Should Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago become one big city?

[TaylorRothschild]

Originally Posted by msamhunter

The reason anyone has ever talked about merging Gary (and there have quite a few rumblings over the years) is because the GOP wants access to what Gary has, mainly the airport and the only real stretch of lakefront in Lake County.

Word on the street is the GOP actually wants to colonize Gary. Strip away her natural resources, exploit the natives, and use her coveted air strip to make air runs over nearby Chicago, where right wing propaganda leaflets can be easily distributed.

Hold the line, msamhunter! You're our only hope!

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by msamhunter

Typical south county thinking. Miller is fine where it is. Hammond is fine the way it is. East Chicago is fine the way it is. Yes the northern cities are going under some tough times but as I said in the previous post finger pointing and blame game is just that. Counterproductive and you are either part of the problem or part of the solution. I tell people the same thing I tell people who don't vote. If you are not going to try and make a difference **** (and no sunny not talking about you specifically), I don't want to hear people complain and complain and complain but not willing to lift a finger to try and make a difference. That goes for South county residents pointing the finger and North County residents who chooses to do nothing but b%#E$ and complain. For South County residents who talk the way they do and point the finger and we all know people that do this. I will say what my mother used to tell me. Be careful of how you treat people on your way up the ladder and the top because they will be the same ones you see on your way back down. We are one good deep recession from a lot of people who live nice in South Lake county from being out of their homes and away from that lavish lifestyle. NWI was luckier than some areas where you didn't have tent cities with this last recession but it doesn't mean it won't eventually hit them.

If anything, the state should undue its own illegal move and re add the 5 mile buffer south of 53rd since that's the only thing that was actually illegal under Indiana code.

Excuse me...South County Thinking???? I did not know that MUNSTER was in south county...and how do you know that I have not done anything to help try make a difference? I have volunteered for habitat for humanity to help build homes in Gary as well as volunteer at some homeless shelters. I may not be a Gary resident, but I have seen some of what happens in those towns. I also acknowledge the good things such as when a Gary resident was valedictorian of Notre Dame's 200? class. Or when children create groups to clean up the streets around the city. I have addressed the main issues of the area in other posts in the NWI forum, I said Miller needs to remove itself from Gary and Gary should break up into smaller areas, what was so bad about that? From what Gary residents have told me, they only truly feel like ONE community only when defending themselves against people from other towns talking about them...other than that, its "east side" vs "west side" "glen park" vs "miller" etc. So why not incorporate into smaller towns? Gary has the same boundaries it did in its heyday and is trying to support infrastructure that it really cannot afford to anymore. This is not south county pointing at north county or crap like that. This is just my honest opinion.

Why is it that Munster (and Highland) are pretty much the ONLY mature towns in Lake County that are NOT going downhill? Redevelopment potential. Munster knew that if they did not encourage redevelopment of older areas in town, that the population would move south to newer more affordable areas. So the redevelopment happening now justifies moving to this great town. Even south Hammond is good because there has been good redevelopment there (the schools are just holding the area back). Even Whiting (as a quaint village) has remained a charming place despite the refinery smell -- which personally, I don't mind...but tell me why places like E.C. and Gary have gone downhill...the number one reason is LACK OF GOOD DEVELOPMENT AND REDEVELOPMENT because of population shifts....you talk about south county pointing fingers at north county...what about NORTH county pointing fingers at SOUTH county like many people always do. I always here people say "well Gary wouldn't be like this is all those rich white folk didn't move south to Merrillville/Crown Point". And then when these same folk that left try to develop something to improve the area, they receive complaints because it is "not affordable" or blah blah blah....NEWSFLASH, an area cannot be 100% low income and survive...if Gary, Hammond, and EC wants to survive, they need to attract more middle-class and upper middle-class residents who will provide a larger tax base to pay for improvements.

One more thing....It is funny how the south county/north county boundaries seem more racially/economically defined more so that geographically...While people like to consider Munster (predominantly white and middle to upper middle class) SOUTH county, many people consider Merrillville (roughly 45% split Black/White with about 10% Hispanic population and more middle-class to lower-middle class) NORTH county...why is that?? I mean, really, I am surprised that northern Crown Point is not considered North county. And the northernmost border of Merrillville is at 53rd street which is pretty much Main Street (the south border of Munster)...very interesting...

And also, I always refer to places by name regardless of whether they are in north or south county....perhaps those who constantly define towns by where they lie are to blame? Both NORTH and SOUTH residents.