Would you consider NW Indiana if transit to Chicago improved? (Chicago Heights: living in, manufacturing)

[Broadrippleguy]

[quote=sunnyandcloudydays;20828334]

Originally Posted by Broadrippleguy

cause the other state is taking all the businesses.
Pat Quinn in some ways i feel sorry for Illinois/Chicago and some ways i don't If he is reelected in 2014 ill be poping the popcorn and watching Illinois turn into California #2. So well let time tell if i am right Illinois/Chicago's last opportunity to save itself from blowing all the businesses away is the next election.
But the ball is in Illinois hands its up to the voters to decide. heck CME group is talking about moving out of Illinois to another state.
Since i only have atm an avaiable chart of the cost of doing business in Illinois and Indiana well make a comparison between our 2 states.
A business has to make money or otherwise it gets bailed at (at your expense) or it closes its doors and people are unemployed.
Basic Business costs here is a chart based on a business with just 100 employees.
Per 1,000,000$ a business makes in taxable income they spend 30,000 more a year (Multibillion dollar corporations pay MILLIONS more in taxes)
Next expense for business is the main reason modern forge moved to Merriville Indiana. per 100 employees a business has to spend 136,000$ in workers compensation. Indiana that same business pays 47,000$ per 100 Employees. The Compensation rate is 1.23$ per hour compared to nearly 3$ per hour in Illinois. Finally Unemployment Insurance for 100 employees is 19k in Indiana compared to 42k in Illinois.
All i have to say is Illinois needs a Mitch Daniels to fix your business climate and balance the governments budget. There is more people like him out there you just need to find them and get them running for governor Hope this explains the full picture to why companies like Modern Forge are leaving Illinois.
I will add other factors are also used in a businesses decision to move or stay but the taxes aren't much of an arguement and gasoline prices aren't even worth getting into a dicussion about.[/QUOTE

Broadripple- you do not need to feel sorry for Illinois-
Illinois has a huge economy and the likes of Modern Forge leaving to Merrillville is nothing.

You also need to keep in mind companies do not fully pay the corporte tax rate . Most get huge breaks and incentives and have staff accontants to fatten the bottom line.

Part of the success of illinois business climate are things that you have not even mentioned

The resources we have here are incredible with colleges and world famous universities and medical schools.

Look at the major airports and the nations largest rail hub along with several of the busiest highways that criss cross the nation.

There is an incredible large talented labor pool along with a transportation network that is probably unmatched anywhere in the us.

Sure taxes are a piece of the picture but not the total picture.

There is a reason the area is or has attracted so many businesses because its a world class city and metro with world class amenities.

Ya but if obama gets his ways those (loopholes) will go away. I am all for tax reform under a simple code: Flat rate tax no need to take half the income of the rich person but not for the poor person flat rate % income tax NO LOOPHOLES! Corporate tax reduced federally to 20% all loopholes abolished/states should do the same.

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Originally Posted by BRU67

As Sunny points out, the RTA oversees the CTA (and Metra and Pace). Oak Park is in the RTA's service area. NW Indiana is not because the RTA was established by Illinois statute.

The RTA also serves DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties. So it would make more sense from the RTA's standpoint to expand the system further west and southwest into those areas before expanding it into another state outside the service area.

And IMHO, there is no reason to expand the service area when large parts of the existing one are underserved. Nothing against Indiana but we've got our own problems right now. If Indiana wants public transit into Chicago as a means of fostering growth in the NW region, then they should create a transit authority and fund it and pay for it.

Of course, since people in Indiana trump their low taxes, and isolation from other "City" issues, would they want to start going down that road? Do you think all residents of Hammond would want an easy L connection to Calumet City and the south side of Chicago? I think you'd get some pretty healthy debate on this.

The other problem Indiana would have entering Illinois is the schedules
Illinois would not step aside and lose money for the NICTD
If you look at morning rush hour say in hammond vs. homewood
there is 3 or 4 more trains leaving during peak hours 6-9 a

[pvande55]

I think another factor keeping people from moving there is the fear the employer will move to the NW suburbs. While commuting to the loop is not too bad with the South Shore, to O'Hare or beyond is an exercise in severe traffic delay.

[tlm12283]

Northwest Indiana has more problems than transportation. Poor school systems, poor higher education, poor amenities, poor retail, poor services, over-industrilized. It is like asking someone from Manhattan to move to Newark or worse Jersey City. Yuck. Thats why all the cheap condos on the WestSide face Jersey.

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by tlm12283

Northwest Indiana has more problems than transportation. Poor school systems, poor higher education, poor amenities, poor retail, poor services, over-industrilized. It is like asking someone from Manhattan to move to Newark or worse Jersey City. Yuck. Thats why all the cheap condos on the WestSide face Jersey.

huh , Jersey City is very nice these days and Newark is starting to turn around....

Jersey City


Jersey City Skyline (http://www.flickr.com/photos/42178139@N06/5992108965/ - broken link) by Nexis4Jersey09 (http://www.flickr.com/people/42178139@N06/ - broken link), on Flickr


Jersey City Skyline (http://www.flickr.com/photos/42178139@N06/5992109227/ - broken link) by Nexis4Jersey09 (http://www.flickr.com/people/42178139@N06/ - broken link), on Flickr

Newark...


100_9020 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/42178139@N06/4651505904/ - broken link) by Nexis4Jersey09 (http://www.flickr.com/people/42178139@N06/ - broken link), on Flickr


100_2329 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/42178139@N06/4977557659/ - broken link) by Nexis4Jersey09 (http://www.flickr.com/people/42178139@N06/ - broken link), on Flickr

[urza216]

Originally Posted by pvande55

I think another factor keeping people from moving there is the fear the employer will move to the NW suburbs. While commuting to the loop is not too bad with the South Shore, to O'Hare or beyond is an exercise in severe traffic delay.

A lot of the people who move to NWI are already living pretty damn far away from the Northwest Suburbs. So I suppose you could be right.

But just for the record, NWI is growing and gaining population..

[urza216]

Originally Posted by tlm12283

Northwest Indiana has more problems than transportation. Poor school systems, poor higher education, poor amenities, poor retail, poor services, over-industrilized. It is like asking someone from Manhattan to move to Newark or worse Jersey City. Yuck. Thats why all the cheap condos on the WestSide face Jersey.

What? The industry is in Gary, Hammond and East Chicago. This is only a part of Lake County, Indiana (the northern part). This alone shows you have no idea what you're talking about in the rest of your statement.. Most of NWI is just plain old suburbia. And the retail isn't bad. Have you ever even BEEN to Highland or the Southlake Mall area? I know people from my area drive a good ways just to go to the outlet mall in Michigan City, Indiana. Hopefully someone else like Northwest Indiana (the City-Data user) or Schererville Chris can cover the rest of your bogus claims.

[Vlajos]

No

[tlm12283]

Originally Posted by urza216

What? The industry is in Gary, Hammond and East Chicago. This is only a part of Lake County, Indiana (the northern part). This alone shows you have no idea what you're talking about in the rest of your statement.. Most of NWI is just plain old suburbia. And the retail isn't bad. Have you ever even BEEN to Highland or the Southlake Mall area? I know people from my area drive a good ways just to go to the outlet mall in Michigan City, Indiana. Hopefully someone else like Northwest Indiana (the City-Data user) or Schererville Chris can cover the rest of your bogus claims.

Schools with average to below average college preparation results, highways that flood and close down, one retail center serving 700,000+ people, one train line serving 700,000+ people, 3 hospital networks serving 700,000+ people, 1 highway and 1 bad toll road serving 700,000+ people, 1/4 of an airport serving 700,000+ people, 0 research institutions serving 700,000+ people attracting 0 Corporate Headquarters, 0 respectable institutions for Executive Education, neglible 1.6% decrease in income taxes, 1 town with a vibrant downtown, 0 museums, 1 semi-performance arts center, many reasons to choose Illinois and some to choose Indiana

[tlm12283]

As far as the education system in Northwest Indiana Munster's would be their best and it is not great. Whatever reason they choose the SAT over the ACT and the conversion is equivalent to an ACT of 23 at Munster High School.