Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of Chicagoland. The population was 83,048 at the 2000 census. The city sits within the boundaries of the former Lake Chicago. Most of the city is on sandy soil with a layer of black topsoil that varies from non-existent to several feet (a meter or more) thick. Much of the exposed sand has been removed for purposes such as industrial use to make concrete and glass. Hammond was incorporated on April 21, 1884. The first permanent residents arrived around 1847 to settle on land between the Grand and Little Calumet Rivers, on the South end of Lake Michigan.