Michigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana , USA. It is one of two principal cities included in the Michigan City- La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area , which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined Statistical Area . It is also part of a region known to locals as Michiana . It is approximately 50 miles east of Chicago and 40 miles west of South Bend . It had a population of 31,479 at the 2010 census. Michigan City is noted for both its proximity to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and for bordering Lake Michigan . Due to this, Michigan City receives a fair amount of tourism during the summer months, especially by residents of Chicago and of nearby cities in Northern Indiana. The lighthouse is a notable symbol for the city.
History Historical populations Census Pop. %± 1850 999 — 1860 3,320 232.3 % 1870 3,985 20.0 % 1880 7,366 84.8 % 1890 10,773 46.3 % 1900 14,850 37.8 % 1910 19,027 28.1 % 1920 19,457 2.3 % 1930 26,735 37.4 % 1940 26,476 ?