(Another job-related move inquiry - expect more in the coming weeks…)
What’s northwest Indiana like? Specifically, Munster and surrounding areas? I know Gary’s reputation, but I assume there are some nicer neighborhoods in the area. Housing looks affordable in places like Merrillville; are there decent schools, roads and other facilities? Anything else I should know?
Yeah - they’ve got, roads, school, and facilities in NW Ind.
Pretty indistinguishable from much of the rest of the Chicago burbs. A little more rural feel the further E and S you go. Crown Point seems like a nice little town. RE prices in Munster have increased significantly over the past decade or so. Easy access to the Gary casinos!
You planning on working in Ind, or commuting into Chi?
It’s a flat and lonely stretch of strip malls, farms and gas stations.
Southern Indiana is easily one of the most beautiful places in the United States, but once you get to Terre Haute and points northward, it’s flat, drab and boring.
In my Bloomingtonian opinion.
If you get far enough out there it becomes small-town Indiana, just like the majority of Indiana…
It’s flat, and full of corn for most of the year.
Although what’s been said pretty much describes it.
I drive through there on my way to Chicago a few times a year, it’s pretty much the same across Indiana, outside the larger towns.
Also, the further E or S you go into IN from Chicago, the more politically conservative it gets - pretty quickly.
Merrillville went from a small town to a big deal a few years ago. Now there’s a huge shopping mall there, and a cluster of big hotels. There’s a big concert stage that draws major musical shows.
If you are into beachy stuff, you’ll be close to Lake Michigan.
When I was a kid, my teacher told me it was easy to remember Mishawaka, because it sounds like sloshing in the galoshes they made there.
Back then, the air near Gary was yellow-brown from the blast furnace smoke belching from the steel mills. Most of the mills closed down, though, and it’s clean in Gary.
I don’t know if there’s still a major musical instrument factory in Elkhart.
Oh Lord, how to answer this. I live in LaPorte, which is 45 minutes- one hour from Merrillville, Hobart, Crown Point, etc.
There is a big mall and nice shopping center in Merrillville. The Star Plaza Theatre for “B” names performers. I would check out Valparaiso and Chesterton for good schools. I can’t really say too much about Merrillville and other school as I only see them during HS soccer games.
I hate LaPorte, but Valparaiso and points west aren’t too bad, EXCEPT Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, THEY SUCK or at least what I have seen sucks. Michigan City sucks too, IMHO, but we have friends there that like it. I think Slug Signorino, Cecil’s artist, is from Michigan City.
You have the commmunities along Lake Michigan (Michigan City, Beverly Shores, Ogden Dunes) that tend to be wealthier and the communites south (MVille, CP, Munster) that tend to be more middle class. The thing is, most of the towns tend to blend together; it’s a big megalopolis from MVille into Chicago. Most communities are commuter towns that feed into Chicago.
I would not move here (LP) again, but I would move to Valparaiso. Valpo is a nice college town, nice places to live and eat. There are things to do and Chicago and Lake Michigan are close.
We take the train into Chicago from Chesterton or Michigan City five six times/year or so. In fact, this Saturday we are going to the Shedd Aquarium and hang out in Chicago for the day. I have yet to feel unsafe in the five years that we have been going there and I’m a small town guy in the big city.
I can’t really see that it’s (Merrillville, Hobart, CP, etc.) worse than any other big city (with exceptions noted above). There seems to be the whole spectrum of poor, middle class, and downright filthy rich in these areas.
Does this help?
I agree about Valpo. Stay out of Lake County and try for Porter County instead. I was raised in Valpo but live in Texas now. I go back up there once a year and driving through Lake County to visit my sister in Chicago is a depressing experience.
Thank you all for the advice. Please keep it coming.
The reason I’d want to live in Lake County is because it would mean a short commute to where I would be working near the Illinois border (Near 45th and Calumet). I don’t necessarily need to invest my whole life in this - I might only be at this job a few years depending on how it goes. It sounds like it’s about as blah and suburban as anywhere else I’ll probably settle, but considering I’m just starting out and I have two kids to raise, blah and suburban will do quite nicely.
45th and Cal - new job, 2 kids - I’d say look to Munster if for no reason other than to keep your commute as short as possible.
Nice suburban atmosphere. Homes should keep their value and appreciate nicely.
Well, I live in that area, I find it tolerable enough. In fact, I’m just somewhat east of Calumet on 45th myself.
South and east to Merriville and Hobart it’s not that much different than the Chicago south suburbs. There’s a mix of rich and poor. Jobs are a bit spotty in some areas and a lot of us (like me) commute into Chicago for the paycheck. Further south and further east it’s rural and small town Indiana, very religious and very conservative for the most part. Lake and Porter counties are “blue”, the rest of the state is thoroughly “red”.
Ran with my buddy from Crown Point yesterday and asked him about your query.
he said Muenster was a fine suburb, but in his opinion, homes there were a little more pricey than elsewhere in the area. He thought that this was due to a large number of doctors and health care professionals from a local hospital/medical center, as well as a premium reflecting the desireability of the relatively convenient commute to Chicago.
He is really pleased with Crown Point, tho it would be maybe 30 minutes to 45th and Cal. Said it really has a small town feel, with a square and lots of community activities, parades, etc. He is hispanic, and said CP was very diverse and very easy to get involved in community activities should you wish to.
Just a little more info for you.
I went to college in Valpo. While there, worked for a while for a local publication that highlights events in NW Indiana, so I became pretty familiar with the area.
Northwest Indiana–especially once you get away from the lake, or out of Lake County–feels quite different from the Chicago area. There’s a lot more open space. The area is very flat, and there usually isn’t a whole lot between towns. Many of the folk there are conservative, but they’re usually friendly to those who don’t share their views. There was even a New Age store in downtown Valpo!
Finding things to do can be a problem. I lucked out in that I was a student at Valparaiso University, and not, say, a single gal living in Portage. There was plenty for me to do both on and off campus. Otherwise, though, it can be hard; it’s easy to say you can drive in to Chicago, but it ends up being nearly an hour (more if traffic sucks, which it often does). There are plenty of local events–seasonal fairs, shows, etc–but depending on how old you are and what your interests are, there may not be anything you’re interested in. Panorama has a listing of local events that’s pretty complete. (Yes, I know the layout sucks. . .believe me, I know). It’ll give you a bit of an idea of what there is to do in the area.
Crown Point was pretty nifty, and I liked Dyer pretty well, too. I’d live in Valparaiso, personally; it seemed to have the best balance of things to do and small-town charm. The only thing I didn’t like was the whole small-town-pride thing. Each Chamber of Commerce seemed to think that the sun rose and set around it. My exposure to this attitude was due mostly to my job, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. Odds are that you wouldn’t even notice it.
I’m from La Porte (the drab, depressing horror bit that The Surb mentioned) and I’m quite intimate with the area the OP is asking about and I just have to say NW Indiana is a sparkling example of “meh”.
It’s suburbia with a healthy dose of redneckia. It’s alright, depending on your hobbies/predilictions/familiarity with the phrase “Git 'r done.”
It’s honestly just bland, all homogenized and white bread. A bit under-developed in the “things to do” area, though. Depending on where you’re coming from, you probably won’t hate it and you probably won’t like it.
If I were you, I would just look for a job in Chicago. They have culture there! And just count your lucky stars you’re not moving to Bloomington, which is mostly bland but with a dash of hipster and pinch of drunken frat boy.
St John’s is nice, too–just near Crown Point.
I live in IL, but about 15 minutes west of the state line (maybe 20).
One thing to consider-there is a HUGE construction project going on now and for the next 2 years. They are fixing all the feeder highways south of Chicago–apparently ALL at the same damn time.
It is almost impossible to get anywhere (quickly)–especially on I-80, right now.
Just sayin’.
And welcome to the er, region!
Sanibel…any chance of living in Chicago and commuting to NWIN?
Some posters may blast me for this, but I have to think you’d have the reverse-commute, and I know I’d prefer living in the City. All sorts of different real-estate pricing, but the better stuff is up north (with apologies to all South Siders).
Having said that, I’ll second (third, fourth?) Valpo. Nice little town.
-Cem
Yeah, I think I will. For some reason, Northsiders either think of the southern side of Chicago as ghetto or cultural wasteland. And you really need to define “better stuff”. I have heard this my whole life and it’s as stupid now as it was in the '70’s.
I have been to Arlington Heights and it looks just like Flossmoor. Really and truly. Except down here-you get value for money in terms of real estate and housing.
We are educated down here, with solid communities and nice, friendly people. We don’t eat with our knives or marry off our 14 year olds. Not all of us are Sox fans (and so what if many are? They’re a good team)–in fact, I’d be willing to bet that there is more cultural diversity to be found on the South Side and southern suburbs than in the white bread north.
We are closer to most museums and the Metra is a very easy way to travel. Our Park Districts win awards; our suburbs boast friendly neighbors and award winning schools. Also, one doesn’t have to put up with the whole “I live north of the Loop and therefore am a great person, bow to me” crappola that prevails there.
get over yourself and come visit. I promise you you won’t get mugged.
not enough :rolleyes:
I’m planning on moving out of the W burbs in a couple of years when my youngest is out of HS. Had been looking towards the boonies out at the end of the train lines, SW of Joliet, up N near Gurnee, etc.
But now I think I see my destiny - Ogden Dunes, Indiana. Where else can you walk to both the train, a beach, and thousands of acres of national park, with a 1 hr commute into Chicago? Add to that housing prices and taxes that are a fraction of what they are one state to the west.
Shh! Don’t tell anybody! But you are all invited to the housewarming Dopefest. Mark your calendars for sometime in 2010!
eleanor - well said, well said! I live in Palatine now, but I grew up in Palos Park - you were spot on!
I swear - my husband grew up around here - in Arlington Heights as a matter of fact - right by Ivy Hill School in fact - after knowing him and his locally raised friends for years, I think there’s something in the water up here… 
I grew up on the southwest side of Chicago, and went to school at Valpo. I worked at a fast food place when I was there, so I like to think I had some sort of feel for the local region.
I haven’t been back to the area since 1999 (actually scratch that, I travelled through Schererville last year), but even then Merrillville was turning into stereotypical suburbia, huge malls, congestion, etc. Schererville was also pretty bad congestion-wise. I’d consider Chesterton or Valparaiso if you aren’t a big fan of suburbia (though who knows in another ten years). They are fairly large towns, Valpo has a lot of stores/shopping along the main roads, Chesterton I didn’t visit much, but it generally came across as favorable. Public schools I’m not too sure about, but I believe any of the Porter County schools are pretty decent.
Since you are commuting anyway, the South Shore line from South Bend to downtown Chicago stops in Chesterton, and I used it several times going back to Chicago on weekends. Fares according to their website http://www.nictd.com/service/fares.htm would be about $165 from Chesterton to the 57th St. station for an unlimited monthly pass, which would then be about 2-3 miles from 45th and Calumet. Chicago has an excellent public transit system IMO, and there should be at least a couple of buses to choose from that point.