Are Kenosha, WI and Gary, IN Chicago suburbs? (McHenry, Highland: school, bus)

[urza216]

Originally Posted by msamhunter

It's Yes and No, Chicagoland is considered Chicago and its immediate suburbs, NWI and Southern Wisconsin so in that since yes they can be considered suburbs but the area is a consolidated Metropolitan area that combines Kenosha-Rachine, Chicago and Gary-Hammond MSAs into one gigantic area. So while Kenosha and Gary can each be considered a "suburb" of some sort to Chicago, they also stand on their own as well as primary cities with their own set of suburbs

Hammond, Indiana is an "immediate suburb" in that it borders Chicago. I've never lived in any "immediate suburbs" in my life but I've always lived in Illinois.. And I don't see how Gary has its own suburbs in any way, shape or form. For instance, Schererville is more of a suburb of Chicago than a suburb of Gary. People in Schererville work, play and relocate to and from Chicago while Gary is just a place nearby that most Schererville residents try to completely avoid, lol.

I think the OP asked two very different questions and this is a problem if you attempt to answer them as one.

[Brssplr]

Originally Posted by urza216

For instance, Sherriville is more of a suburb of Chicago than a suburb Gary. People in Sherriville work, play and relocate to and from Chicago while Gary is just a place nearby that most Sherriville residents try to completely avoid, lol.

Sherriville? Where is that; I have never heard of it.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by Brssplr

Sherriville? Where is that; I have never heard of it.

Really? Where are you from? Not the south suburbs or Northwest Indiana, I'm guessing...?

It's right there on Route 30. If you're coming from Matteson or Chicago Heights, just keep on headin' east..

[Brssplr]

Originally Posted by urza216

Really? Where are you from?

It's right there on Route 30. If you're coming from Matteson or Chicago Heights, just keep on headin' east..

You must be referring to Schererville; I'm not aware of a suburb called "Sherriville."

[urza216]

Originally Posted by Brssplr

You must be referring to Schererville; I'm not aware of a suburb called "Sherriville."

Yeah, it's hard to spell. Flossmoor is another one that's commonly misspelled.

[msamhunter]

The Gary-Hammond Metropolitan division is according the US Census Bureau is Lake, Porter, Newton and Jasper Counties in Indiana. The Chicago Metropolitan Division is Cook, Dekalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, McHenry and Will. Kenosha's is Lake County (Illinois) and Kenosha County, WI. Hammond is NOT in its technical term an immediate suburb of Chicago and neither is Schererville or Munster, or Highland, Griffith and the list goes on. In terms of location you could say a city like Hammond could be due to geography and the reach of the Chicago media market which goes all the way into LaPorte county.

[chicago103]

Originally Posted by whatyousay

The East Coast is not comparable, imo. The states are much smaller and much more densely populated.

To answer the OP's question, no. I do not consider either of those to be a suburb of Chicago. State boundaries may not mean much in the densely populated east coast, but the same doesn't hold true for the midwest.

That argument makes no sense. It makes no difference at all how big a given state is if you live right next to a state border. There are city of Chicago residents living on State Line Road, across the street from them is Indiana and there are residential areas in Indiana 1/2 mile away from them, heck many of them park their cars on vacant land across the street in Indiana. So in your view they park their cars in a different metropolitan area than where they live even though it is 50 feet away. It makes no difference if a state is 50 or 500 miles across if you are 50 feet away from the invisible line at edge the fact that the land mass you are standing in is rather large doesn't give that line any more magical powers.

There are other examples in the mid-west that you claim is so different from the east coast. Saint Louis has suburbs right across the Mississippi River from it in Illinois. There is Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas that literally border each other and make up the core cities of what is considered one metropolitan area. So the Midwestern states being larger makes no difference to the people living near the edges of those states. Now living near the geographic center of a Midwestern state does mean more than say living near the geographic center of New Jersey or Rhode Island. If you live in Indianapolis than yes you are far from a state border but if you live in Hammond, Indiana the state border means less to you.

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Originally Posted by whatyousay

The East Coast is not comparable, imo. The states are much smaller and much more densely populated.

To answer the OP's question, no. I do not consider either of those to be a suburb of Chicago. State boundaries may not mean much in the densely populated east coast, but the same doesn't hold true for the midwest.

Gary, IN to Chicaog loop about 31 miles (mapquest)
Kenosha, WI 57 miles

Technically I would consider Gary, IN a suburb some would argue
Kenosha no - too far north.

they are both in the footprint of the chicago msa for the census

The state of Indiana is literally across the street in Chicago's SE neighborhoods

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Originally Posted by chicago103

That argument makes no sense. It makes no difference at all how big a given state is if you live right next to a state border. There are city of Chicago residents living on State Line Road, across the street from them is Indiana and there are residential areas in Indiana 1/2 mile away from them, heck many of them park their cars on vacant land across the street in Indiana. So in your view they park their cars in a different metropolitan area than where they live even though it is 50 feet away. It makes no difference if a state is 50 or 500 miles across if you are 50 feet away from the invisible line at edge the fact that the land mass you are standing in is rather large doesn't give that line any more magical powers.

There are other examples in the mid-west that you claim is so different from the east coast. Saint Louis has suburbs right across the Mississippi River from it in Illinois. There is Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas that literally border each other and make up the core cities of what is considered one metropolitan area. So the Midwestern states being larger makes no difference to the people living near the edges of those states. Now living near the geographic center of a Midwestern state does mean more than say living near the geographic center of New Jersey or Rhode Island. If you live in Indianapolis than yes you are far from a state border but if you live in Hammond, Indiana the state border means less to you.

He has no clue how close parts of NWI are to the far se sections of Chicago.
For that matter over half of Chicagos residents do not claim this fact either


People from the south burbs know this but alot of the chicago residents dont claim the fact Indiana being so close in proximity.

that is my observation
Then you have the NWI people who like to complain about illinois but work in chicago and then come over the state line for a long list of reasons!
It is like they bash Chicago but forget they work there and want commuter lines going into Chicago etc.. The whole situation is messed up

[pvande55]

Originally Posted by Brssplr

You must be referring to Schererville; I'm not aware of a suburb called "Sherriville."

Perhaps Schererville and Merrillville will merge someday, and the new name for both will be Sherriville.