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Hey there. I'm a young guy from LA originally but lived all over. Currently in Europe however plan to return to the US to set down some roots. I like Chicago, however the state of Illinois has some crazy ridiculous laws and insane taxes! Lol. I prefer to live in a suburb anyway however if I choose Chicago as the main city I would be looking at the areas surrounding it that aren't in IL. What I want to know is, do you feel like you're part of the Chicago area? Similar to how someone from Northern NJ or SW Connecticut would feel that they are connected to the NY area? I work from home so I wouldn't be commuting. I would like to live in a stable, safe and established community, the kind of place where someone would wan to raise kids, yet still not go mad from boredom if you aren't married/have children due to access to the core city.
As far as transit, you guys have the South Shore line yes? How reliable is it?
This is a curiosity question, you guys have similar accents to a Chicagoan? Or is it more standard Midwestern?
Hey there. I'm a young guy from LA originally but lived all over. Currently in Europe however plan to return to the US to set down some roots. I like Chicago, however the state of Illinois has some crazy ridiculous laws and insane taxes! Lol. I prefer to live in a suburb anyway however if I choose Chicago as the main city I would be looking at the areas surrounding it that aren't in IL. What I want to know is, do you feel like you're part of the Chicago area? Similar to how someone from Northern NJ or SW Connecticut would feel that they are connected to the NY area? I work from home so I wouldn't be commuting. I would like to live in a stable, safe and established community, the kind of place where someone would wan to raise kids, yet still not go mad from boredom if you aren't married/have children due to access to the core city.
As far as transit, you guys have the South Shore line yes? How reliable is it?
This is a curiosity question, you guys have similar accents to a Chicagoan? Or is it more standard Midwestern?
The answer can come from many different angles, and I think I'm speaking for most when I say this...
For NWI as a whole, yes I still think there's the connection to Chicago. We still get the Chicago media, pro-Chicago sports teams for the most part, and have many Chicago or Chicago suburb transplants that now live in Indiana. BUT, if you break it down by county, I think the answer is that it becomes less and less of a Chicago connection the further out you go. What I mean by that is that Lake County Indiana has without a doubt the Chicago connection. One could argue that towns like Lowell down south may not quite as much, but that's an outlier. As you head east to Porter County, you still for the most part have a Chicago connection but it's not as much as Lake County. FAR fewer people in Porter County work in Chicago or a surrounding IL suburb, when compared to Lake County who has quite a few. LaPorte County, to the east of Porter County... is pretty much on the border between "Chicagoland Indiana" and "small town rural Indiana" feel, with the exception of Michigan City perhaps.
So, that being said, if you were picking a place that is safe, kid-friendly, good for raising families, as well as having the Chicago connection feel, my recommendation would be to stick with Lake County, Indiana. If you're that interested I, and others, can recommend certain towns and areas within Lake County that might fit what you're looking for.
Yes, there is the South Shore train which I think is terrific for using once in a while for a trip to the city. Every day commuting on the South Shore may wear you down over time with the delays and such, but it's not bad.
Regarding the accents, most people are somewhere in between the hardcore Chicago accent and the midwestern accent. If you're a transplant from Chicago, of course the odds are that you'll have that accent. Born and raised in NWI, probably not quite as much of one. Just my observation...
Hey there. I'm a young guy from LA originally but lived all over. Currently in Europe however plan to return to the US to set down some roots. I like Chicago, however the state of Illinois has some crazy ridiculous laws and insane taxes! Lol. I prefer to live in a suburb anyway however if I choose Chicago as the main city I would be looking at the areas surrounding it that aren't in IL. What I want to know is, do you feel like you're part of the Chicago area? Similar to how someone from Northern NJ or SW Connecticut would feel that they are connected to the NY area? I work from home so I wouldn't be commuting. I would like to live in a stable, safe and established community, the kind of place where someone would wan to raise kids, yet still not go mad from boredom if you aren't married/have children due to access to the core city.
As far as transit, you guys have the South Shore line yes? How reliable is it?
This is a curiosity question, you guys have similar accents to a Chicagoan? Or is it more standard Midwestern?
As far as a quick answer, I think in general, those who live in Lake County feel the most connection to Chicago. Also, if you didn't know, the city of Chicago actually borders Hammond, IN for about 8 miles or so.
The following cities I would say are safe suburban areas that have a close connection to Chicago and I will include average travel time and mileage from the center of each town to downtown Chicago:
I work in the area so don't really use the south shore. I really do not ride the south shore often at all; however, I believe it is a benefit to the region and there is actually a proposal to extend the south shore south to Dyer and eventually further south to Saint John, Cedar Lake, and Lowell. Speaking of Cedar Lake and Lowell, even though those areas are growing and are in Lake County, they feel more removed from Chicago, culturally. However, people do commute from there, albeit usually to the south side industrial area of Chicago (such as the Ford plant).
Another town I would recommend is Crown Point. It is on the "south-east-central" location of Lake County. It is a very old town but it is growing very fast and has lots of new affordable home options while maintaining a great family friendly atmosphere. It is within an hour drive to Chicago but since you won't commute, that should not be a problem.
I could go on and on but hopefully some other residents will chip in!
There is also Porter County directly east of Lake County. It is much less densely populated and has three major areas (Portage, Chesterton, and Valparaiso). Portage and Chesterton are in the northern part of the county and Valparaiso is mostly in the central/southern part of the county. Valparaiso will take at minimum, 50-60 mins to get to the city, on a good day. Chesterton about 45 mins but it has a south shore station at Dune Acres. Portage has a station at Ogden Dunes. However, these stations are not in a central location in each town, so its not necessarily walkable.
Hey there. I'm a young guy from LA originally but lived all over. Currently in Europe however plan to return to the US to set down some roots. I like Chicago, however the state of Illinois has some crazy ridiculous laws and insane taxes! Lol. I prefer to live in a suburb anyway however if I choose Chicago as the main city I would be looking at the areas surrounding it that aren't in IL. What I want to know is, do you feel like you're part of the Chicago area? Similar to how someone from Northern NJ or SW Connecticut would feel that they are connected to the NY area? I work from home so I wouldn't be commuting. I would like to live in a stable, safe and established community, the kind of place where someone would wan to raise kids, yet still not go mad from boredom if you aren't married/have children due to access to the core city.
As far as transit, you guys have the South Shore line yes? How reliable is it?
This is a curiosity question, you guys have similar accents to a Chicagoan? Or is it more standard Midwestern?
You just had two of the best NWI posters answer you so I'm not sure what more I can add BUT ...
Accent? We don't have no stinkin' accents!
Seriously though, I'm a former Chicagoan (city proper thankyouverymuch) who now lives in Porter County. The typical Chicago accent that you're thinking of most likely (if you're picturing SNL Da Bears, for example) is more of a south-side accent. Which I still have - and proud of it.
Some people have a soft version of it, but the majority here in Porter County don't. Lots more in Lake County - mostly Hammond, Whiting, etc - do.
Chris & NWI have both given you viable living options for Lake County - I will recommend Chesterton if you're looking for more of a small town/rural feel. Quick access to the city with it being so close to the expressways, it has a South Shore train stop, good schools & community, very safe and is super close to the lakeshore and the dunes.
As for feeling a part of the Chicagoland area - yes, in Porter County we technically are. All of our media (tv, radio & newspapers) are really Chicago based. When it's election time, all we hear are Illinois politician ads. I don't think I knew who the Indiana governor was for a couple years when I moved here.
But Lake County is very much tied to Chgo/Illinois for work opportunities - here in Porter it's much less so. I only know a handful of people who commute to the city.
Thanks for all of the great replies!
I'm not commuting (my commute is from the bedroom to the living room) however I do not wanna feel like I'm isolated from the city. Like if I want to be able to go out it won't be too much of a hassle.
Which of the Lake County towns that you mentioned are the most upscale? With young families and couples etc.
Thanks for all of the great replies!
I'm not commuting (my commute is from the bedroom to the living room) however I do not wanna feel like I'm isolated from the city. Like if I want to be able to go out it won't be too much of a hassle.
Which of the Lake County towns that you mentioned are the most upscale? With young families and couples etc.
I'll take a crack at this for the Lake County towns, having lived in the area my whole life. Census figures may show it in slightly different order, but I think this is pretty accurate:
Most Affluent:
St. John and Munster, then
Schererville and Dyer, then
Crown Point
Real Estate Values -- same as above ranking
Most young families:
St. John and Crown Point, then
Dyer, Schererville, and Munster
The young families "ranking" can really mostly be attributed to the amount of new home construction in St. John and Crown Point. There's a lot of new new homes going up, and young families flock to those.
But, really, we're kind of splitting hairs here. All 5 of the towns I've mentioned are safe towns, family friendly, have a lot of young families, and are well above the local and state average as far as household income, real estate values, etc.
One other thing to mention... Dyer, St. John, and Schererville are considered the Tri-Town area. They all flow into the same school district (for the most part), and although they are different towns, they are usually grouped together in discussion.
if you are at all into nature...definitely check out the areas near the National Lakeshore. porter and Chesterton are well-placed in this regard, with access to the city via the South Shore. Personally I can't imagine not living near the beach/lake, and NW Indiana is blessed with some of the Midwest's most beautiful scenery in the Dunes.
I would 100% Agree that from your descriptions of wants/needs that you should be looking in the Munster/Tri-Town areas (Dyer, St. John, Schererville). Munster is probably the strongest housing value constant in the region with the Tri-Town areas ramping up in value at a pretty significant rate. Both areas are very close to the up and coming hub of shopping in the shopping centers of Main Street and US 41. And even the 'mall' over in Hobart is less than a 20 minute trip to/from.
These areas are closest to the Chicago region by car. If you would prefer the train, then it'd take a quick drive to get into Hammond (Adjacent town to Munster) to get to the South Shore stop.
I grew up just across the border in Illinois, but moved to Dyer (part of the Tri-Towns) about 4 years ago. I didn't look back and recently built in Cedar Lake. My choice was driven by a few different reasons, but 'more house for my buck' was the outlier for it, followed by potential growth in development and value as the close runner up.
With all the different infrastructure/shopping/entertainment development going on in the Tri-Towns, I don't think you'd regret moving to the area.
The answer can come from many different angles, and I think I'm speaking for most when I say this...
For NWI as a whole, yes I still think there's the connection to Chicago. We still get the Chicago media, pro-Chicago sports teams for the most part, and have many Chicago or Chicago suburb transplants that now live in Indiana. BUT, if you break it down by county, I think the answer is that it becomes less and less of a Chicago connection the further out you go. What I mean by that is that Lake County Indiana has without a doubt the Chicago connection. One could argue that towns like Lowell down south may not quite as much, but that's an outlier. As you head east to Porter County, you still for the most part have a Chicago connection but it's not as much as Lake County. FAR fewer people in Porter County work in Chicago or a surrounding IL suburb, when compared to Lake County who has quite a few. LaPorte County, to the east of Porter County... is pretty much on the border between "Chicagoland Indiana" and "small town rural Indiana" feel, with the exception of Michigan City perhaps.
So, that being said, if you were picking a place that is safe, kid-friendly, good for raising families, as well as having the Chicago connection feel, my recommendation would be to stick with Lake County, Indiana. If you're that interested I, and others, can recommend certain towns and areas within Lake County that might fit what you're looking for.
Yes, there is the South Shore train which I think is terrific for using once in a while for a trip to the city. Every day commuting on the South Shore may wear you down over time with the delays and such, but it's not bad.
Regarding the accents, most people are somewhere in between the hardcore Chicago accent and the midwestern accent. If you're a transplant from Chicago, of course the odds are that you'll have that accent. Born and raised in NWI, probably not quite as much of one. Just my observation...
I don't see much of a connection to Chicago at all, Michigan city actually seems like a mix of some Michigan lake town like south haven more so than it does chicago, the rest surrounding is farmland and run down houses, the only thing that remotely feels chicago is the fact that the south shore line goes through Michigan city to chicago, I would refer to nw indiana more like a sleeper town that commutes into the city but that's a very very small part, it's like where I live now in Pensacola, it's close to mobile and while we have a southern culture and atmosphere here, we don't consider ourselves part of alabama, although some joke about the panhandle being part of lower alabama.
I don't see much of a connection to Chicago at all, Michigan city actually seems like a mix of some Michigan lake town like south haven more so than it does chicago, the rest surrounding is farmland and run down houses, the only thing that remotely feels chicago is the fact that the south shore line goes through Michigan city to chicago, I would refer to nw indiana more like a sleeper town that commutes into the city but that's a very very small part, it's like where I live now in Pensacola, it's close to mobile and while we have a southern culture and atmosphere here, we don't consider ourselves part of alabama, although some joke about the panhandle being part of lower alabama.
Michigan City is nothing like South Haven.
And that's the least of your problems in your posts regarding NWI ... you really have no idea of what you speak.
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Lake County
