Wait, Where Are the Bears Potentially Moving? What to Know About Hammond, Indiana

Wait, Where Are the Bears Potentially Moving? What to Know About Hammond, Indiana Heres what you should know about Hammond, Ind., the potential future home of the Chicago Bears.

The Bears have called Soldier Field home for the last 55 years.

But every day that goes by, it appears more likely On Thursday, the Bears board of directors voted to move forward in their stadium development plans across the Illinois border lines in Hammond, Ind.

They announced the vote in a statement issued on Friday.We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting Northwest Indiana to the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across neighborhood and suburbs stretching north of the city, the organization said in a statement.

It will bring Chicagoland together and deliver new opportunities to its residents and businesses.

To be clear, its not a guarantee the Bears will be packing their bags for Indiana at this point.The exact Hammond site has not officially been selected, although the organization is eyeing a site near Wolf Lake.

But as weve learned about stadium projects across all different cities and leagues over the years, nothing is official until the shovels hit the dirt.that the city will continue to work toward keeping the Bears within its borders until they do officially move to Indiana.Per, the organization considers Indiana to be in the lead in the race to host the Bears, but Chicago is still in the running.

Hammond, Ind.

, is located right on the border of Illinois and Indiana, about 25 miles south of Chicago and near Lake Michigan.

Depending on traffic, its about a 30- or 40-minute drive to Hammond from Soldier Field.Although its located within Indiana borders, Hammond is still considered to be a part of the Chicago metropolitan area.

Hammond is the eighth-largest city in Indiana in terms of population with an estimated 76,768 residents.

It trails Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, South Bend, Fishers, Carmel and Bloomington.

Hammond would become the smallest city in terms of population to host an NFL team.The rival Packers home of Green Bay, Wis.

, currently holds that title with a population of about 106,500.is loosely based on the city of Hammond, Ind.

Jean Shepherd, who wrote and narrated the movie, was raised in Hammond and based the plot on his memories growing up on Cleveland Street in the Hessville neighborhood.

In the movie, Ralphie grows up in the fictional Hohman, Ind., named after Hohman Avenue in Hammond.

Hammond is named after George H.

Hammond, who was a pioneer in refrigerated railcar transportation.

He established a meatpacking plant and slaughterhouse in Hammond in the 1870s.

As of 2025, the median value of houses in Hammond is $159,900.The median household income is $55,504.

The biggest attractions Hammond has to offer include the Horseshoe Hammond Casino, Indiana Welcome Center and Wolf Lake Memorial Park.

The Bears would continue to be called the Chicago Bears, as confirmed by Indiana governor Mike Braun on Friday.

Nothing would change about the teams branding."That would be obtuse to think it would be the Hammond Bears.

It's the Chicago Bears" Indiana governor Mike BraunThe Bears would be far from the first NFL team to not actually play in the city that is on their jerseys.

The 49ers play in Santa Clara, Calif.

, which is about 45 miles south of San Francisco.The Jets and Giants play at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

, despite wearing New York on their uniforms.

The Los Angeles Rams and Chargers play in Inglewood, Calif.

, and the Commanders compete just outside of D.C.

in Landover, Md.Tom Dierberger is the Deputy News Director at Sports Illustrated.

He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports.

Dierberger has a bachelors in communication from St.

Johns University.

In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B.

Boy..

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