East Chicago is a city in Lake County,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, United States. The population was 29,698 at the 2010

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

. The city is home of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal, an artificial freshwater harbor characterized by industrial and manufacturing activity. Situated along

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

, East Chicago is about 18 miles from downtown Chicago, Illinois and is just west of

Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the sou ...

History

The land that became East Chicago was originally swampland unsuitable for farming. The state of Indiana began selling off plots of land to railroads and speculators after 1851 to fund the local school system. Settlement of the area was very slow at first, and as late as the 1890s, the city had no proper streets or public utilities. East Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1893. The city was named from its location east of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

The 1900 Census gives a total population of just 3,411, but the arrival of Inland Steel in 1903 transformed the city into an industrial powerhouse. The city's population skyrocketed to over 24,000 by 1910, powered by immigration from all over Europe and the United States, and quickly became the most industrialized city in the United States, with over 80% of the city's land zoned for heavy industry. Inland Steel dominated the city's economy through the 1990s, and expanded its massive integrated mill at Indiana Harbor multiple times through the 1980s. From 60,000 tons of steel capacity in 1903, it expanded to 600,000 tons by 1914 and reached 1 million in 1917, and eventually peaked at 8.6 million tons in 1978. By 1907, East Chicago boasted a navigable waterway link to Lake Michigan and to the Grand Calumet River: the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal. Steel mills, petroleum refineries, construction firms, and chemical factories operated at Indiana Harbor and along its inner canal system. Republic Steel, Youngstown Steel, LaSalle Steel, and U.S. Steel all eventually had steel-making operations in the city. During World War I, East Chicago was nicknamed the "Arsenal of America" (not to be confused with Detroit's label as the "Arsenal of Democracy" during WWII) and the "Workshop of America". A rivalry developed between Indiana Harbor, the “East Side” home of Inland Steel and most working-class families, and East Chicago's “West Side,” the residential enclave of the native-born business community. Locals spoke of the “Twin City” to describe spatial, residential, and class divisions at the heart of the town's identity. The "Twin City" moniker remains to this day. During the 1910s, several thousand Mexicans immigrated to East Chicago to work in the mills during the labor shortage of 1917-1918 due to U.S. participation in World War I, and also acted as strike breakers during labor unrest in 1919. Most were single men who eventually hoped to return to Mexico, but many stayed on and eventually were joined by their families. The small Mexican community was targeted for voluntary and forced repatriation during the 1930s and 1950s (1,800 were deported in 1932 alone), but those who remained eventually paved the way for later Latino immigration after 1965. Black Americans also began to arrive in the 1910s and 1920s as part of the first wave of the Great Migration, and this continued from the 1940s to 1960s. According to a city demographic survey in 1959, there were 1,000 Mexican families and 10,000 African American families, along with 3,000 Polish families. There were also a large number of families that identified as Puerto Rican, Romanian, Serbian, Italian, Lithuanian, and Croatian. Over 70 nationalities were represented, with over 59 congregations of the Protestants, Orthodox, Catholic Churches, as well as Jewish synagogues. Like neighboring

, East Chicago quickly developed a reputation as a rough industrial city, plagued by extreme pollution, ethnic and racial tensions, organized crime, illegal gambling & clubs, political corruption, prostitution, and other vices. The city continued to rapidly grow in the 1910s and 1920s, and the population peaked in 1960 at 57,669. However, East Chicago's population began to decline in the 1960s as suburbanization, white flight, affordability of automobiles, and the construction of highways meant that workers no longer had to live in the city, but could commute from less-polluted suburbs. It was the

Steel crisis The steel crisis was a recession in the global steel market during the 1973–75 recession and early 1980s recession following the post–World War II economic expansion and the 1973 oil crisis, further compounded by the 1979 oil crisis, and ...

of the 1974-1986 period that completely devastated East Chicago, as it did other industrial cities like Gary, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and the south side of Chicago. East Chicago's population plunged to 47,000 in 1970, 34,000 by 1990, and 29,000 by 2010. Employment at Inland Steel peaked at 25,000 in 1969, and successive layoffs over the next 30 years were devastating to the community; by 1998, only 9,000 were employed at Inland Steel. Inland Steel was acquired by Ispat International in 1998. Both the Indiana Harbor mill and Youngstown Steel mill were absorbed and merged by

ArcelorMittal ArcelorMittal S.A. is a Luxembourgian multinational steel manufacturing corporation headquartered in Luxembourg City. It was formed in 2006 from the takeover and merger of Arcelor by Indian-owned Mittal Steel. ArcelorMittal is the second la ...

in 2004 and subsequently sold to

Cleveland-Cliffs Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., formerly Cliffs Natural Resources, is a Cleveland, Ohio-based company that specializes in the mining, beneficiation, and pelletizing of iron ore, as well as steelmaking, including stamping and tooling. It is the largest f ...

in 2020. The Indiana Harbor Public Library and Marktown Historic District are listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. In 2009, parts of East Chicago were discovered to have toxic

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

and arsenic contamination, designated the USS Lead Superfund Site. The 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, Mike Pence declined to declare the Superfund site a state emergency; his successor Governor

Eric Holcomb Eric Joseph Holcomb (born May 2, 1968) is an American politician who is the 51st and current governor of Indiana, serving since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 51st lieutenant governor of Indiana from 2016 to 2017 under ...

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 , of which (or 87.22%) is land and (or 12.78%) is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 29,698 people, 10,724 households, and 7,197 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 12,958 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 42.9%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 35.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.1%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 18.1% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

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.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 32,414 people, 11,707 households, and 7,937 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 13,261 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 36.54%

, 36.08%

, 0.51% Native American, 0.20%

, 0.08%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 23.98% from

, and 2.60% from two or more races.

of any race were 51.61% of the population. Whites who are not Hispanic or Latino were 12.10% of the city's population. 54.3% spoke only

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

at home, while 42.9% spoke

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

and 1.2%

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

at home. There were 11,707 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.8% were married couples living together, 26.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% 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 3.41. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,538, and the median income for a family was $31,778. Males had a median income of $32,588 versus $21,678 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $13,517. About 22.5% of families and 24.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 33.3% of those under age 18 and 15.6% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

The nearest commercial airport to East Chicago is the

Gary/Chicago International Airport Gary/Chicago International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport in Gary, in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is three miles northwest of the city center of Gary, and southeast of the Chicago Loop. It is operated by the Gar ...

in neighboring Gary, but it does not have any scheduled passenger service. The closest commercial airport with scheduled passenger service is

Chicago Midway Airport Chicago Midway International Airport , typically referred to as Midway Airport, Chicago Midway, or simply Midway, is a major commercial airport on the Southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the Lo ...

. The

South Shore Line The South Shore Line is an electrically powered interurban commuter rail line operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) between Millennium Station in downtown Chicago and the South Bend International Airport ...

has a station in East Chicago.

US 12 U.S. Route 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90) and I-94, but unlike most U.S. routes that ...

and U.S. Route 20, 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. Gary Public Transportation Corporation, GPRT Route R1 stops in East Chicago en route from Hammond to Gary. Pace (transit), PACE operates Route 892, a special work shuttle between Gary, East Chicago and United Parcel Service, UPS' Hodgkins, Illinois, Hodgkins CACH, 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 (East Chicago), North Harbor ** Sunnyside (East Chicago), Sunnyside ** New Addition ** Washington Park (East Chicago), Washington Park ** Prairie Park (East Chicago), Prairie Park ** Marktown * East Chicago ** Northside (East Chicago), Northside ** Southside (East Chicago), Southside ** Roxana (East Chicago), Roxana ** Calumet (East Chicago), Calumet

Education

*School City of East Chicago serves 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: *

' 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

. * 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

;Government *Gonzalo P. Curiel - US District Court judge *Earl Harris (politician), Earl Harris - Indiana state legislator *William C. Kavanaugh - Wisconsin State Assemblyman *Vincent Mroz - Secret Service agent *Jerome Reppa - Indiana lawyer and politician *Theodore L. Sendak - 36th Indiana Attorney General *Richard Llewellyn Williams, Richard Williams - diplomat, author, first US ambassador to Mongolia ; Military *Emilio A. De La Garza, Jr. - U.S. Marine Corps, Medal of Honor recipient, Vietnam War *Alexander Vraciu - U.S. Navy, Navy Cross, leading flying ace during World War II ; Movies - TV *Leslie Edgley - novelist, playwright, radio dramatist and screenwriterAult, George T. (June 25, 1950)
"Sideshow; Hollywood Note"
''The Times'' (Munster, Indiana). p. 39. Retrieved June 1, 2022. *John Hubbard (actor), John Hubbard - actor *Betsy Palmer - actress and television personality *Frank Reynolds - ABC television news anchorman *Steve Tesich - Academy Award-winning screenwriter ; Music *Catfish Keith - blues singer, songwriter and slide guitarist *Mighty Mo Rodgers - blues musician, songwriter and record producer ;Sports *Thomas Yohe (football) - notable quarterback in the European football league. 3-time Harvard quarterback of the year 1987-1988. 3-time Emmy's winner for his work as a sport TV director. *Bob Anderson (baseball), Bob Anderson - Major League Baseball player *Jim Bradley (basketball), Jim Bradley - professional basketball player *Junior Bridgeman - NBA player for Milwaukee Bucks and businessman; jersey number retired by Bucks *Larry Fritz - Major League Baseball player *Jim Hicks - Major League Baseball player *Danny Lazar - Major League Baseball pitcher *Kenny Lofton - Major League Baseball player, 6-time All-Star, 4-time Gold Glove winner *Angel Manfredy - professional boxer/title holder *Monica Maxwell - professional basketball player *E'Twaun Moore - professional basketball player *Ilie Oană - football player and manager who represented and coached Romania national football team *Frank Patrick (running back), Frank Patrick - professional football player *Stan Perzanowski - MLB pitcher *Bridget Pettis - professional basketball player and coach *Gregg Popovich - coach of San Antonio Spurs, 5-time NBA champion, 3-time NBA Coach of the Year *Jason Repko - Major League Baseball outfielder for Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers *Kawann Short - Carolina Panthers professional football player *Matt "Money" Smith, Matt Smith - sports radio personality *Ron Smith (defensive back), Ron Smith - NFL player *Tim Stoddard - Major League Baseball pitcher and college basketball player, forward for North Carolina State University, NC State's 1974 NCAA basketball champions *Pete Trgovich—played on 1971 Washington HS Indiana state championship team with Junior Bridgeman and Tim Stoddard, went on to play for legendary coach John Wooden at UCLA, winning 3 NCAA Championship rings *Ray Wietecha - assistant coach to Vince Lombardi and NFL champion Green Bay Packers ; Other *Cliff Raven - tattoo artist *Miguel Torres (fighter), Miguel Torres - mixed martial artist *David Albin Zywiec Sidor - American-Nicaraguan Roman Catholic bishop *Eric Flint - Speculative Fiction Author

References

External links

Official website
* {{authority control East Chicago, Indiana, Cities in Indiana Cities in Lake County, Indiana Inland port cities and towns in Indiana Northwest Indiana Chicago metropolitan area Indiana populated places on Lake Michigan Populated places established in 1889 1889 establishments in Indiana