Chili

Chili, Indiana is named after Chile the country. You didn’t misread. I didn’t mistype. This small community in Miami County is called Chili, and it is named after Chile.

Why the “i” and not an “e”? It is not because the settlers of Chili liked the pepper or Cincinnati-style chili. It is also not because they were confused or misinformed about the spelling of the country in South America.

“Chili” is an older spelling of Chile. When the town adopted its name, “Chili” was the standard English spelling of the country's name. The town was platted under the name New Market in 1839. In 1843, a post office named Chili was established.

Country names are popular in Miami County. Peru and Mexico are located near Chili. Look for these blog posts in the coming weeks!

Sources:

• Baker, R. L. (1995). From Needmore to Prosperity : Hoosier place names in folklore and history. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
• McPherson, A. (1993). Indian names in Indiana. [Indiana: s.n.].
• (1998). Miami County : Interim report. [Indianapolis, Ind.]: Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana.