What's your favorite city in North West Indiana (South Bend, Gary: house, neighborhoods)

[Northwest Indiana Life]

Which city:

Gary? Hammond? Merillville? Valparaiso? Portage? Crown point?

Smaller cities: Schereville? Munster? Michigan city? Chesterton? Winfeild? Whiting? Remington? La Porte?

[iidreamtheaterii]

In it's current State, Crown Point is my favorite town in NWI at the moment.

Reasons:

The older historic Square is visually pleasing with plenty of restaurants, coffee shops, donut/bread shops around a beautiful old court house. Hard to beat. It hosts great 'gatherings' as well as keeps a constant old world feel.

If I didn't work downtown Chicago, this would have been my first pick. Staying away from the I-65 corridor was on my list of reasons why I didn't want to build a home that far east. I-394 felt less intrusive during harsh weather conditions (and this season has already shown this to be true). I also didn't want to be tempted almost every day to take the Toll Road into the city (or home). The cost is too much for me to justify.

There is so much new development both residential and commercial going right now both with high standards - not just development for the sake of development.

[skobabe8]

Originally Posted by iidreamtheaterii

If I didn't work downtown Chicago, this would have been my first pick. Staying away from the I-65 corridor was on my list of reasons why I didn't want to build a home that far east. I-394 felt less intrusive during harsh weather conditions (and this season has already shown this to be true). I also didn't want to be tempted almost every day to take the Toll Road into the city (or home). The cost is too much for me to justify.

Those were nearly identical reasons why we decided on Dyer near State Line Road. Not being forced to deal with I65 or 80/94 every day is a dream come true.

I would say my favorite are Munster or Crown Point. I've lived in both and each have lots of appeal.

[BridgetJones]

Crown Point! The old downtown area is great and very walkable--you get a lot of the same convenience as you would living in the city, but it's much quieter, cleaner, and costs a lot less. The locally owned businesses in the area are great--I'd much rather go to Prime than Outback or Tequila than Don Poblos! And all of the homes look so unique and beautiful--most have that wonderful character that you just don't find in newer homes. All of the festivals (there are so many!) and such are great too. It just has such a nice, old-fashioned small town feel to it that I love--it's really a great place to live.

I'll be honest though, I'm not a big fan of all of the new subdivisions and talk of building more and more strip malls everywhere. I'd rather the rural area remain rural, and people move into the older homes downtown rather than building new. There are plenty of shops just a quick 10 minute drive away in Merrillville, and we already have everything we need here, especially in the way of chains. I would love to see the movie theater on the square working again, and there are a few empty store fronts that it would be nice to fill--an ice cream shop would be great since What's The Scoop closed!

Valparaiso is really nice too, and has a similar old-fashioned small town feel to it. I also like Highland, near the downtown area, and LOVE Griffith's downtown area too (I'd be at Corner Cafe every day). Munster has some nice older areas I like, but it lacks a town center, but I suppose you could always walk over to Lansing, which I think has a very nice downtown. Schererville, Merrillville, Dyer, St. John all seem a little bland and basic, like they're just like any other suburb in any other place in the US. They're not bad, but I prefer a place with more personality

[iidreamtheaterii]

Originally Posted by BridgetJones

Munster has some nice older areas I like, but it lacks a town center, but I suppose you could always walk over to Lansing, which I think has a very nice downtown.

I grew up in Lansing and still stand by the downtown being the best of "the area" in terms of small downtowns. The lack of business types really has put a damper on that in the recent years, but still maintains the historic feel. I still go to the Good Neighbor Day Parade every year.

Lowell's downtown reminds me a lot of it in terms of the look. If Munster had that feel, it'd be by far my favorite of the lot.

[Northwest Indiana Life]

Good answer at iidreamtheaterii! I really like the Crown Point Courthouse and the Corn Roast every year. the downtown also has lots of little businesses and cafes.

[Chuckity]

Valpo ... entirely because of downtown.

Lots of great restaurants ... Pikks, Silver Spoon, Valley Kitchen, Parea + lots more. Figure 8 Brewery. Designer Desserts. South Bend Chocolate Factory. Old World Market. Blackbird.

Specialty shops.

Popcorn Fest.

Holly Days.

Valpo Brewfest.

Eat Up Wine Down.

The new Chocolate Walk which sold out in 15 minutes.

Central Park Plaza Market.

Outdoor movies & Rhapsody Music Festival in the summer.

Two live theatre venues: Memorial Opera House & Chicago Street Theatre.

ETA:

Splash pad! And soon to come ice skating rink!

[negativenancy]

I prefer Michigan City. Sure it may look rough, but it has many 'big box' stores and outlet shopping without the horrible crowds. Easy to get around.

[Northwest Indiana]

My favorite area is Munster because even though it is now a mature suburb, it has some of the most loyal residents in the area whom continue to invest and reinvest into the town...Developers know this and this is why the area has the most Redevelopment going on of any mature area in NWI. In the older neighborhoods, we are seeing more teardown activity due to people wanting a newer home in a more close in area. Despite the current financial issues with the school, Munster continues to maintain a top school district that is consistently ranked in the top ten statewide as well as ranked in a good position nationally. The main issue I have with Munster is the large amount of traffic, but a busy area is a prosperous one!

[meowlly]

My grandparents live in Valpo, as does my mom, and my sister went to Valparaiso University. My grandparents LOVE it there. It's quiet, there's nice shopping and places to eat, and not too far from Chicago. My sister, however, completely hated it. She felt like everyone there was very snobby, probably because lots of wealthy people commute from Valpo to Chicago. Valpo is youthful and trendy downtown, but that's about it.She felt the same way about Chesterton, but the population seems a bit younger there. She always says she feels like she can't go to the store in her sweats or she'll get stared or even scoffed at. She did like that she could ride her bike to Lake Michigan, though. She lives in LaPorte now, which is much more low-key. My mom likes that there's a lot of events for older people to do. She's involved in tennis and stuff. My grandparents are in some clubs, like Sons of Norway. So on the off chance you're Norwegian, you could hit that up. Lol. I recommend Laporte as far as small towns go. The Sunflower Festival is the best! And Mucho Mas is some of the best Mexican food I've ever had. If you're wanting a slightly bigger town, I'll echo everyone else and say Crown Point.