In addition to the historic sites, East Douglas City has a strong history. Its forests gave rise to the timber industry and the Douglas axe company. The Schuster family also operated a woolen manufacturing factory along the Mumford River. In the Revolutionary War, General Lafayette stopped by the city. The French Revolution hero visited the city during his tour of duty. In December of 2017, Lt. Nick L. Miglionico was sworn in as the new police chief of the Douglas Police Department. He has been with the department since 1997.
The early twentieth century saw the arrival of middle-class European and American-born families, which made up a large portion of the Douglas Community Area and Grand Boulevard Community Area. This area was also home to many Irish Catholics and German Jews. In 1889, the Christian Brothers founded the De La Salle Institute at 35th Street and Wabash Avenue. Five future mayors of Chicago graduated from De La Salle.
In the United States, the population of East Douglas City was estimated to be 2,476 people in 2015. The population was split up among a mixture of races and sexes. Forty-three percent of people were under the age of 18 and six percent were between the ages of 25 and 44. Another twenty-one percent were single, while 6.7% of the population was over 65 years old.