Roxana (East Chicago)

Last updated
Roxana
Neighborhood
Coordinates: 41°36′43″N87°29′30″W / 41.61194°N 87.49167°W / 41.61194; -87.49167
Country Flag of the United States.svg  United States
State Flag of Indiana.svg  Indiana
County Lake County
City East Chicago
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
46312
Area code 219

Roxana, sometimes spelled Roxanna, is a neighborhood in southwestern East Chicago, Indiana, south of the Grand Calumet River and north of Michigan Street. It is the only East Chicago neighborhood located south of the Grand Calumet. As of 2013, it was home to approximately 1032 people, of whom 6.5% were Hispanic and 8% were African American. [1]

Roxana is adjoined on the north by East Chicago's Southside neighborhood, to the east by the industrial area of Hammond north of Hessville, on the south by Hammond's Woodmar neighborhood and the Gibson Yard, and on the west by Central Hammond. [1] The neighborhood is traversed by the Indiana Toll Road and by the South Shore Line passenger railroad, which stops in Roxana at the East Chicago station.

Roxana takes its name from Roxana Petroleum, an oil company later absorbed by Shell Oil, which built a major refinery adjacent to the neighborhood in 1927. [2] The refinery proper was located in Hammond (just south of United States Route 20), while the associated tank farm was located in Roxana. [3] A pipeline carried sulfuric acid from the Grasselli Chemical plant to the refinery. [3] The Shell and Roxana oil companies are remembered today in the names of the neighborhood's Roxana Drive and Shell Street.

Roxana is home to the Roxana Marsh, an important natural area and migrant bird habitat along the Grand Calumet River. Birds found there range from moorhens to Hudsonian godwits. [4] The restoration of the Roxana Marsh, which was completed in 2013, involved the removal of six hundred thousand cubic yards of sediment contaminated with PCBs, PAHs, heavy metals, and other contaminants. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxana, Illinois</span> Village in Illinois, United States

Roxana is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,454 at the 2020 census. The ZIP Code is 62084.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hammond, Indiana</span> City in Indiana, United States

Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. First settled in the mid-19th century, it is one of the oldest cities of northern Lake County. As of the 2020 United States census, it is also the largest in population. The 2020 population was 77,879, replacing Gary as the most populous city in Lake County. From north to south, Hammond runs from Lake Michigan down to the Little Calumet River; from east to west along its southern border, it runs from the Illinois state line to Cline Avenue. The city is traversed by numerous railroads and expressways, including the South Shore Line, Borman Expressway, and Indiana Toll Road. Notable local landmarks include the parkland around Wolf Lake and the Horseshoe Hammond riverboat casino. Part of the Rust Belt, Hammond has been industrial almost from its inception, but is also home to a Purdue University campus and numerous historic districts that showcase the residential and commercial architecture of the early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiting, Indiana</span> City in Indiana, United States

Whiting is a city located in the Chicago Metropolitan Area in Lake County, Indiana, which was founded in 1889. The city is located on the southern shore of Lake Michigan. It is roughly 16 miles from the Chicago Loop and two miles from Chicago's South Side. Whiting is home to Whiting Refinery, the largest oil refinery in the Midwest. The population was 4,997 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calumet River</span> System of rivers and canals in Illinois and Indiana, United States

The Calumet River is a system of heavily industrialized rivers and canals in the region between the south side of Chicago, Illinois, and the city of Gary, Indiana. Historically, the Little Calumet River and the Grand Calumet River were one, the former flowing west from Indiana into Illinois, then turning back east to its mouth at Lake Michigan at Marquette Park in Gary. Now the system is part of the Chicago Area Waterway System and through the use of locks flows away from Lake Michigan to the Cal-Sag Channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Side, Chicago</span> Community area in Chicago

East Side is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago, Illinois. It is on the far south side of the city, between the Calumet River and the Illinois-Indiana state line, 13 miles (21 km) south of downtown Chicago. The neighborhood has a park on Lake Michigan, Calumet Park, and a forest, Eggers Grove Forest Preserve. The forest preserve has hiking/walking trails, picnic grounds and birdwatching. It is served by U.S. Highway 12, U.S. Highway 20, and U.S. Highway 41.

The Calumet Region is the geographic area drained by the Grand Calumet River and the Little Calumet River of northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana in the United States. It is part of the Great Lakes Basin, which eventually reaches the Atlantic Ocean. It is a sub-region of the greater Northwest Indiana region and the even larger Great Lakes region.

Northwest Indiana, nicknamed The Region after the Calumet Region, comprises Lake, Porter, LaPorte, and Newton counties in Indiana. This region neighbors Lake Michigan and is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. According to the 2020 Census, Northwest Indiana has a population of 831,080 and is the state's second largest urban area after the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area. It is also the home of the Indiana Dunes, parts of which have been preserved through conservation efforts. The town of Ogden Dunes houses the Hour Glass, a museum showcasing the ecological and conservation efforts of O. D. Frank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolf Lake (Indiana–Illinois)</span>

Wolf Lake is an 804-acre (325.4 ha) lake that straddles the Indiana and Illinois state line near Lake Michigan. It is smaller than it was prior to settlement by European colonizers because of infilling for development around the edges. Despite years of environmental damage caused by heavy industries, transportation infrastructure, urban runoff and filling of wetlands, it is one of the most important biological sites in the Chicago region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Indiana</span> Geographic and cultural region of Indiana, United States

Northern Indiana is a region of the U.S. State of Indiana, including 26 counties which border the states of Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. Northern Indiana is also considered part of the Great Lakes Megalopolis. The area is generally classified into other sub-regions; Northwest Indiana is closely tied with Chicago economically, culturally, and politically and is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The north central region centers on South Bend metropolitan area, with economic connections to southwest Michigan. Northeast Indiana is centered on the Fort Wayne metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Township, Lake County, Indiana</span> Township in Indiana, United States

North Township is one of 11 townships in Lake County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 162,855 and it contained 67,828 housing units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miller Beach</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Miller Beach is a neighborhood of Gary, Indiana on the southernmost shore of Lake Michigan. First settled in 1851, Miller Beach was originally an independent town. However, the "Town of Miller" was eventually annexed by the then flourishing city of Gary in 1918. Located in the northeastern corner of Lake County, Indiana, the former town is now known as "The Miller Beach Community." Miller Beach borders Lake Michigan to the north, Porter County to the east, and is largely surrounded by protected lands, including Indiana Dunes National Park. Miller Beach is also the closest beach/resort community to Chicago, and has been a popular vacation spot since the early 20th century. As of the 2000 US census, it had a population of 9,900.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlson Oxbow Park</span>

Carlson Oxbow Park is an 89 acres (36 ha) nature park located in the Hessville neighborhood of Hammond, Indiana, along the north bank of the Little Calumet River and immediately south of the Borman Expressway. It takes its name from a sharp bend in the Little Calumet that was left behind when the river was straightened in the 20th century, forming an oxbow lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brunswick (Gary)</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Brunswick is a neighborhood in northwestern Gary, Indiana, just south of Gary Chicago Airport. It borders Hammond and East Chicago to the west, and the Gary neighborhoods of Ambridge Mann to the east and Westside to the south. The borders are defined by the Indiana Toll Road on the north, Chase Street on the east, the Norfolk Southern railway on the south and Cline Avenue on the west. As of 2000, Brunswick had a population of 4,442 people, which was 84.6% African-American and 7.7% white. Like many Gary neighborhoods, Brunswick was a segregated white community until the early 1970s, when a massive white flight occurred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Hammond</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Central Hammond is a neighborhood in western Hammond, Indiana, approximately between the Illinois state line and White Oak Avenue, north of 165th Street. It is bounded to the south by South Hammond and Woodmar, to the west by Calumet City, Illinois, to the north by North Hammond, and to the east by the East Chicago neighborhoods of Roxana and Southside. The sinuous Grand Calumet River marks the neighborhood's northern boundary. The neighborhood's boundaries correspond to Hammond's Planning District III.

North Hammond is a neighborhood in western Hammond, Indiana, north of the Grand Calumet River and south of Wolf Lake. It is bounded to the south by Central Hammond, to the west by the Chicago neighborhood of Hegewisch, to the north by Robertsdale, and to the east by East Chicago. The neighborhood's boundaries correspond to Hammond's Planning District II. The neighborhood is traversed by the Indiana Toll Road, which has an exit into the neighborhood at Calumet Avenue, and by the South Shore Line railroad. Passenger trains for the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District stop at Hammond Station in the neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robertsdale (Hammond)</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Robertsdale is a neighborhood in northernmost Hammond, Indiana, north of 129th Street and south of Lake Michigan. It is bounded to the south by Pulaski Park, to the west by the Chicago neighborhood of East Side, to the north by Lake Michigan, and to the east by the cities of Whiting and East Chicago. The neighborhood's boundaries correspond to Hammond's Planning District I. The neighborhood is traversed by the Indiana Toll Road, which has an exit into the neighborhood at the Indianapolis Boulevard immediately east of the state line. Amtrak passenger trains pass through Hammond/Whiting station in the neighborhood.

Calumet is the portion of East Chicago, Indiana located east of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal and south of Chicago Avenue. 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". The area east of the tracks is known as "East Calumet."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northside (East Chicago)</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Northside or North Side is a neighborhood in western East Chicago, Indiana. Together with Southside and Roxana, it makes up "East Chicago proper," as distinct from Indiana Harbor. The population is 72% Hispanic and 21% African American. The neighborhood has one of the highest rates of owner-occupied homes in the city. Notable landmarks in Northside include the East Chicago City Hall and Central High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southside (East Chicago)</span> Neighborhood in Lake County, Indiana, United States

Southside or South Side is a neighborhood in western East Chicago, Indiana. Together with Northside and Roxana, it makes up "East Chicago proper," as distinct from Indiana Harbor. The population is 64% Hispanic and 25% African American. The neighborhood is home to 20% of East Chicago's population. The neighborhood is dominated by residential properties, with relatively few institutional buildings.

Lake George is a lake in Hammond, Indiana, in the United States.

References

  1. 1 2 Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission (2013). "Creating Livable Communities" (PDF). pp. 71–72. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
  2. Rebecca Vick (1991-02-10). "Northwest Indiana: One-time oil capital of nation". Times of Northwest Indiana.
  3. 1 2 Indiana Writers' Program, Federal Writers' Project (1939). The Calumet region historical guide. p. 111.
  4. Charles E. Keller; Shirley A. Keller; Timothy C. Keller (1986). Indiana Birds and Their Haunts: A Checklist and Finding Guide. ISBN   0-253-20382-1.
  5. Kenneth J. Schoon (2016). Shifting Sands: The Restoration of the Calumet Area -. pp. 247–248. ISBN   978-0-253-02340-7.