About Lowell, Indiana Area 

LOWELL

LOCATION: Lowell is located on the rolling prairie lands of southern Lake County, dubbed “Indiana’s Chicagoland”.  Chicago’s backyard it may be, but Lowell has retained its small town charm and rural roots.  Just a half hour from Gary and an hour from Chicago, many residents combine big city jobs with country living.  Some families enjoy ranches with horses and farm animals while others live in historic nineteenth century homes in the center of town.  A bounty of recreational and learning opportunities is right at your doorstep with nearby parks, lakes and historic sites.  Just west of I-65 and east of US-41 Lowell is about 50 miles south of Chicago and 70 miles north of Lafayette.  Lake County is in the northwest corner of Indiana at the southern tip of Lake Michigan.

TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORTS: Lowell sits just a few miles between US-41 on the west and I-65 on the east allowing easy access to all of Lake County’s towns and attractions as well as the excitement of the casinos at Gary and the theaters, shops and restaurants of Chicago.  Served by the municipal airport at Valparaiso as well as the regional airport at Gary, national and international flights are available from Midway and O’Hare Airports in Chicago.  There is also an airport for private planes just outside of Lowell itself.  Amtrak train service stops in Dyer as well as Hammond, each about twenty miles away and Greyhound also makes stops in Hammond and Valparaiso too.

BRIEF HISTORY: In 1848 Melvin Halstead moved with his wife Martha from Massachusetts to the Indiana Prairie.  In 1852 he established the town of Lowell, naming it after his birthplace in New England.  He set up saw and gristmills and soon other settlers from the east joined him and the town of Lowell, Indiana began to boom.  The mills provided employment for the citizens as well as lumber and grain for their homes, families and livestock.  Halstead instilled friendliness and a unity of purpose in these early pioneers, which remains in the strong sense of community still intact in Lowell today.  A catastrophic fire in 1898 threatened to destroy the town but as it began to burn out of control and the citizens prayed for a miracle, a rainstorm developed and tamped the conflagration before the entire town was incinerated.  Many of the grand nineteenth century brick buildings were saved and they remain to this day, lovingly restored by the citizens who still commemorate their escape from the great fire of ’98.  By the 1930’s, much of the industry that built Lowell became obsolete and the town remade itself as a bedroom community intent on preserving its historic character.  With its small town charm and rural attraction combined with its sense of history and community purpose, Lowell has continued to prosper and thrive to this day.

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS: Surrounded by graceful nineteenth century buildings and homes in the town center, Lowell has a tangible sense of history.  Sponsor of the oldest Labor Day Parade in Indiana, the town also hosts a yearly antique car exposition as well as a lively Oktoberfest and historic Homestead Celebration.  Ice cream socials, public art exhibits and park recreation programs throughout the year bring the town residents together and create that strong sense of community that Halstead, the town founder so prized.  The charming shops in the old town center are a treat to patronize and the city’s six parks offer lighted tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball fields and even a child’s fishing pond.  Combined with the recreational opportunities of southern Lake County, which allow access to fishing, hunting, hiking, cross country skiing, boating and all types of water sports opportunities, Lowell is truly a special place to call home.

EDUCATION: Lowell has three public elementary schools, one middle school and one high school.  More than a dozen institutions of higher learning are within a thirty minute drive including Indiana University Northwest and Ivy Tech State in Gary, Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, Prairie State in Chicago Heights, IL, Governors State in University Park, IL, South Suburban in South Holland, IL and Valparaiso University in Valparaiso.  The highly regarded universities and colleges in the Chicago area such as Chicago State, De Paul and Lake Forest are only an hour away.