Are Kenosha, WI and Gary, IN Chicago suburbs? (Joliet, Gurnee: transplants, buy)

[mas23]

Originally Posted by svillechris

There is no right or wrong answer to this, and you will probably get different answers from each person that responds. The "what is a suburb" type of question is just too subjective.

Kenosha is 62 miles from Chicago, Gary just 32. Not sure why you chose Gary to ask about in your question, but there are other towns in Northwest Indiana that are closer to Chicago than Gary, such as Whiting which is 18 miles away.

Another point worth considering is that, based on my experiences, people in SE Wisconsin don't consider themselves as part of Chicagoland (not all, but most), whereas those in NW Indiana absolutely do consider themselves part of Chicagoland. People from Kenosha are more proud of being from Wisconsin than those from NW Indiana want to be a part of Indiana. Also, there are several counties in NW Indiana that get the Chicagoland media, and this is likely one of the main reasons why they associate themselves with Chicago.

I think it's also safe to say that MANY more people from Gary (or NW Indiana in general) work in Chicago. I don't think nearly as many people live in SE WI and work in Chicago.

But again, it depends on who you ask, and what that person's definition of suburb is.

Gary is actually only like 8 miles from the illinois/chicago border. So its closer than alot of "true" burbs.

mas23

[mas23]

Originally Posted by allen2323

Anyway, what about Bourbonnais? Do most people consider Bourbonnais to be a far southern suburb? I kinda do. It's only 20 minutes south of monee.

No

[US-Traveller]

Lake County, IN and Kenosha County, WI are considered by the Census Bureau to be part of the Chicagoland area. There are a large number of commuters in both of those communities.

These areas being a part of the Chicagoland area is no different than North Jersey and SW Connecticut being a part of the New York area or Orange County being a part of Greater Los Angeles.

[allen2323]

Originally Posted by US-Traveller

Lake County, IN and Kenosha County, WI are considered by the Census Bureau to be part of the Chicagoland area. There are a large number of commuters in both of those communities.

These areas being a part of the Chicagoland area is no different than North Jersey and SW Connecticut being a part of the New York area or Orange County being a part of Greater Los Angeles.

Bourbonnais is also part of the chicagoland area according to the census.

[Tex?Il?]

Gary, IN is absolutely part of Chicagoland, although maybe not a "suburb" per se. Chicagoans don't want to claim it as their own, even though it is absolutely part of it. (Although I find it funny that although Chicagoans don't want to claim Gary as their own, they are not so quick to disown the west and south sides of the city proper, even though the west and south sides have some similar to Gary, just less bombed out and less abandoned).

Kenosha is debatable, although officially Kenosha county is part of the metro area. Its essentially what I call "Chiwaukee"

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by urza216

Kenosha, WI? Never heard of it until a year ago.

East Chicago, Indiana borders Chicago, Illinois. Gary borders East Chicago.

Gary.. Kenosha. Kenosha.. Gary. Two completely different questions.



This.

Actually, East Chicago does not border Chicago. Hammond does. If you look at the city boundaries, you can see that. It does make sense to think that E.C. would share a border though.

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by allen2323

Anyway, what about Bourbonnais? Do most people consider Bourbonnais to be a far southern suburb? I kinda do. It's only 20 minutes south of monee.

I think MOST people would consider Gary a suburb WAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY before Bourbonnais. I mean, it doesn't matter if one hates Gary with all their heart, it is just geographically absurd to think Bourbonnais would be a suburb before Gary. You might as well include De Kalb, and Michigan City as well (or heck, even South Bend).

[scout66]

I grew up just outside of Chicago (Oak Lawn) but now live in SE Wisconsin. The hubs works in and around the Chicago area and we still consider this Chicagoland. But don't consider ourselves living in a Chicago Suburb. I think that if we were born and raised here, we'd consider our area a suburb of Milwaukee not Chicago. We are mid way between the two.

[allen2323]

Originally Posted by Northwest Indiana

I think MOST people would consider Gary a suburb WAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY before Bourbonnais. I mean, it doesn't matter if one hates Gary with all their heart, it is just geographically absurd to think Bourbonnais would be a suburb before Gary. You might as well include De Kalb, and Michigan City as well (or heck, even South Bend).

It's fairly built up in Bourbannais with a decent amount of middle income homeowners who purchased new houses in the area. A pretty nice middle class area overall that now has more of a rural suburban feel. It's not very far from the far southern and sw suburbs. But, it's definitely more connected to the chicagoland south and sw suburbs then to downtown chicago. A strait shot down I-57 will have you there within 25-30 minutes from the sw and far southern suburbs. I guess after considering it, the correct term for Bourbannais would be a chicagoland area. A good portion of new home buyers out that way work in the sw and far south suburbs. Considering the way that sw burbs in will county, and far south burbs like crete and monee have expanded, Bourbannais is really not that far out there as it once was. More corporations have relocated along I-294 in the past 10 years or so which is well within commutable distance from Bourbannais. Bourbannais now has more of a rural suburban feel than a townee feel that it used to have. Still not my cup of tea, but alot of folks like the more rural suburban feel.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by allen2323

Anyway, what about Bourbonnais? Do most people consider Bourbonnais to be a far southern suburb? I kinda do. It's only 20 minutes south of monee.

Driving on Route 50, Monee is about a half hour north of Bourbonais and twenty minutes south of Lincoln Highway. Manteno is about twenty minutes south of Monee. It's true that Bourbonais (like Matteson) is only three towns away from Monee but you have to account for the cornfields in between. And actually, it might be four towns away. I still can't tell the difference between Bradly and Bourbonnais. I call it Bradly-Bourbonnais because it's the same damn town. The city of Kankakee is clearly another municipality though.

Bourbonnais is kinda sort of a far southern suburb. Young people identify with Chicago but older folk don't consider themselves Chicago suburbanites at all. Kankakee County is a world onto itself. I think it would be accurate to say Boubonnais is a part of Chicagoland but not a suburb.