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Michigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined statistical area. In the region known to locals as Michiana, the city is about east of Chicago and west of South Bend. It had a population of 31,479 at the 2010 census. Michigan City is noted for both its proximity to Indiana Dunes National Park and for bordering Lake Michigan. It receives a fair amount of tourism during the summer, especially by residents of Chicago and nearby cities in Northern Indiana. The lighthouse is a notable symbol of the city and is incorporated in the heading of its sole newspaper, The News Dispatch, and its official seal. [edit] History
Michigan City's origins date to 1830, when the land for the city was first purchased by Isaac C. Elston, a real estate speculator who had made his fortune in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He paid about $200 total for of land. The now-closed Elston Middle School, formerly Elston High School, was named after the founder.
The city was incorporated in 1836, by which point it had 1,500 residents, along with a post office, a newspaper, a church, a commercial district and ten hotels. In these six years the town had grown to a size of . That same year, the State Bank of Indiana opened a branch in town. Michigan City hosted the sailing competitions of the 1987 Pan American Games on Lake Michigan. Indianapolis, roughly southeast, was the host city. [edit] Research Tips
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