Is NWI experiencing any of the high crime from Chicago? (Indianapolis: apartment complexes, home)

[bjcc9091]

I am worried that since Chicago and NWI is so close, whether there should be a serious reason for concern about moving our family there. The high crime in Chicago scares me and with me being a shopping addict and looking forward to many trips to River Oaks but after reading so much negativity about the mall, it made me wonder if the crime was noticably seeping into NWI. I am a resident of Rockford, Il and that's exactly what's going on here. Since Cabrini Green was tore down, a lot of those linked to that housing project moved here and has been literally terrorizing this city. I would just hate to move there and the situation is the same. For residents living there, what's your overall opinion of the area, is NWI a great place to live?

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by bjcc9091

I am worried that since Chicago and NWI is so close, whether there should be a serious reason for concern about moving our family there. The high crime in Chicago scares me and with me being a shopping addict and looking forward to many trips to River Oaks but after reading so much negativity about the mall, it made me wonder if the crime was noticably seeping into NWI. I am a resident of Rockford, Il and that's exactly what's going on here. Since Cabrini Green was tore down, a lot of those linked to that housing project moved here and has been literally terrorizing this city. I would just hate to move there and the situation is the same. For residents living there, what's your overall opinion of the area, is NWI a great place to live?

Parts of NWI have always experienced high crime. Keep in mind that NWI is home to Gary, Hammond and E. Chicago, which have experienced high incidences of crime for decades. I wouldn't so much say that crime is "seeping" into NWI from Chicago so much as it has already been in NWI.

That being said, most of NWI is quite safe outside those three areas I listed, and even as far as Hammond goes, the violent crime is mostly in the northern sections of the city. St. John, Munster, Dyer, Valpo, Schererville, Crown Point and Chesterton for example are all very nice and safe communities. To my knowledge none of these cities have seen any upswing in crime. City-data has all the crime statistics for every city and town in NWI if you are interested at looking how crime in NWI compares to the national average.

[Bluefox]

And as far as River Oaks Mall goes, I don't really find it incredibly impressive. If I was going to drive to IL to do shopping, I'd might as well drive to Orland Park or even just take the train downtown.

[msamhunter]

Originally Posted by bjcc9091

I am worried that since Chicago and NWI is so close, whether there should be a serious reason for concern about moving our family there. The high crime in Chicago scares me and with me being a shopping addict and looking forward to many trips to River Oaks but after reading so much negativity about the mall, it made me wonder if the crime was noticably seeping into NWI. I am a resident of Rockford, Il and that's exactly what's going on here. Since Cabrini Green was tore down, a lot of those linked to that housing project moved here and has been literally terrorizing this city. I would just hate to move there and the situation is the same. For residents living there, what's your overall opinion of the area, is NWI a great place to live?

Crime in NWI isn't widespread. It is more prevalent in northern Lake County. The central and southern areas of LC you will be fine. As far as crime spilling over from Chicago, it goes back and forth, granted you have some Chicago displacement now in Gary and East Chicago. Robberies are up but homicides are way down.

[negativenancy]

Our small town has experienced quite a few bigger crimes from individuals residing in Chicago; many involving selling drugs, and robbing businesses.

[Northwest Indiana]

In general, yes, North Lake County has more crime than South Lake County. However there are towns like Munster and Highland that are very very safe and considered more north than south and then theres Merrillville which spans from Central to South county and is getting a lot more crime-ridden mostly from Gary influence. And while the crime in Merrillville is mostly in the northern area, it is also in the southern area too (like around Sedona) and apartment complexes on the south end of town.

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Actually Chicago has just had an uptick in crime the past year.

For a long long long time the murder rates have dropped.

They are actually a long way form the 900 plus murders a year back in the 1980s .

As the Chicago Tribune stated one murder is to many but there were many more decades ago.

There is a good write up today in the Tribune about this subject.

[artemis]

Originally Posted by bjcc9091

I am worried that since Chicago and NWI is so close, whether there should be a serious reason for concern about moving our family there. The high crime in Chicago scares me and with me being a shopping addict and looking forward to many trips to River Oaks but after reading so much negativity about the mall, it made me wonder if the crime was noticably seeping into NWI. I am a resident of Rockford, Il and that's exactly what's going on here. Since Cabrini Green was tore down, a lot of those linked to that housing project moved here and has been literally terrorizing this city. I would just hate to move there and the situation is the same. For residents living there, what's your overall opinion of the area, is NWI a great place to live?

I used to live in the Rockford area, and will say that Gary & East Chicago are as bad as the West side of Rockford.

River Oaks went downhill years ago, you'd be better off shopping in the Southlake area of Merrillville.

[bjcc9091]

Thanks so much everyone, your input is very appreciated!

[lindyg]

Southlake mall in Merrillville is a great mall, Im from Indianapolis and was visiting and was very impressed.