Schererville (Merrillville, Munster, Dyer: real estate, houses, buy)

[Crocostimpy]

Hello all. I just found this site while doing some research for a job relocation and thought I would ask a question or two. It's always great to talk to real people who actually live there when researching a city.

I am going to be taking a job in Alsip IL. We will be moving from the York PA area. We're doing the usual research on southwest Chicago suburbs, and decided to look into Indiana. I was delighted to find that some areas of NW IN have a slightly less COL than our current York area, and can be significantly less than Chicago suburbs. We were also pleasantly surprised to find some houses in the 2,400 sq.ft. range affordable; which for us means less than 250k.

So, question one: What's a realistic drive time from Schererville to Alsip? It looks like maybe 41 up to I-80, over to 294, and up to Alsip. That looks like about 35 miles. I'd like to not spend more than 45 minutes on a commute. Does that sound doable? Is the traffic on 80 and 294 bad during rush hours? Is 80 a toll road there?

Second question: I've been checking schools on homefair.com. Schererville schools get an 'above average' rating. But I notice that there's no high school listed. Is the high school in another district?

Last question: Does Schererville have it's share of 'big box' stores? Target, Walmart, Lowe's, HD, etc.?

Sorry for being long-winded. If it's bad form to ask so many questions in one post I can break them up.


Mike

[domergurl]

Lake Central is the school system that feeds off Schererville for the most part. Be careful though, school boundaries change street by street. You have Schererville, Dyer, Merrillville, St. John all smashed together. Go to Northwest Indiana is Calling You Home! for a great real estate site specifically tailored to NW Indiana. Lake Central Schools are good, so you should be ok.

I can't really speak to the commute though sorry, I was a train traveller when we lived up there.

Big box stores galore!!! There's a major shopping hub at I-65 and US 30 as well as a lot of shopping along US 41 ... you'll not have any problems there. Plus, you have Chicago less than an hour away ... lucky you

[artemis]

You would take Rt 30 West to I-394.

Go North on 394 about 4 or 5 miles.

Hook up with I-294.

Take 294 to the exit closest to your job.

394 is better than taking Rt 41 up to 80-94. You'll by-pass a lot of traffic by taking 394.

[WildWestDude]

The commute times depends on the time of day.
The above directions will avoid traffic on I80-94
I-294 is indeed a toll road. 45 min is possible on a good day, but think more like an hour.
Munster and Scherrerville have some great schools.
Taxes and overall cost of living is lower in Indiana.

[artemis]

80-94 is always a mess. Avoid it if you possibly can. There are many tolls in and around Chicago. Can't get away from them.

I can remember a time when traffic didnt move for hours. It seems that a semi turned over that was hauling pigs. There were pigs everywhere !!!

[Crocostimpy]

Thanks for the replies and information. An hour commute is a little more than what I wanted, but may be worth it for the lower COL and such. We'll have to look hard at it.

I see that Munster is closer to the border, but from what I've read in some other threads, may be more expensive real estate-wise, and kind of snobbish. I don't know. Maybe that's just some people's opinions though.

I'll check out the above real estate site. It's kind of hard to get a feel for what the market is by looking at websites. We will be talking with agents in a few areas this coming week. We should start getting a better idea then.

Thanks again all.

Mike

[WildWestDude]

Munster might have the best schools in the whole state and is now fully urban and lacks the country feeling of other communities in NW. Indiana Houses might run a bit more but I believe its worth it.

[JoeyBLS]

The commute from Schererville to Alsip is only 30 minutes, I do it everyday. US-30 West to I-394 (6 miles) North to I-294 West (5 miles) to 127th Street/Cicero Exit (12 miles).

Lake Central High School is the high school for Schererville and it is a very good school.

Lots of big box stores. Schererville has Walmart, Home Depot, Menards, Lowes, Circuit City, Target. Every major retailer is within 10 minutes of Schererville. Schererville really is a great places to live. Recently ranked #71st Best Place to Live in the U.S.

[Crocostimpy]

We will most probably buy a house in the Schererville area. I've looked at quite a few houses in the area, and in my opinion you get a good deal more house for the money compared to the SW Chicago suburbs. And although the IN property taxes have gone up for this year, most are still well below IL.

A 30 minute commute is great, but I think that depends where in Schererville you live. I've driven right from work there to look at houses, and if I'm heading to the east side of town it takes more like 45 minutes. Still a good tradeoff in my opinion though.

And your right, there's plenty of stores and restaurants. It's funny because in the place I'm moving from, York PA, Rt. 30 is the main drag through town and that's where the majority of shopping, etc. is. Just like in Schererville. Cue the Twilight Zone theme. : )

[WildWestDude]

Originally Posted by WildWestDude

Munster might have the best schools in the whole state and is now fully urban and lacks the country feeling of other communities in NW. Indiana Houses might run a bit more but I believe its worth it.

Oops let me clarify myself, meant to say Munster homes might run a bit more but I believe its
worth it

And yes travel times run between 30-45 min as stated. It all depends on your point of origin. Still good compared to other commuting times in the greater area.