What is in the future of NWI?

[CGab]

Originally Posted by Northwest Indiana

I am not one to boast and brag about folks leaving Chicago for the burbs only because ideally, I would like ALL places to thrive. But this is an interesting article. The Parks family is moving from the Bronzeville neighborhood (where they were renting after selling their home in the South Shore neighborhood) to a new home they are building in St. John. So when we talk about "What is in the future of NWI?" I do see growth from people from all walks of life but mostly the middle class. This also highlights why great schools, accessibility to jobs, and safe surroundings are essential to a thriving area. Sure, the family could have stayed in Illinois and moved to a host of other communities and found the same thing, but they would have paid way more to do so. I really do hope that they see the happiness they are looking for and that they are welcomed to their new community with no issues. Unfortunately, we know that in many cases, people trade one issue for another when they move. But I truly wish them the best.

South Shore, once thriving, struggles amid economic erosion and crime

I wonder where in St. John they are building? We moved last year from Plainfield and purchased a spec home by Olthof in North Point. The subdivision is still building and MANY minorities have moved into the subdivision in the last few months. Half the subdivision is custom homes and the other half was land that was purchased by Olthof a few years back to finish out the subdivision. They just started the last phase which will be 31 homes. Prices starting to build (without options) at $240k and all in around $330K. Which for a new build is quite cheap for St. John.


I'm outside a lot with my children so I meet most of the new people moving in as they usually stop to say "Hi" and ask about the builder and the area. In the last 8 months they built about 15 homes and out of those 7 have been to minority families (either black or Hispanic). Most coming from Illinois. There was one family from Michigan and one from Indiana. It seems the minority families are coming from Chicago, Chicago Heights and Joliet. whereas the white families moving in are from Downers Grove, Tinley Park, Lansing, Plainfield (us) and other parts of Indiana.


Everyone so far has been nice and I'm happy more people from Illinois are moving here, and I have no problem with a diverse neighborhood; however, with Olthof offering the cheapest "New home build" option, I'm wondering if that is attracting more minorities than white families to parts of St. John where the town in the past has been predominantly white. The minorities moving in seem to be white collar workers with good family values which s also a plus!


Thoughts?

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by CGab

I wonder where in St. John they are building? We moved last year from Plainfield and purchased a spec home by Olthof in North Point. The subdivision is still building and MANY minorities have moved into the subdivision in the last few months. Half the subdivision is custom homes and the other half was land that was purchased by Olthof a few years back to finish out the subdivision. They just started the last phase which will be 31 homes. Prices starting to build (without options) at $240k and all in around $330K. Which for a new build is quite cheap for St. John.


I'm outside a lot with my children so I meet most of the new people moving in as they usually stop to say "Hi" and ask about the builder and the area. In the last 8 months they built about 15 homes and out of those 7 have been to minority families (either black or Hispanic). Most coming from Illinois. There was one family from Michigan and one from Indiana. It seems the minority families are coming from Chicago, Chicago Heights and Joliet. whereas the white families moving in are from Downers Grove, Tinley Park, Lansing, Plainfield (us) and other parts of Indiana.


Everyone so far has been nice and I'm happy more people from Illinois are moving here, and I have no problem with a diverse neighborhood; however, with Olthof offering the cheapest "New home build" option, I'm wondering if that is attracting more minorities than white families to parts of St. John where the town in the past has been predominantly white. The minorities moving in seem to be white collar workers with good family values which s also a plus!


Thoughts?

In general in the western part of Lake County, the vast majority of the Black families that have moved here have been from Chicago or south suburbs. In NWI, most of the Black families that do have money still move to Merrillville but also to Crown Point and Winfield. To be honest, most Black families from Gary area see places like St. John, Cedar Lake, especially Lowell, and up until maybe 15 years ago, Crown Point as a "no fly zone" even when they could afford it. Places like Munster and Highland were not seen like that as much but with the prices being higher for the type of home available, many folks would be upgrading in price but downgrading in house as opposed to if they moved further out. Folks coming from Illinois just see less expensive housing and taxes and are more willing to settle in areas that native NWI folks may still not consider. Surprisingly, a lot of the growth in Black population in Winfield has been people from Illinois just as much as Indiana. Saint John will definitely still be the least diverse area out of the tri-town municipalities; however, the more accessible NEWER neighborhoods will likely be more diverse than the older neighborhoods both cheaper and more expensive. Now neighborhoods like Lake Hills are somewhat diverse as well ethnically but economically, much less stratified as everyone is likely white collar or small business owners (or work in the mill). I still believe that the sharpest growth in Black population will be in Crown Point. Although a small sample, a bunch of my Black coworkers live in CP or plan on moving there when they upgrade. The ones that do not live there either live in Gary, Merrillville, or EC. All white collar, middle class professionals as well. Now, most have stayed in the northern part of CP which is zoned to Merrillville schools but with the growth in Winfield and now in the southern part of CP, there is going to be more visible change in the schools. Remember that Merrillville's demographic changes were very sharp over a short period of time. Many Black people also do like places like Munster and Dyer for the conveniences and schools but consider them to be "overpriced" for what you get especially since you won't get new construction for under $450K at the absolute least. There is no new construction in Munster that are at Olthof prices. But you can still get awesome schools elsewhere for cheaper newer housing. I just hope that the local populace doesn't "freak out" due to PROFESSIONAL minorities moving in. In the tri-town area, the most diverse areas seem to be Hearthstone/Village Circle in Dyer and Foxwoods in Schererville.