Living in Munster - Commuting to Loop (Gary, Hammond: rent, condo)

[Renaissance123]

Hello, I'm new to this forum and wanted to ask a question that appears to have been asked in the past, but I'm seeking current information.

My family is looking to buy a home in Munster because of its proximity to downtown Chicago. Sure, Chesterton and Porter and Valpo look lovely, but my husband would go insane with that commute. So, I figure we could possibly make Munster work where we aren't paying outrageous IL property taxes and still have a reasonable commute.

In terms of the Hammond station, I see parking is free. Do you run into issues finding a parking spot if you arrive after a certain hour? Also, since we'd be coming from Munster, I believe we'd take 41 North since most homes we are looking at wouldn't be too far at all. Most homes we've looked at are 5-6 miles from the Hammond station. It says about 10-11 minutes on googlemaps. Is that realistic in the am around 6:30am and then returning at night around 515pm? I don't want to get excited about Munster and then have the drive turn out to be a crawl that takes a lot more time than advertised!

If anyone does this commute daily, I'd appreciate thoughts. Thanks

[Broadrippleguy]

Originally Posted by Renaissance123

Hello, I'm new to this forum and wanted to ask a question that appears to have been asked in the past, but I'm seeking current information.

My family is looking to buy a home in Munster because of its proximity to downtown Chicago. Sure, Chesterton and Porter and Valpo look lovely, but my husband would go insane with that commute. So, I figure we could possibly make Munster work where we aren't paying outrageous IL property taxes and still have a reasonable commute.

In terms of the Hammond station, I see parking is free. Do you run into issues finding a parking spot if you arrive after a certain hour? Also, since we'd be coming from Munster, I believe we'd take 41 North since most homes we are looking at wouldn't be too far at all. Most homes we've looked at are 5-6 miles from the Hammond station. It says about 10-11 minutes on googlemaps. Is that realistic in the am around 6:30am and then returning at night around 515pm? I don't want to get excited about Munster and then have the drive turn out to be a crawl that takes a lot more time than advertised!

If anyone does this commute daily, I'd appreciate thoughts. Thanks

Are you moving from Illinois? Also ya alot of people take this commute daily I am not sure though if they rather take the Skyway or US 41. I guess you could try both and see which is faster.

[Renaissance123]

Originally Posted by Broadrippleguy

Are you moving from Illinois? Also ya alot of people take this commute daily I am not sure though if they rather take the Skyway or US 41. I guess you could try both and see which is faster.

Yes, looking to move from the Loop area - currently we rent a condo. We DO NOT want to drive hence my question on the South Shore commute and more importantly, the actual commute between Munster and the Hammond station.

[Broadrippleguy]

Originally Posted by Renaissance123

Yes, looking to move from the Loop area - currently we rent a condo. We DO NOT want to drive hence my question on the South Shore commute and more importantly, the actual commute between Munster and the Hammond station.

Well depending on convience you could drive. Consider that NWI only accounts for 500,000 of the Chicagoland Metro population and most of those people work in Gary/Hammond etc in NWI. So Traffic on I-90 wouldn't be as bad as say the Eisenhower Expressway. Plus you also have Lake Shore Drive to get you downtown.
Southshore does not run through munster i believe it goes through Hammond and Gary but you would still have to drive there and wait on the train.
All in all its still much cheaper in Munster to commute to the loop and pay the 50 Cent per gallon less in gasoline/Property Taxes etc than to stay in your condo

[artemis]

Originally Posted by Broadrippleguy

Well depending on convience you could drive. Consider that NWI only accounts for 500,000 of the Chicagoland Metro population and most of those people work in Gary/Hammond etc in NWI. So Traffic on I-90 wouldn't be as bad as say the Eisenhower Expressway. Plus you also have Lake Shore Drive to get you downtown.
Southshore does not run through munster i believe it goes through Hammond and Gary but you would still have to drive there and wait on the train.
All in all its still much cheaper in Munster to commute to the loop and pay the 50 Cent per gallon less in gasoline/Property Taxes etc than to stay in your condo

What is the commute time from Munster to the Hammond SS statiom?
Perhaps someone from Munster can answer this for her?

[Renaissance123]

Originally Posted by artemis

What is the commute time from Munster to the Hammond SS statiom?
Perhaps someone from Munster can answer this for her?

Thank you! Hoping someone can help. We are going to head over there this weekend but I would imagine the times would change during weekday rush hour.

[Northwest Indiana]

I live in the southeast area of town and to the Hammond station, it takes about 15 minutes during the morning rush (and due to stop lights and such). Any other time, it really varies. From the more central parts of town, it would take about 10 minutes or so.

[sportscrazed2]

I always take the East Chicago train the parking lot there is absolutely huge. Honestly if you plan on taking the train downtown from Hammond why not live a little farther north closer to the train station? There are some pretty nice parts of Hammond. Right off of Hohman by the Courthouse or by Purdue Calumet are really nice areas in my opinion. I do like that new centenial park they built in munster though. Spent some time reading there the other day and it was awesome. If you don't mind driving a little bit you could always take the metra as well. Homewood isn't that far of a commute and I often do that instead of south shore.

[sunnyandcloudydays]

hammond and munster are literally next door
its not a bad route to the hammond ss station
15 mins - eash way so you have 30 minutes a day just in getting to the station

i have never been to hammond and had trouble finding parking
but i would keep in mind with dwindling revenues
they may start charging for parking-just like the metra stations in illinois

to be honest i would do the commute on your day of work at the precise time to get a feel for that commute


munster is a nice village
the only thing i would caution you on is the south shore has a limited schedule to the loop

it simply does not have the same amount of slots running to the loop during rush hours as metra.

there are some advantages to living in illinois not to be overlooked
public transportation is one of them.

in my speculation in the next housing boom you will see a reverse back to the city due to job location and the cost of fuel etc.

munster is nice but its still along way from downtown chicago
espicially if you go there alot
be ready for your daily life to change into a commuter
its really a give and take to some the time saved on shorter commutes and living close to the city is worth the extra dime.

me and my wife are literally stuck in the burbs as we are underwater with our home and both commute and it just takes up alot and i mean alot of your time.
driving on the bishop ford and the dan ryan is a pain in rush
and limited trains on the ss is going to be the devil in the fine details.

Indiana is not a heaven so don't be misled by a realtor.
The realtors over there are constantly talking about the taxes and that is the majority of what they sell
they will sell that sizzle every day.

in all reality there is a reason people commute to the loop - because that is where the jobs are located or the west burbs
so just weight this decision careful.

Just to reason not everyone wants to be stuck on a train 5 days a week that can get old pretty quick espicially if your not used to it or you have children at home.
Its not like you can quickly get home for a dr. appt or a school appt or even a sporting event.

[km83]

My husband is a daily commuter, and I use to as well.

For a couple of years, we did the South Shore train, but I can say now for sure, that driving is so much easier and faster, and sometimes even be the same cost-wise.

Is there a particular reason you are leaning against driving and leaning more toward the train?

Some pros and cons...

Train:

Pros:
You don't have to actually drive (other than to the station), you just sit there

Where the train drops you off may be more convenient than where you'd have to park

You can get work done on the train- read a book, knit, talk, write, etc.

May be less than than the cost of driving if you have an older car or parking would be expensive

Cons:Schedule is not the greatest nor are there endless run slots- this may not work with your schedule, sometimes if you miss the train your screwed for an hour or more

Train may not drop off in a convenient location- and then you have to mess with bus, walking, taxi and related expenses to get to your location

Constant malfunctions- it seemed to us like the train was constantly breaking down, running behind schedule, or being delayed- especially in the winter. One time it was so broken down I had to come pick my husband up at the train station and drive him the rest of the way to work. The train always felt very unreliable to us, and our employers were never very happy with us when we were late to work on account of long train delays.

May be packed. You might have to stand the whole way home. Air conditioning/heating may not always be reliable. Might be a cramped, uncomfortable journey with people next to you driving you mad.

You have to deal with ticketing- either buying on the train, or getting a monthly pass, and then ticket checker has to validate ticket. Sometimes can be a pain if it's nearing the start of the next month, or if you forget your ticket.

Can take just as long as driving.. but usually longer. If you count the time getting from home to the station, time on train, and time from station to work- a lot of times it's a longer commute than if you just drove.

Driving:
Pros:

Your schedule is yours. You can leave home/work when you want to.

Depending on car you drive, and parking situation (some workplaces pay for parking, mine did) it may end up being cheaper than the train, or the same cost.

Comfortable, never crowded, you control the climate, no noisy neighbors.

More flexibility in route. If there is traffic or construction, you are not locked onto the tracks, and you can adjust your route accordingly to improve arrival time.

Never have to worry about missing the train.

Often faster than taking the train, even with traffic accounted for. (It takes us about 35-40 minutes to drive to Chicago from Munster).

Cons:
Could be more expensive.

Depending on when you leave home/work, traffic could be a pain in the butt. Adjust departure time to take best advantage of good traffic. If that's not an option, then you just have to adopt a zen attitude about driving in traffic, lol.

You can't sit back and read a book or write- you have to watch the road.

Increased car maintenance. Putting the extra mileage on your car might mean you need to do more upkeep on your car to keep it in good shape.

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Just some stuff to think about. From our personal experience- driving is WAY better than taking the train, but best of luck whatever you decide to do!