Would you consider NW Indiana if transit to Chicago improved? (Naperville: transplants, find a job)

[ajolotl]

Since I chose my own work site and am not likely to change it any time soon, I'm less sensitive to this issue. Also, I frequently work on the near south side (as well as the loop). For these reasons I did look at housing in Indiana, actually had a friend act as a guinea pig. The neighborhood was very nice as a residential neighborhood (can't recall the name but a hilly enclave along the lake with some very beautiful homes near south shore stop). The prices were good and taxes low with a good sense of community and a good mix of people. In the end, though, it felt too far and too poorly served by the train, especially with young kids. Had there been a superior transit option it might have tipped the scales.
Can only speak for myself.

[kindrakindra]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I've been to towns like St. John and others you mention. Admittedly, not in a while, but this is your chance.

Use a link to google or whatever and let's see the area that is like Naperville or Park Ridge or Elmhurst or Glen Ellyn or Wheaton or Deerfield or whatever.

Breakfast places with work-out mom friendly egg white and herb omelets, dress boutiques and hair saloons to stop in at on the walk back from the train.

A place that serves wine by the glass in five or more varieties and if they have music it is more likely smooth jazz than something from a juke box.


That is what sells folks that lived in Lakeview or Lincoln Park on the desirable suburbs as much if not more than Metra...

I know I can buy groceries, get my car fixed, pick up a tube of Crest. But I can also do that in Schiller Park, Alsip or Hodgkins. That is not the competion that makes sense to have massive outlays for infrastructure improvements to capture...

Great points, Chet. And don't forgot the Whole Foods.

[Chicagoland Lover]

To be honest...NWI isn't really even all that to write home about. It will probably end up just like the southern suburbs to the west. Infact, the south burbs were just like what NWI is today about 25-30 years ago. Face it people, CHEAP HOUSING, LOWER TAXES, OLD FACTORIES, and the like attract lower income. The south burbs and NWI are not nice areas to invest your money in.

[Chuckity]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I've been to towns like St. John and others you mention. Admittedly, not in a while, but this is your chance.

Use a link to google or whatever and let's see the area that is like Naperville or Park Ridge or Elmhurst or Glen Ellyn or Wheaton or Deerfield or whatever.

Breakfast places with work-out mom friendly egg white and herb omelets, dress boutiques and hair saloons to stop in at on the walk back from the train.

A place that serves wine by the glass in five or more varieties and if they have music it is more likely smooth jazz than something from a juke box.


That is what sells folks that lived in Lakeview or Lincoln Park on the desirable suburbs as much if not more than Metra...

I know I can buy groceries, get my car fixed, pick up a tube of Crest. But I can also do that in Schiller Park, Alsip or Hodgkins. That is not the competion that makes sense to have massive outlays for infrastructure improvements to capture...

Truth be told, Munster & Valpo come closest to your description.

But which came first, the train or the egg white?

Seriously ... did the pinky in the air places come first and the train followed or was it the other way around?

[pvande55]

By the time the last trains to Valparaiso ran, they only made one round-trip a day. It is too bad the funding could not be found to save and improve the service and now it would cost many times that to being it back. Not to mention bring back the clientele, since it has been 20 years since it was an option.

[chet everett]

The same train line that have been in Hinsdale, Geneva, Highland Park and Barrington for about a hundred years have been in Cicero, Bellwood, Berkely, and Oak Lawn for just as long...

The egg white and tennis dress crowd is what you want as they go along with good schools, solid housing prices, good paying career based office employment.

Towns that have the desirable features of appropriate density to have a cute downtown, as opposed to overly dense residential blocks, and a boutique mix of offerings as opposed to run-of-the mill were not created just from the train line's presence. Deliberate zoning that goes back a century or more is not something to undo.

I gotta tell you that a while a town like say LaGrange or Western Springs did at one time have more folks than they currently do that worked in manufacturing related industries that once existed nearby, the reason they are thriving now has much more to do with the visual aspects of the street scene that locked in place mostly before WWII... If you compare / contrast these towns to adjacent areas in say Lyons or Westchester it is true they lack trains, but they also have an aesthetic and planning model that was baked into a post WWII model that included car-centric shopping districts, rather featureless architecture, and a overall feeling that fits more with the "radio-ola" or machine driven era than with an older more craftsmanly mindset that has proven more timeless than anything else...

[Chuckity]

Originally Posted by pvande55

By the time the last trains to Valparaiso ran, they only made one round-trip a day. It is too bad the funding could not be found to save and improve the service and now it would cost many times that to being it back. Not to mention bring back the clientele, since it has been 20 years since it was an option.

Eh, Valpo doesn't really want the train back anyway. I only brought it up since it was basically one of the two NWI towns that really matched chet's description.

Originally Posted by chet everett

The same train line that have been in Hinsdale, Geneva, Highland Park and Barrington for about a hundred years have been in Cicero, Bellwood, Berkely, and Oak Lawn for just as long...

The egg white and tennis dress crowd is what you want as they go along with good schools, solid housing prices, good paying career based office employment.

Towns that have the desirable features of appropriate density to have a cute downtown, as opposed to overly dense residential blocks, and a boutique mix of offerings as opposed to run-of-the mill were not created just from the train line's presence. Deliberate zoning that goes back a century or more is not something to undo.

I gotta tell you that a while a town like say LaGrange or Western Springs did at one time have more folks than they currently do that worked in manufacturing related industries that once existed nearby, the reason they are thriving now has much more to do with the visual aspects of the street scene that locked in place mostly before WWII... If you compare / contrast these towns to adjacent areas in say Lyons or Westchester it is true they lack trains, but they also have an aesthetic and planning model that was baked into a post WWII model that included car-centric shopping districts, rather featureless architecture, and a overall feeling that fits more with the "radio-ola" or machine driven era than with an older more craftsmanly mindset that has proven more timeless than anything else...

Truthfully chet, Munster completely fits the bill and I really hope that the train line is extended. Though it doesn't have a downtown "square" - for lack of a better term, as best as I can understand the town's plans, is that it would create the exact same vibe. Though the poster NorthwestIndiana is most definitely the most knowledgeable about Munster's aspirations. And with it's geographical proximity to the expressways and the state line, I think the train would add the missing link to an already desirable town.

Valpo, on the other hand, has the entire downtown square in place ... people seek out homes that are within walkable distance to the square (there's even a million + mansion on the market right now ... gorgeous), dining options are great, super cute specialty shops, movie nights & farmer's market during the summer, two community theatres ... it's a serious jewel in NWI. And the train lines run right on the edge of downtown - completely & totally walkable. But Valpo doesn't rely on Chicago & Illinois for jobs - so bringing the South Shore to Valpo isn't really high on anyone's list and the general vibe is that the community isn't a fan.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Northwest Indiana

Just so everyone is clear, the line that would run the West Lake Corridor is actually already there. However, it is only for freight and Amtrak right now. I don't believe that any new lines would need to be built. However, upgrades to the current lines would need to be made.

If we're talking about converting freight lines into commuter rail transit, Chicago is full of freight lines, many of which run through underutilized or economically disadvantaged areas. So why don't we convert those into commuter lines so we can encourage revitalization of already built up land close to the city center, versus spending the money to service distant areas that will likely lead to more sprawl -- i.e. the destruction of natural resources (farmland) and greater oil consumption (even when they have a commuter train, exburbs are generally not walkable)? Nah, that would make too much sense!

[JasmineFlower]

I think there's something more basic to consider. Many people moving to Chicago aren't looking to live in Indiana. Doesn't matter that NWI is part of Chicagoland, its Indiana. Connections and family in the area might be nonexistent, if you want to live in Chicago and the surrounding area, I think that means wanting to live in in Illinois. Now, I'm not saying some wouldn't move to Indiana, they would, and better transportation to that area is definitely a big bonus. But I don't know those people. The people I know who live in Chicago or would consider moving to Chicago, which are mostly young professionals and younger families, would we consider moving to NWI? As soon as it becomes something other than Indiana, we'll talk. I know several who live in Indiana, and they all took jobs in Indianapolis. If they were taking jobs in the Loop, they wouldn't live in NWI.

[BRU67]

Yea, kind of like living in Jersey when you work in NYC. It's generally looked down upon, though people do it because land is so expensive in NYC proper. Chicago, by contrast, has many, many square miles that need redevelopment, even exclusively of the south suburbs.

Maybe I'm as dense as a brick but I don't know how you can have this discussion without asking "why?" The problem with urban areas in the U.S. in general is that they really lack vision in terms of land use planning, so I understand why people are discussing this with a straight face. Not trying to be overly critical or mean but we need to break out of our narrow mindset of "oh, this area's nice let's build a train out there so more people will come!" and start looking at the bigger picture.