Relocation for work in Gary..Tinley Park area etc. (Chicago: apartment complex, rent)

[fire0nice228]

Hi..another relocation thread. My new wife and I will be relocating because of my job. I will be working in Gary, IN.

We want to live in the Chicago area because we want to be somewhat close to downtown, somewhat close to Gary, and close to the Kankakee County speedway (don't laugh ). Living out towards Valpairso which my employer suggested is just further from downtown and the other places we want to be. We dont want to be so far from downtown that we never go visit while we live in the area. We have been looking and we like the area of Tinley Park based on what we've found online. Its 26 miles to Gary, 26 miles to downtown, 40 miles to the racetrack . It seems pretty good to us, considering I currently drive 40 miles each way downtown to Pittsburgh for work. It would be nice to be able to take the Metra train into downtown instead of driving and we see a stop in Tinley Park which seems like a positive.

We're definitely looking for apartments because I dont expect the job will keep me in the area more than 3-5 years and we are recently married with no kids. We want a 2 bedroom apartment, one or two bathrooms doesnt matter. Specifically we found Edgewater Walk apartment complex and it seems pretty good based off the pictures online.

I know we can get more bang for our buck rent wise living in Indiana, but aside from that is it all that much more expensive to live in Chicago area versus living over in Indiana closer to my job?

Basically wondering if anyone can give insight on if we're on the right track looking in this area and these other neighborhoods like University Park, Orland park, etc. and if any of these areas are a safety concern. We've read about South Chicago being rough but not sure if this far south is a concern.

As far as a bit more personal, we are mid 20's just married, college educated, not big club/partyers but we do enjoy going out for dinner and a beer or two from time to time. Want to have a little bit of peace and quiet while we're at home though too. Probably will be moving October 1st -ish.



I know there is a ton of relocation posts but any insight and advice to ease the anxiety of moving to a new place always helps.. Thanks.

[Demoanalytics]

Hey fireo,

You might want to track this website to get an idea of what traffic is like during the morning and afternoon rush.

By the way, I wouldn't rule out living in IN. Traveling to Chicago from Indiana during non-rush times is actually not that bad, although Valpo is a good bit east. You can be sure however, that traffic to Gary from Tinley/Orland during rush hour can become quite a drag after a while, especially in winter and during construction season. Plus, the taxes in IN are lower AND their local and state governments are much less corrupt.

[flamadiddle]

Tinley Park is a nice and safe area. Homewood is another possibility with a Metra stop. Homewood used to be really nice, but unfortunately now has some sketchy areas. Lansing is also a possibility, but no train. On the Indiana side, as you mention, Valpo is too far and has no train option, Crown Point is closer, but again, no train. Chesterton is another Indiana option that has a train close by (SouthShore) and is also right next to the Lake (Dunes State Park with lots of beaches, trails, etc.).

[chet everett]

Above suggestions are mostly decent but I gotta warn you that there is often some absolutely horrific traffic heading along I-80 and I suspect the reason that the new boss recommends Valpo is probably as much for the EXCELLENT access it has to Indiana-49 which is the local's favorite way to avoid the mess the exists between 294, 90, 65 and 80.

Locals take 49 up to 6 and then to into Gary or all the way to 12.

Chesteron leaves you good options too.

I worked with a guy that lived in NWI and he always had a "plan B, C, D, etc " for all the various choke points that are often caused by jackknifed trucks and similar horrific tie ups...

[subject2change]

There's the Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville IN, if that makes a difference! The idea of driving from Tinley to Gary every day makes me queasy.

Illiana Motor Speedway

[cubssoxfan]

The fairly quaint town of Valpo, combined with lower Indiana COL and better run state government(not BILLIONS in debt) versus a rather anonymous, prairie-esque, suburb? My choice would be Valpo. Tinley isn't close enough to Chicago to make frequent weekday trips to Chicago possible anyway.

[fire0nice228]

That is a dilemma. I didn't realize traffic from Tinley would be so bad to Gary, google maps says only 35 minutes. I know we won't be making many, if any, weekday trips into the downtown area, so that kind of makes me lean towards moving a bit further outside the city and getting a nicer apartment for the same money as we would in an area like Tinley.

I guess a main downside of moving out to Valpo area is being so far from the dirt track. There is 3 within an hour radius of where we currently live, and I've been going to the races since I was a kid. Thanks for the suggestion subject2change, but my interest is much more in the dirt track. Googlemaps says it would take an hour and a half from Valpo to Kankakee..is this realistic?

What is Highland like? It looks kind of old from the pictures I found online.. but it is close to Gary, about an hour from the track, and not terribly far from downtown.

Thanks for the replies and help

[svillechris]

Originally Posted by fire0nice228

That is a dilemma. I didn't realize traffic from Tinley would be so bad to Gary, google maps says only 35 minutes. I know we won't be making many, if any, weekday trips into the downtown area, so that kind of makes me lean towards moving a bit further outside the city and getting a nicer apartment for the same money as we would in an area like Tinley.

I guess a main downside of moving out to Valpo area is being so far from the dirt track. There is 3 within an hour radius of where we currently live, and I've been going to the races since I was a kid. Thanks for the suggestion subject2change, but my interest is much more in the dirt track. Googlemaps says it would take an hour and a half from Valpo to Kankakee..is this realistic?

What is Highland like? It looks kind of old from the pictures I found online.. but it is close to Gary, about an hour from the track, and not terribly far from downtown.

Thanks for the replies and help

Highland is a solid town. Safe, blue collar town. Nothing spectacular. Decent little downtown area. If you want to be within an hour to Kankakee, IL, within an hour or so of Chicago on the weekends, and within 35 mins of Gary for work, all for a reasonable cost of living, I would point you towards Crown Point, Munster, Dyer, and Schererville as well. All are nice, safe towns that would be more centralized to the locations you'll be driving to most frequently. Valpo is a nice town but it's about 90 mins from Kankakee.

[Vlajos]

I know some folks who live in the South Loop and work in Lake County, Indiana. They are very happy to live in Chicago.

[WildWestDude]

There are great suburbs in NW Indiana and only a short drive from downtown Chicago! It is cheaper to live there and worth it. Somehow there is a stigma of this so called Indiana "Region" due to Gary and its older industrialized neighbors but towns such as Munster, Dyer, Schererville, Highland and St. John are great options. Highland is probably the most affordable of the ones mentioned and is right off the highway. Its southern parts are newer and nicer. Why go further out into IL if your job is right there in IN and these suburbs are on the Chicago side of your search?
You might wanna also post in the NW Indiana section of the forum for more responses.