Travel to East Chicago - Indiana - USA - Culture

East Chicago - Indiana - Culture

East Chicago is classified as a second-class city under Indiana law, which classifies all cities by population. It is governed by a City Council of nine members, and a full-time Mayor - all elected for four-year terms. Other elected officials include a City Clerk, Township Assessor, and Township Trustee. The number of full-time employees is 900. The city's boundary encompasses 12 square miles.

The stated mission of the East Chicago Public Library is "to provide informational, recreational, and educational materials and programs for persons of all ages in the City of East Chicago." The implementation of computer technology, including Internet access, is one way in which the East Chicago Public Library has chosen to fulfill its mission to the community. This document outlines the policies on access to and acceptable use of the computer technology available at the East Chicago Public Library. The role of the East Chicago Public Library is to oversee the implementation of computer technology, providing users with a broad range of resources in accordance with the library's mission. The role of the library is to maintain systems and networks, update technology as funding permits, and provide training to all users. The East Chicago Public Library will maintain the confidentiality of those using its computer resources.

Airports: Gary Municipal Airport (east and immediately adjacent to East Chicago) A reliever airport to ease congestion at Midway and O'Hare Airports in Chicago. Gary Municipal offers regularly scheduled, as well as on demand, cargo service and corporate aircraft service up to DC 9's. The terminal area comprises 19,000 square feet, and handles more than 95,000 flights a year. Repair and hangar facilities are available.

Midway Airport (32 miles) and O'Hare Airport (52 miles) provide regularly scheduled major airline service, as does Michiana Airport in South Bend, 45 miles to the east.

A state park and a national park are located within 20 miles east of East Chicago.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore A 14,000 acre park that contains many different environments: clean, sandy beaches, huge sand dunes covered with trees and shrubs, bogs and marshes, and various animals and plants. A Visitor's Center includes a hard-surfaced nature trail. The National Lakeshore also has beaches, marked nature trails, picnic areas, the famous Bailly Homestead and Chelberg Farm, cross-country skiing, riding trails, and camping.

Indiana Dunes State Park Consists of 2,182 acres of historical and unique Hoosier landscape. The park occupies three miles of Lake Michigan lakefront with white sand dunes and beaches. About 1,800 acres are covered with densely forested hills with rare flowers and ferns. It has the famous shifting sand dunes, one of which has created the 192-foot Mount Tom. There are 17 miles of marked hiking trails, swimming, cross-country skiing, picnic facilities, campgrounds, nature center, and naturalist service.

Golf Courses: There is one golf course in East Chicago - McArthur Park, and seven in close proximity to East Chicago: Briar Ridge Country Club, Broadmoor Country Club, Calumet Golf Club, Idlewild Country Club, Innsbrook Country Club, Wicker Park Country Club, and Woodmar Country Club.

Entertainment is available from the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, which makes its home in the Radisson Star Plaza in Merrillville. Star Plaza also hosts big name performers on a regular basis. The Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster houses the Northern Indiana Arts Association, where it exhibits collections, introduces new artists, and holds lectures. The Theater at the Center offers professional productions in an intimate venue. Its summerstock recreates Broadway hits, and it produces a Performing Arts Series and Theater for Younger Audiences.

Bus Transit Provide free public transportation within City of East Chicago, free paratransit for qualified residents, transportation to Griffith Plaza and Woodmar Malls with other locations to be added soon, maintenance of ECPT vehicles including buses, trolleys and handicap accessible vans.

Business Development The Business Development Department is responsible for assisting industrial and commercial businesses in the City of East Chicago by providing land information, financial incentives, and other economic development resources.

Central Services Rubbish and debris pick up from streets and alleys, street repairs, removal of weeds, bushes and debris from abandoned buildings and lots, grass cutting and snow removal services for senior citizens and the disabled, snow removal and salting of streets, disposal of used tires, maintenance of city vehicles and city buildings, general street maintenance.

Health Department Nursing Division: Immunizations, SIDS home visits, STD/HIV testing, tuberculosis control, passport photos. Inspection Division: Inspection of food service establishments, food retail/wholesale, food manufacturers, public and parochial schools, day care centers, public halls and kitchen facilities, food borne illness and hazardous products. Environmental inspections that include hotel and rooming, pool rooms and arcades, laundromats, gasoline and service stations, swimming pools and lake front beach, housing complaints, nuisance complaints, permits/licenses, food handlers training. Vital Records Division: Birth certificates, death certificates, burial permits, amended affidavits, name change, paternity affidavits.

East Chicago's new 50,000-square-foot Showboat Mardi Gras Casino, a specially- designed 400-foot boat that opened in 1997, is not the first casino to operate in the city. That honour probably belongs to Indiana Harbour's famous "Big House" which operated from 1929 to 1950 at 3326 Michigan Avenue.

The amount of land area in East Chicago is 31.023 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 9.466 sq kilometers.

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