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Whiting, Indiana

19 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1900 and the latest in 1998. It stands in North Township. It lies in ZIP code area 46394. The Survey maps it on the Whiting quadrangle. 4,559 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 587 feet above sea level.

Whiting within Lake County

On record in Whiting

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 4 records

Population over time

2 figures

Whiting fell from 4,997 to 4,559 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20104,997
20204,559-438 (-9%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

10 surveys from 19 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 11 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Whiting: 4 producers, 4 plants, 2 unknowns, 1 past producer. 8 still produce. What was taken out: Sulfur, Limestone, General, Chromium, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
(Facility) Us Steel Lead Smeltr & RefineryAntimony, LeadPlant
Buffington Cement PlantStoneProducer
City of Calumet - Own CrewsStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
East Chicago Plant-U.S. Gypsum Co.Gypsum-Anhydrite, PerlitePlant
Harbison-Walker/ Hammond, Ind.ChromiumProducer
J & L Steel/ Indiana Harbor WorksIronUnknown
Natl. Briquette Corp. PlantFluorine-FluoriteProducer
(Facility) Amoco/ Whiting RefinerySulfurPlant
East Chicago Plant-Energy Coop.SulfurUnknown
Indiana Harbor LimekilnLimestone, GeneralPlant

Every working recorded in Lake County

Storms near this place

19 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Whiting in 19 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 6 flood, 5 thunderstorm wind, 5 flash flood, 3 hail. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
September 2023Flash FloodWhiting$10,000,000Heavy rain fell across parts of far northwest Lake County causing significant flooding and flash flooding. In Hammond, numerous streets were flooded with cars stranded in the flood waters. At least 500 houses experienced some amount of flooding including basement flooding. The hardest hit area was roughly 3 square miles bounded by the Illinois/Indiana State line on the west, Detroit Street on the south, White Oak Avenue on the east and 137th Street on the north. Rainfall amounts included 4.79 inches in Hammond; 4.53 inches two miles west of East Chicago and 4.36 inches one mile north of Hammond.
August 2025Flash FloodWhiting$4,000,000Several instances of flash flooding took place around Gary, Hammond, Whiting, and East Chicago. A sewer storage facility exceeded capacity and overflowed. Multiple basements were flooded in Hammond. Up to three feet of water was reported on Indianapolis Blvd in Whiting from 120th to 129th Street. A portion of US-20 in East Chicago was closed due to flooding. Numerous reports of flooded basements, roads, and yards came out of the east side of Hammond and the west side of Gary. One private weather weather station in the area recorded 5.21 inches of rain while two others nearby recorded over three inches. An estimated 1,000 structures flooded around the area amounting to roughly $4 million in damages.
June 1995Thunderstorm WindWhiting$10,000Golf ball- to ping-pong ball-size hail fell at Hammond. Half an inch to three-quarters inch hail and 54 mph winds occurred at Gary Airport. Tree limbs and power lines were downed throughout the northern part of the county.
August 2025FloodWhiting-A photo shared via social media showed floodwater up to one foot deep along 131st Pl in Whiting.
July 2024Flash FloodWhiting-Route 41 was flooded and closed in Whiting.
September 2023FloodWhiting-After heavy rain and flash flooding across parts of northwest Lake County on September 17th, flooding continued through the morning on September 18th.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindWhiting-Wind gusts were estimated to 60 mph. A couple of 2 to 3 inch diameter tree limbs were blown down.
January 2020FloodWhiting-Indiana DOT reported Route 41 (Calumet Avenue) was partially flooded at 129th Street due to a combination of rainfall and Lake Michigan extra-tropical storm surge.
May 2019FloodWhiting-Near Crown Point, Clark Street between 91st and 101st Streets was flooded and 121st Avenue near Iowa Street was flooded. In Hobart, Lakefront Park was flooded from Lake George. Near Highland, standing water was reported in one lane in each direction of Interstate 80/94. In Dyer, the intersection of 213 Street and Calumet Avenue was flooded. Near Winfield, 97th Avenue was flooded between Randolph and Clay Streets. North of Cedar Lake, 117th Avenue was flooded between Cline and Parrish Avenues. South of Lowell, Belshaw Road was flooded at Cedar Creek. In Schererville, multiple streets were flooded near Eagle Ridge Drive. North of Sumava Resorts, some lanes of Route 41 were closed due to flooding from the Kankakee River.
February 2018FloodWhiting-Many areas of Lake County were flooded with some roads flooded and closed. In Lake Station, a voluntary evacuation order was issued as the Deep River overflowed its banks and began to flood nearby homes. Storm total rainfall of 4.44 inches of rain was measured one mile north of Crown Point.
May 2014Flash FloodWhiting-Around six inches of flowing water was reported on 131st Place between Sheffield Avenue and Calumet Avenue. Manhole covers were forced out.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindWhiting-Several large trees were blown down.
September 2013FloodWhiting-Water was flowing across Cline Avenue in Hammond, but the road was still passable.
August 2010Flash FloodWhiting-Heavy rain created street flooding in many areas across north central Lake County including Ruth Street at 77th Street in Schererville; 122nd Avenue in Crown Point and the intersection of 106th Avenue and Baker in Crown Point. Bell Road and 87th Avenue was also flooded in St. John. Storm total rainfall amounts included 3.52 inches three miles west southwest of Crown Point; 2.76 inches two miles east northeast of St. John; 2.04 inches one mile west southwest of Dyer and 1.91 inches about a mile and half east southeast of Merrillville.
September 2010Thunderstorm WindWhiting-At least four large trees were blown down along with numerous tree limbs that were blown down.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindWhiting-A trained spotter was in Whiting Park along Lake Michigan when a severe line of thunderstorms moved through. Winds were estimated at 80 mph with a gustnado observed.
May 2013HailWhiting-no account filed
May 2011HailWhiting-no account filed
June 2005HailWhiting-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Lake County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Robertsdale0.8 miles26
Sheffield Estates2.5 miles26
East Chicago3.5 miles19
Indiana Harbor3.8 miles19
Buffington4.7 miles19
Clarke Junction5.4 miles19
Gibson5.4 miles20
Hessville6.1 miles20

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on WhitingAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2000875The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 445988. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.