587 ft (179 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 26,370 | ||
| • Density | 1,860.32/sq mi (718.29/km2) | ||
| Standard of living (2008-12) | |||
| • Per capita income | ,457 | ||
| • Median home value | ,800 | ||
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (Central) | ||
| ZIP code |
46312
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| Area code | 219 | ||
| FIPS code | 18-19486 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 2394597 | ||
| Interstate, U.S. and State Routes |      
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| Waterways | Grand Calumet River Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal Lake Michigan |
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| South Shore Line station | East Chicago
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| Public transit | East Chicago Transit | ||
| Website | www.eastchicago.com | ||
East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 26,370 at the 2020 census. Centered around heavy industry, the city is home to the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal, an artificial freshwater harbor characterized by industrial and manufacturing activity.
Situated along Lake Michigan, East Chicago is about 18 miles (29 km) from downtown Chicago and is just west of Gary, Indiana.
Contents
History
A post office called East Chicago has been in operation since 1889. The city was named from its location east of Chicago, Illinois.
The Indiana Harbor Public Library and Marktown Historic District are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
For 105 years, East Chicago was home to the Inland Steel Company (1893-1998).
In 2009, parts of East Chicago were discovered to have toxic lead and arsenic contamination, designated the USS Lead Superfund Site. The Superfund site is divided into three zones, with public housing and residential properties. Residents' decades-long concerns about lead contamination were confirmed in 2016 via EPA testing, especially affecting over 270 families in the West Calumet Housing Complex. As Governor of Indiana, Vice-President Mike Pence declined to declare the Superfund site a state emergency; his successor Governor Eric Holcomb has issued Executive Order 17-13, declaring a disaster emergency in East Chicago.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, East Chicago has a total area of 16.155 square miles (41.84 km2), of which 14.09 square miles (36.49 km2) (or 87.22%) is land and 2.065 square miles (5.35 km2) (or 12.78%) is water.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 29,698 people, 10,724 households, and 7,197 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,107.7 inhabitants per square mile (813.8/km2). There were 12,958 housing units at an average density of 919.7 per square mile (355.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 42.9% African American, 35.5% White, 0.6% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 18.1% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 50.9% of the population.
There were 10,724 households, of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.9% were married couples living together, 31.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.9% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.42.
The median age in the city was 30.9 years. 31.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.4% were from 25 to 44; 22.2% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.
Transportation
The nearest commercial airport to East Chicago is the Gary/Chicago International Airport in neighboring Gary, but it does not have any scheduled passenger service. The closest commercial airport with scheduled passenger service is Chicago Midway Airport.
The South Shore Line has a station in East Chicago. The Wolverine at Hammond-Whiting station, 5.5 miles to the northwest, is the nearest Amtrak service.
US 12 and US 20 go through the Indiana Harbor and East Chicago sections of the city, respectively, before joining up on both sides. Indiana State Road 912, the Cline Avenue Expressway, connects East Chicago with the Indiana Toll Road and Borman Expressway, and serves the casino and steel mills on the lakefront.
Bus transit
The city operates a free bus service known as East Chicago Transit. It features three routes: Crosstown, West Calumet, and Griffith Plaza. GPRT Route R1 stops in East Chicago en route from Hammond to Gary. PACE operates Route 892, a special work shuttle between Gary, East Chicago and UPS' Hodgkins facility. Its schedule coincides with UPS workers' shifts. The route is operated in cooperation with UPS, which partially funds its operations.
Neighborhoods
- Indiana Harbor (East Chicago)
- North Harbor
- Sunnyside
- New Addition
- Washington Park
- Prairie Park
- Marktown
- East Chicago
- Northside
- Southside
- Roxana
- Calumet
Education
- School City of East Chicago serves all of the city. All residents are zoned to East Chicago Central High School.
- Ivy Tech community college
East Chicago Public Library System operates a main library at 2401 East Columbus Drive and the Robert A. Pastrick Branch Library at 1008 West Chicago Avenue at Baring Avenue. East Chicago also has two charter school options, East Chicago Urban Enterprise (K-8), and East Chicago Lighthouse Charter School (K-7).
Industry
East Chicago is home to the following business and industry:
- Cleveland-Cliffs' Indiana Harbor Works, the largest steel mill in the USA. Indiana Harbor Works comprises East mill, originally Inland Steel, and West mill, owned for most of its life by Youngstown Sheet and Tube, both acquired and merged by ArcelorMittal.
- U.S. Steel’s East Chicago Tin, a steel finishing faculty part of Gary Works.
- The Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal complex.
For 105 years, East Chicago was home to the Inland Steel Company (1893–1998).
The Showboat Casino opened in 1997 with about 900 employees. Other large employers include Amoco Oil Co., Union Tank Car, American Steel Foundries, USG Corp. and St. Catherine Hospital.
Notable people
See also
In Spanish: East Chicago para niños
