Are Kenosha, WI and Gary, IN Chicago suburbs? (Naperville, Elgin: college, live in)

[GodHelpsAll]

Just wondering. Looking into the Chicagoland area and just wondering if these two are Chicago suburbs depsite being in a different state.

[SJaye]

Having lived on the East Coast I have this to say...

There are some people here that put waaayyy too much emphasis on State Boundaries when determining what is a suburb of a city and what is not. I definitely believe Chicago's suburbs extend into Indiana. Gary does not fit the stereotype of a typical suburb, but it is closer to Chicago than Naperville , Elgin, and a number of other places people call suburbs without any argument.

Kenosha is farther away. I don't consider it a suburb, but I know there are some that do- primarily because of the METRA line and the proximity to some suburban job centers.

[AuDiBelle]

The East Coast is not comparable, imo. The states are much smaller and much more densely populated.

To answer the OP's question, no. I do not consider either of those to be a suburb of Chicago. State boundaries may not mean much in the densely populated east coast, but the same doesn't hold true for the midwest.

[TempesT68]

Neither would be considered suburban chicago

[Chuckity]

Kenosha is twice as far away from Chicago as Gary is.

With that being said, I don't consider either to be suburbs of Chicago.

I do consider Gary to be part of Chicagoland though.

[svillechris]

Originally Posted by GodHelpsAll

Just wondering. Looking into the Chicagoland area and just wondering if these two are Chicago suburbs depsite being in a different state.

There is no right or wrong answer to this, and you will probably get different answers from each person that responds. The "what is a suburb" type of question is just too subjective.

Kenosha is 62 miles from Chicago, Gary just 32. Not sure why you chose Gary to ask about in your question, but there are other towns in Northwest Indiana that are closer to Chicago than Gary, such as Whiting which is 18 miles away.

Another point worth considering is that, based on my experiences, people in SE Wisconsin don't consider themselves as part of Chicagoland (not all, but most), whereas those in NW Indiana absolutely do consider themselves part of Chicagoland. People from Kenosha are more proud of being from Wisconsin than those from NW Indiana want to be a part of Indiana. Also, there are several counties in NW Indiana that get the Chicagoland media, and this is likely one of the main reasons why they associate themselves with Chicago.

I think it's also safe to say that MANY more people from Gary (or NW Indiana in general) work in Chicago. I don't think nearly as many people live in SE WI and work in Chicago.

But again, it depends on who you ask, and what that person's definition of suburb is.

[Northwest Indiana]

I don't necessarily think of Gary as a suburb. But there are towns such as Munster, Schererville, Dyer, Highland, etc. that I would consider suburbs. Gary used to be a place where the majority of people lived AND worked there and did not typically rely on Chicago as much. Even now you would be hard pressed to find many people in Gary who work in Chicago. However, compared to SE WI, Gary would have many more Chicago commuters given its size. On the other hand, the other towns I listed have grown primarily as bedroom communities of Chicago and I would call them suburbs. The only people from the other towns I listed that go into Gary are usually the few who still have jobs at the steel mill. The majority of growth in the other towns have been professionals who work in Chicago and these towns are dependent on Chicago more so than Gary is.

Also keep in mind that Chicago does share a border with Indiana and while folks in the IL side might think we are a world away from Chicago, we can honestly say that we are literally right next door and closer to Chicago than half of them.

Regarding Kenosha, one of my college friends from Pleasant Prairie (just over the IL/WI border and near Kenosha) and says that it kind of depends on who you are talking to. If you are speaking with an older resident, they tend to think of Kenosha as being more isolated and just "on its own" and never referencing it as being near (or a suburb of) Chicago....If you talk to younger kids, they tend to say "a little over an hour north of Chicago"...I guess that is a way to say you are near Chicago without actually calling yourself a suburb. She also said that many new residents in her town from Lake County, IL are starting to refer to Pleasant Prairie as a suburb (somewhat to the dismay of long-time residents lol).

[urza216]

Kenosha, WI? Never heard of it until a year ago.

East Chicago, Indiana borders Chicago, Illinois. Gary borders East Chicago.

Gary.. Kenosha. Kenosha.. Gary. Two completely different questions.

Originally Posted by Northwest Indiana

Also keep in mind that Chicago does share a border with Indiana and while folks in the IL side might think we are a world away from Chicago, we can honestly say that we are literally right next door and closer to Chicago than half of them.

This.

[tonythetuna]

Originally Posted by urza216

Kenosha, WI? Never heard of it until a year ago.

Man, you have never been to Wisconsin? Please tell me that is not the case. By the way, do you have any pics to put in the Suburban blizzard thread?

[urza216]

Originally Posted by tonythetuna

Man, you have never been to Wisconsin? Please tell me that is not the case. By the way, do you have any pics to put in the Suburban blizzard thread?

I used to go to Williams Bay in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin every summer of my life from infancy to age 19. I didn't have my drivers license until I was 19 afterward and I just didn't pay attention to such things.

It's funny because a year and a half ago, me and a buddy were driving to a northwest suburb for a concert and I saw this one building and was like, "Holy crap, I used to see this on the way to Lake Geneva, haha".


No, I don't have any pictures. I prabobly should have taken a couple with my phone yesterday but I didn't. I'll try to get a couple.