The rise of Northwest Indiana in the Chicagoland area (Gary: crime, neighborhoods)

[Kmanshouse]

Originally Posted by LeisureSLarry

NW Indiana would be booming a lot more if not for the fact that Illinois and Indiana are not reciprocal states (like Indiana is with Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and even Wisconsin) so Illinois taxes income on Indiana residents that work in Illinois. Illinois has always done whatever it could to limit the viability of NW Indiana as a Chicago suburb. Even the double track project ends at the state line and conversations to extend that further using the federal funding went nowhere for obvious reasons.

IMO NW Indiana will continue to grow but not at a hyper accelerated pace any time soon until businesses actually relocate like they have in the Western, Northern Chicagoland suburbs. Slow and steady best describes the development of NW Indiana even though they might see spikes of growth here and there on occasion.

Extremely sensible take.

[midwest1]

Businesses are relocating. The article I linked to pointed that out over 1000 new businesses in the last few years opened up shop in NWI. Population is already growing at above national averages. It's not just NWI's Chicagoland location benefitting it...but the entire state of Indiana has become a Midwest growth leader. The Region finds itself in a very sweet spot.

The growth rate in southern Lake County is already at sun belt booming levels.

The key will be for the older urban cities of Lake County to reverse the decades of decline and it is my opinion that is already happening. Hammond is particularly a hot market atm. If East Chicago and Gary can bottom out and even start to grow again, NWI will indeed continue to grow at faster than national rates.

https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/...ce=mp-homepage

[RegionAire]

I live in the Region. I see the construction and the moving vans from both residents and companies moving here. That's fantastic and bodes well for the future. But if you think we are the second coming of Naperville as an end point, you might want to cut back on the caffeine and stop throwing around the term "booming". We make stuff here well, and we medically treat people here well. That's about it. Other than a few localized pockets, a vibrant urban scene doesn't seem to be valued by Regionites for a variety of reasons. And we're sort of proud to not play that game.

[midwest1]

I get what you are saying...to an extent. But if you don't see a percolating mini-urban Renaissance in the Region...you aren't really paying attention. Valparaiso alone...if located on the Illinois side of the metro...would easily be considered one of the best walkable downtowns in all Chicagoland.

Add in a set-to-boom downtown Michigan City, a thriving Crown Point, other walkable districts in Highland/Hobart...in addition to the older urban areas in Hammond and East Chicago...and yes, Miller in Gary...

And the Region is hardly bereft of potential "urban" hotspots. Sure the Region is gonna attract loads of folks in search of sprawlburb living...but I believe it has the potential to begin to attract new residents that value a walkable lifestyle at much lower price points than in Illinois. Although it is obvious that that price differential will gradually recede as demand/supply contine to favor Indiana.

[midwest1]

And outta curiosity I checked Naperville's census estimate for the period 2020-2022

Naperville did avoid most of Illinois' shrinkage..squeezing out a0.3% growth.

Compare that to Valparaiso's 1.2%, and Crown Point 's 1.6%.

I'll go out on a limb and predict Naperville will start to shrink this decade...unlike NWI.

[Kmanshouse]

Originally Posted by midwest1

And outta curiosity I checked Naperville's census estimate for the period 2020-2022

Naperville did avoid most of Illinois' shrinkage..squeezing out a0.3% growth.

Compare that to Valparaiso's 1.2%, and Crown Point 's 1.6%.

I'll go out on a limb and predict Naperville will start to shrink this decade...unlike NWI.

Naperville isn't building anymore. It's a mature suburb. Any growth will be apartments at this point, which I'd think most of them don't want.

There is nothing in NWI that compares to Naperville. You are talking about a 140K boomtown of mostly affluent people that's been on every "best of" list for many years. Nobody in Naperville ever even thinks about NWI, other than having to drive through it to get to the 3rd coast beaches in Michigan.

Indianapolis has a couple of suburbs that are more like Naperville. Carmel and Fishers.

But this is an NWI boosting thread.

[midwest1]

Naperville is still in Illinois .........

Have you ever been to Valparaiso? It is not in Illinois.

And that "boomtown" is barely holding steady population wise.

[Kmanshouse]

It already boomed. More people would be a bad thing.

[Kmanshouse]

Originally Posted by midwest1

Have you ever been to Valparaiso? It is not in Illinois.

Both children of one of my good friends go to Valpo. Cute town, I've heard. Very small, like 35K people. No need to visit, but I'm sure the locals are happy there. And none of them will go to Gary for fun, like, ever.

[midwest1]

Valpo is indeed only 35,000...but is surrounded by some of the most beautiful somewhat built-up uninorporated land in. Chicagoland, a sense Valpo is it's own sort central city, my guess is the "Valpo Area" would be more like 50-60,00....it feels much bigger in some ways.

Nearby Shorewood Forest is the wealthiest village in Indiana. In some ways Valpo is kinda merging with Chesterton, which is another charming Region town.

Tons of projects happening in Valpo, including this development by a Carmel-based developer.

https://ci.valparaiso.in.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1068

Valpo has the added benefit of being a short drive to the best beaches and only National Park in Chicagoland, which is important to naturaholics like me. Valpo itself has incredible parks.