Calumet (East Chicago)

rdf:langString Calumet (East Chicago)

rdf:langString Calumet

rdf:langString Calumet

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rdf:langString Neighborhood

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rdf:langString Calumet is the portion of East Chicago, Indiana located east of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal and south of Chicago Avenue (Indiana State Road 312). The neighborhood is bisected by the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad. The area west of the tracks is referred to as Calumet proper, or as "West Calumet" (a term also often used specifically for the now-shuttered housing complex at the neighborhood's southwest corner). The area east of the tracks is known as "East Calumet." Like many East Chicago neighborhoods (including Roxana and Marktown), the residential part of Calumet is surrounded entirely by industrial land: the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal to the west, the Chicago Avenue industrial corridor to the north, a Citgo tank farm to the east, and the and to the south. Beyond its industrial rim, the neighborhood is bounded by the Grand Calumet River and Hammond's Hessville neighborhood to the south, Southside to the west, Indiana Harbor to the north, and the Gary-Chicago Airport to the east. Notable local attractions include Riley Park, one of the city's largest parks. Riley Park hosts an annual festival known as Calumet Day, which has been held since 1994. The neighborhood is also home to the Carmelite Home for Girls, an orphanage established in 1913 by Maria Teresa of St. Joseph. Many historic churches dot the neighborhood. Calumet was, for decades, one of the only neighborhoods in East Chicago to welcome African American residents, along with New Addition and North Harbor. That legacy continues today; as of 2013, the neighborhood's population was 71% African American, and 30% Hispanic.