Michigan City, city, La Porte County, northern Indiana, on Lake Michigan; incorporated 1836. Michigan City is a summer resort and yachting center, located near Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The city is also a manufacturing center with products that include air compressors, boilers, furniture, and clothing. A state prison and a U.S. Coast Guard station are here. The community was settled in the early 1830s and named for Michigan Road (a route linking the Ohio River with Lake Michigan), of which it was the northern terminus. During the 19th century it was an important grain- and lumber-shipping port. Population 36,850 (1980); 33,822 (1990); 32,900 (2000).
