Small Town Breakdown No. 83: Cedar Lake, Indiana
For this week's small town breakdown we're going from wind turbine country and the county seat of Fowler in Benton County to Cedar Lake in Lake County. Cedar Lake is two hours and 15 minutes north of Indianapolis, 15 minutes southwest of Crown Point, and 45 miles south of downtown Chicago. It’s built around the largest natural lake in northwest Indiana.
The History of Lake County and Cedar Lake, Indiana
Lake County was organized in 1837 and named for Lake Michigan, which forms its northern border. It is the second-most populated county in Indiana behind Marion County.
In the mid-1800s, pioneers settled on Cedar Lake’s shore and called the settlement West Point, which competed with Liverpool and Lake Court House (today known as Crown Point) for the county seat. Liverpool was first selected before it moved to Lake Court House in 1840. The settlement eventually took the name Cedar Lake after the Cedar Lake Post Office was established by 1870.
The Monon Railroad reached Cedar Lake’s western shore in the early 1880s, and it quickly became a resort getaway for Chicagoans. Through the 1920s, more than 50 hotels, pavilions, and ballrooms lined the lake, bringing major bands to the area to perform. The Lassen Hotel and the Monon Park Dancing Pavilion are on the National Register of Historic Places. Cedar Lake became incorporated as a town in 1967.
As of February 2026, Cedar Lake’s population was 17,339, making it the 11th-largest incorporated town/city in Lake County and the 51st-largest incorporated town/city in Indiana.
Ice Harvesting
Cedar Lake's ice kept Chicago and many other businesses cold. Peter Howkinson was the first to build an ice house, cutting large slabs of ice from the lake to ship on the Monon Railroad to meatpacking companies. He then sold his business to the Knickerbocker Ice Co. of Chicago.
In the 1890s, Phillip and Jonathan Armour of the Armour & Company meat packing business purchased land in the Cedar Lake area to build a rooming house for their ice-cutting crews. In 1919, they sold the ice business to John G. Shedd, the namesake of Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, and the rooming house to Christopher Lassen, who moved it across the frozen lake to the east shore and remodeled it into the Lassen Hotel.
Things to Do In or Near Cedar Lake, Indiana
Start at The Museum at Lassen's Resort, the aforementioned ice workers' rooming house turned resort hotel. It's open seasonally from May through October with exhibits, stories of Cedar Lake, and 1915 steamboat experiences across the lake in the summer.
If you like the outdoors, there’s plenty of it at Cedar Lake, which spans nearly 800 acres and has a public beach, fishing pier, and boat launches. There are plenty of parks to explore, too, with Potawatomi Park and Bartlett Park on the northwest and northeast lakefront.
If you're in town for the Fourth of July, don't miss Cedar Lake Summerfest, which was first introduced in 1981. The multi-day festival has a parade, carnival rides, live music, a car show, fireworks over the water, and more.
Places to Eat in Cedar Lake, Indiana
For the best waterfront dining experience, the Lighthouse Restaurant is the lake's signature spot. The menu features lobster bisque, steaks, seafood, and so much more. It has 4.7 stars on Google behind more than 5,100 reviews.
For all-day breakfast and comfort food for lunch or dinner, head to Cedar Lake Kitchen. They’ve been serving since 1998 and have a loaded menu with omelettes, skillets, sandwiches, burgers, and more.
If you're craving barbecue, the best BBQ in northwest Indiana can be found at Frank's Backyard BBQ. Expect big portions, delicious brisket, pulled pork, ribs, mac and cheese, cornbread, and house-made sauces. They have 4.8 stars on Google, backed by almost 700 reviews. Pro tip: go with The Sampler featuring a quarter pound of brisket and pulled pork, a half-pound of ribs, your choice of a quarter pound of pork belly or burnt ends, and two pieces of cornbread.
For something sweet, head to the Dairy Belle, voted as the Best Ice Cream in the Region each of the last eight years. The Cedar Lake location is only open seasonally, but they also have locations still open in Hammond and Schererville.
Famous People From Cedar Lake, Indiana
Stevan Mićić grew up in Cedar Lake and won three individual state wrestling titles at Hanover Central, while also placing third as a freshman. He became a three-time All-American at Michigan, finishing fourth in 2017, second in 2018, and third in 2019. He then wrestled internationally for Serbia, competing at the Tokyo Olympics. At the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, he won gold at 57 kg, giving Serbia its first-ever senior world title in men's freestyle wrestling.
High School History
Hanover Central Jr/Sr High School is home of the Wildcats, and they compete in the Northwest Crossroads Conference. The Wildcats have won two IHSAA state titles in school history, both courtesy of softball. They won the 2A state title in 2004, defeating Clarksville 1-0. After falling 5-4 to Cathedral in the 2025 3A championship game, they returned to the 3A final and took down New Palestine 6-4.
That's it for small town breakdown No. 83. Where should we head next?
