Things you like about NW Indiana........ (Gary, East Chicago: home, safe neighborhood, new construction)

[WildWestDude]

Just state the things you like about NW Indiana....

Is it the weather, people? Anything that comes to mind......

[j33]

I like the dunes.

[LIS123]

IMHO, weather and people are actually two of NWI's weaker qualities. For people, I'm mainly referring to younger adults (under 35 yo). I don't know too many people beyond that range besides family friends. I've been pretty unimpressed with many of the younger adults, many of whom are unmotivated and will live either at home or near home for their entire lives. Their seems to be a pattern of poor decision making and overall lack of motivation/drive. It's surprising since we're so close to Chicago. Of course, plenty of exceptions do exist. My sense is that the bar is set low so people live up to that relatively low standard. There are tons of smart and hard working people who grow up here, but most of them leave when they become adults. This doesn't mean that the people here are not nice or friendly, but we have a stagnant environment (many locals who grew up here, not much economic growth, drive, etc) and it would be nice to be in a more pro-growth or ambitious environment.
Weather is bad as well.
There are good things though. First and foremost is convenience to Chicago while maintaining affordability. You can live in a nice home in a safe neighborhood without being rich. Our taxes, gas and general costs are much lower than IL. I hate having to drive everywhere, but it's nice that most things are fairly nearby and there has been a lot of new construction (not just residential, but commercial as well). Eventually, I'll complain about TOO MUCH new construction, but we haven't quite gotten there yet (soon, though!)
Overall, it's a nice place to live once someone has settled down. For younger single people, it's horrible.

[tomterriffic]

I don't mind the weather all that much in NWI. I lived in Alabama during a good deal of my childhood and then we moved to NWI. I like the great Springs and very nice Falls in the area. Much better than the Alabama heat and humidity 8 months of the year.

As far as people being unmotivated and lack of motivation drive, you may have something. People who grew up there may suffer from pollution issues. Maybe even mercury and lead poisoning. These things can greatly affect a person. I recall seeing some days in Gary and East Chicago where the air sparkled with steel flecks and the smokestacks were strongly belching black plumes. Whiting had the refineries and always seemed extremely polluted.

Tom T. Rriffic

Originally Posted by LIS123

IMHO, weather and people are actually two of NWI's weaker qualities. For people, I'm mainly referring to younger adults (under 35 yo). I don't know too many people beyond that range besides family friends. I've been pretty unimpressed with many of the younger adults, many of whom are unmotivated and will live either at home or near home for their entire lives. Their seems to be a pattern of poor decision making and overall lack of motivation/drive. <snip> Weather is bad as well.