East Chicago, Indiana
East Chicago is a city of 26,022 people in Lake County, Indiana, founded in 1893.
Why visit East Chicago
Townapedia lists 22 museums and landmarks, 42 parks and trails, 43 places to eat, 5 places to stay and 6 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Indiana Harbor East Breakwater Light, Purdue University Calumet, Forest-Moraine Residential Historic District and Glendale Park Historic District.
Weather in East Chicago
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About East Chicago
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.
From the Wikipedia article East Chicago, Indiana (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do6
Indiana Harbor East Breakwater Light
Lighthouse · 2.3 mi
Lighthouse in Indiana, United States
Purdue University Calumet
School · 4.7 mi
Defunct campus of Purdue University
Purdue University Northwest
School · 4.7 mi
Branch campus of Purdue University in Indiana
Museums and landmarks22
Forest-Moraine Residential Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.0 mi
Historic district in Indiana, United States
Glendale Park Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.8 mi
Historic district in Indiana, United States
Henry and Caroline Schrage House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.7 mi
Historic structure located in Whiting, Indiana
Hohman Avenue Commercial Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.2 mi
Historic district in Indiana, United States
Hoosier Theater
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.1 mi
Movie theater and attached commercial/residential building in Whiting, Indiana, United States
Indiana Harbor Public Library
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Public library in East Chicago, Indiana
Mascot Hall of Fame
Museum · 2.7 mi
Hall of fame for North American sports mascots
1851 Front Street, Whiting
Morse Dell Plain House and Garden
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.6 mi
Historic house in Indiana, United States
Northern States Life Insurance Company
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.6 mi
Office building in Indiana, United States of America
Pullman-Standard Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.8 mi
Historic district in Indiana
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State Bank of Hammond Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.7 mi
Building in Indiana, United States
State Street Commercial Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.9 mi
Historic district in Indiana, United States
10 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds42
30 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes43
Burrito Stop Mex and American Grill
Restaurant · Mexican · 3.1 mi
1421 119th Street, Whiting
Mo-Sa 09:00-20:00
Sunrise Restaurant
Restaurant · 3.1 mi
1342 119th Street, Whiting
Mo-Su 06:00-21:00
Beggars Pizza
Restaurant · Pizza · 3.1 mi
1326 119th Street, Whiting
Keith's Bar and Grill
Restaurant · American, Steak House · 3.2 mi
1872 Indianapolis Boulevard, Whiting
31 more on the map.
Where to stay5
Ameristar Casino Hotel East Chicago
Motel and hotel · 1.0 mi
777 Ameristar Boulevard, East Chicago
Churches and places of worship76
Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 3.3 mi
1849 Lincoln Avenue, Hammond
Shopping6
Gas and EV charging14
Schools, colleges and libraries68
East Chicago Central High School
School · 1.7 mi
1100 West Columbus Drive, East Chicago
Ivy Tech Community College - East Chicago
School · 0.9 mi
410 East Columbus Drive, East Chicago
Healthcare6
Regional Health Systems - East Chicago Care Center
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.5 mi
3903 Indianapolis Boulevard, East Chicago
Whiting Medical Center
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.9 mi
2075 Indianapolis Boulevard, Whiting
Map of East Chicago
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Lake County has had 19 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2026-08-25: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Flood)
- 2026-08-15: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Flood)
- 2026-01-24: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2023-04-15: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes (Severe Storm)
- 2020-04-03: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Gary/Chicago International Airport (GYY) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 3 miles away.
- Calumet City 6 mi southwest, about 9 min by car
- Lansing 7 mi southwest, about 12 min by car
- Dolton 8 mi west, about 12 min by car
- South Holland 8 mi southwest, about 14 min by car
- Riverdale 9 mi west, about 15 min by car
- Harvey 11 mi west, about 17 min by car
- Dyer 11 mi south, about 17 min by car
- Blue Island 12 mi west, about 19 min by car
- Homewood 12 mi southwest, about 20 min by car
- Chicago Heights 13 mi southwest, about 21 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Indiana Harbor, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District, Public domain
- Saint George Hellenic Orthodox, East Chicago, Indiana Church (historic) (6816685218), Lotzman Katzman from Windy City, IL, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Building at 2020 Broadway St, East Chicago, IN - panoramio, Lotzman Katzman, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Building at 2102 Broadway St, East Chicago, IN - panoramio, Lotzman Katzman, CC BY-SA 3.0
- North Twp Trustee East Chicago 2026-05-22, User:Visviva, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 20250628 09 RSSX, East Chicago, Indiana (54871446834), David Wilson, CC BY 4.0
- Holy Ghost Russian Orthodox Church (historical), East Chicago, Indiana (6962804865), Lotzman Katzman from Windy City, IL, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Holy Ghost Russian Orthodox Church (historical), East Chicago, Indiana (6962804789), Lotzman Katzman from Windy City, IL, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Ameristar Casino East Chicago 2022, Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Morse Dell Plain House and Garden, Nyttend, Public domain
- State Bank of Hammond Building, Nyttend, Public domain
- Whiting Memorial Community House façade, Nyttend, Public domain
- State Street Commercial Historic District, Nyttend, Public domain
- Pullman-Standard Historic District, Nyttend, Public domain
- Hoosier Theater Building in Whiting, Nyttend, Public domain
- Northern States Life Insurance Company, Nyttend, Public domain
- Forest-Moraine Residential Historic District, Nyttend, Public domain
- Glendale Park Historic District, Nyttend, Public domain
- Aubie-01, No machine-readable author provided. JGlover assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5
- Park Street in Marktown, Nyttend, Public domain
- Southmoor Apartment Hotel, Nyttend, Public domain
- First Baptist Church (Hammond, Indiana), American Eagle, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Indiana Harbor Public Library, Nyttend, Public domain
- Stand tall (2470178818), Payton Chung from DCA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- 19970419 16 Indiana Harbor, IN, David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- 19970419 19 CR Indiana Harbor, IN (5670800653) (2), David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA, CC BY 2.0
- 19970419 23 CR Indiana Harbor, IN (5673753473) (2), David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA, CC BY 2.0
- 19970419 22 CR Indiana Harbor, IN (5670800733) (2), David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA, CC BY 2.0
- 19970419 26 CR Indiana Harbor, IN (5673753517) (2), David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA, CC BY 2.0
- 19970419 30 CR Indiana Harbor, IN (5674322280) (2), David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA, CC BY 2.0
- 19970419 20 CR Indiana Harbor, IN (5670800687) (2), David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA, CC BY 2.0
- C Bo-BO switcher No. 109 - 34339369441, kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0
- Remote control shunting, kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0
- C Bo-BO switcher No. 109 in the exchange sidings - 33627572344, kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0
- NS locos 5343, 5322 and 5152 on the Indiana Harbour stabling point, kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0
- NS locos 5343, 5322 and 5152 on the Indiana Harbour stabling point, casino in background, kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0
- C Bo-BO switcher No. 109, kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0
- Norfolk & Southern GP38-, kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0
- C Bo-BO switcher No. 109 - 34309946762, kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0
- C Bo-BO switcher No. 109 in the exchange sidings, kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0
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