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You know there is the old saying, you are either part of the solution or part of the problem or something like that. NWI, right now is just one big problem as no one is part of the solution as there's too much finger pointing and blame gaming going on. It doesn't matter if it's in Gary, Hammond, Crown Point or Munster, it's all finger pointing. A lot of people have a vested interest in the region whether its from current residents or those who have their roots there.
South Lake County is well suburban/rural and that's pretty much what it will always be. That means it's limited in look and feel. You have Lemon Lake and Cedar Lake which are nice but there's just something lacking. The best attributes of Lake County is in the northern half, with Wolf Lake, to an extent, Lake George and the crown jewel, Lake Michigan.
I am on record as saying if NWI got its act together it would be the largest economic engine in the state surpassing Indianapolis due to natural attributes and access to immediate people to utilize those attributes. I feel that it just would and the only area in the state that could dethrone Indy as Gods gift to Indiana. With that being said, the big three (Gary, Hammond, East Chicago) have to perform in particular Gary. It has the most attributes and the land to do it. A couple of weeks ago, I actually sat down and read Karen Freeman-Wilson's blueprint for Gary. While it was good, there were things that could be done differently or at least in a different order, so I proceeded to write her an email (never got a response). Nothing new, I've written the city of Indianapolis (actually get responses and surprised to know they want to hear what their citizens think). It's our job as citizens to say what we want or what we would like to see.
For me it's simple, Gary needs business downtown. There are a lot of companies that's actually interested in the city, but they do not want to be the first ones to invest. My thinking is simple. For those of you who has ever seen that rickety building USS calls an office on their property, it's a good stiff breeze away from falling down. I think it would be a huge catalyst for USS to bring the office from right inside the main entrance into Downtown, preferably building an office building. It's been around since the birth of the city and that type of commitment from its mainstay employer can go a long way and give others the added push to also make the investment. This is already a long post but I did email a 5 page single spaced outline for the next incoming mayor and that's something I think all citizens should do and have countless suggestions in how to make NWI as viable as it should be.
You know there is the old saying, you are either part of the solution or part of the problem or something like that. NWI, right now is just one big problem as no one is part of the solution as there's too much finger pointing and blame gaming going on. It doesn't matter if it's in Gary, Hammond, Crown Point or Munster, it's all finger pointing. A lot of people have a vested interest in the region whether its from current residents or those who have their roots there.
South Lake County is well suburban/rural and that's pretty much what it will always be. That means it's limited in look and feel. You have Lemon Lake and Cedar Lake which are nice but there's just something lacking. The best attributes of Lake County is in the northern half, with Wolf Lake, to an extent, Lake George and the crown jewel, Lake Michigan.
I am on record as saying if NWI got its act together it would be the largest economic engine in the state surpassing Indianapolis due to natural attributes and access to immediate people to utilize those attributes. I feel that it just would and the only area in the state that could dethrone Indy as Gods gift to Indiana. With that being said, the big three (Gary, Hammond, East Chicago) have to perform in particular Gary. It has the most attributes and the land to do it. A couple of weeks ago, I actually sat down and read Karen Freeman-Wilson's blueprint for Gary. While it was good, there were things that could be done differently or at least in a different order, so I proceeded to write her an email (never got a response). Nothing new, I've written the city of Indianapolis (actually get responses and surprised to know they want to hear what their citizens think). It's our job as citizens to say what we want or what we would like to see.
For me it's simple, Gary needs business downtown. There are a lot of companies that's actually interested in the city, but they do not want to be the first ones to invest. My thinking is simple. For those of you who has ever seen that rickety building USS calls an office on their property, it's a good stiff breeze away from falling down. I think it would be a huge catalyst for USS to bring the office from right inside the main entrance into Downtown, preferably building an office building. It's been around since the birth of the city and that type of commitment from its mainstay employer can go a long way and give others the added push to also make the investment. This is already a long post but I did email a 5 page single spaced outline for the next incoming mayor and that's something I think all citizens should do and have countless suggestions in how to make NWI as viable as it should be.
You may be onto something, re: USS building an office downtown. I work in Gary, on west 4th Avenue. The city can use all the help it can get.
Well InsideIndianaBusiness reported tommorow there is a (Major) Jobs announcement coming from an Illinois company into NWI probably a relocation of headquarters and jobs to NWI. Lets hope its near or in Gary.
You know there is the old saying, you are either part of the solution or part of the problem or something like that. NWI, right now is just one big problem as no one is part of the solution as there's too much finger pointing and blame gaming going on. It doesn't matter if it's in Gary, Hammond, Crown Point or Munster, it's all finger pointing. A lot of people have a vested interest in the region whether its from current residents or those who have their roots there.
South Lake County is well suburban/rural and that's pretty much what it will always be. That means it's limited in look and feel. You have Lemon Lake and Cedar Lake which are nice but there's just something lacking. The best attributes of Lake County is in the northern half, with Wolf Lake, to an extent, Lake George and the crown jewel, Lake Michigan.
I am on record as saying if NWI got its act together it would be the largest economic engine in the state surpassing Indianapolis due to natural attributes and access to immediate people to utilize those attributes. I feel that it just would and the only area in the state that could dethrone Indy as Gods gift to Indiana. With that being said, the big three (Gary, Hammond, East Chicago) have to perform in particular Gary. It has the most attributes and the land to do it. A couple of weeks ago, I actually sat down and read Karen Freeman-Wilson's blueprint for Gary. While it was good, there were things that could be done differently or at least in a different order, so I proceeded to write her an email (never got a response). Nothing new, I've written the city of Indianapolis (actually get responses and surprised to know they want to hear what their citizens think). It's our job as citizens to say what we want or what we would like to see.
For me it's simple, Gary needs business downtown. There are a lot of companies that's actually interested in the city, but they do not want to be the first ones to invest. My thinking is simple. For those of you who has ever seen that rickety building USS calls an office on their property, it's a good stiff breeze away from falling down. I think it would be a huge catalyst for USS to bring the office from right inside the main entrance into Downtown, preferably building an office building. It's been around since the birth of the city and that type of commitment from its mainstay employer can go a long way and give others the added push to also make the investment. This is already a long post but I did email a 5 page single spaced outline for the next incoming mayor and that's something I think all citizens should do and have countless suggestions in how to make NWI as viable as it should be.
Also ill add theres no way NWI can surpass Indy now. Now it can become the 2nd largest economy no doubt but since Indy has a metro area of 1.8M people and its one of the fastest growing regions in the midwest both in population and Economy NWI lost that chance. Also Indy is the capital too
Also ill add theres no way NWI can surpass Indy now. Now it can become the 2nd largest economy no doubt but since Indy has a metro area of 1.8M people and its one of the fastest growing regions in the midwest both in population and Economy NWI lost that chance. Also Indy is the capital too
Sorry Broad, just wrong. Indy has 1.8 million, yes, but the same drive radius for NWI is over 6 million people. A lot of Chicagoians do travel to NWI to visit its beaches, Wolf Lake, Indiana Dunes, Deep River, etc. There's just nothing to keep them there after that which the area now lacks whereas it didn't decades ago. NWI already is the second largest economy in the state despite its bickering ways so in the end, they are only living up to a small fraction of their true capability. Also, unlike Indy, there's the South Shore for people to ride joining up in Chicago or coming from South Bend. GPTC does extend out into South County and into Hammond and East Chicago albeit limited due to the drive time going just one way which Indy does not due for its burbs. JoCo has the Access or whatever its called that meets IndyGo at Greenwood Park Mall and that's basically it.
Sorry Broad, just wrong. Indy has 1.8 million. The same drive radius for NWI is around 7 million people. A lot of Chicagoians do travel to NWI to visit its beaches, Wolf Lake, Indiana Dunes, Deep River, etc. There's just nothing to keep them there after that which the area now whereas it didn't decades ago. NWI already is the second largest economy in the state despite the backwards thinking.
I know chicago has 9M people but as long as NWI only accounts for 750,000 it wont surpass Indy. Now if the people of Illinois are sick and tired of Chicago crook politicians and taxes/high cost of living and move to NWI and the population explodes which i bet it will then there is a good chance for NWI to surpass Indy. Unless the population goes over 1.1M people though on the Indiana side i dont see it happening.
Edit: thats up to NWI to decide though. Already they have a major advantage of everyone else in the Chicago area for a much lower cost of living and taxes/gasoline also the cost of doing business drops by 50%. its up to NWI to capitalize on it but ill wait until tommorow to say more as the major announcement from an Illinois company to NWI has Mitch Daniels speaking at it obiviously its big.
Broad, you should look into travel patterns. It's very common for travel along the shoreline from Illinois to Michigan. It's not Indianapolis, there are a parts of Chicago closer to Gary than Broad Ripple is to downtown Indianapolis. Up there the state line is truly invisible as one minute you are in one state and then poof you've crossed over into another one and didn't even notice if you weren't paying attention (Ridge Road).
You are only looking at the MSA as a whole and thinking that rings true for all areas in terms of population. MSAs that cross multiple states (Think STL, KC, Philly, MSP, NYC, Louisville) is all arbitrary and in name only as they function as one area despite being in different states. Now a person in Lake County Illinois or extreme northern Cook County might opt to go to Kenosha where as south cook county, southern burbs might opt for Indiana because 294 and 94 can be a b&^%% to deal with depending on the time a day. So many of us can tell you countless stories of the complete stops (meaning you don't move at all) we've encountered on 94 in either Indiana or Illinois whereas Indy just slows down downtown, the NE Corner of 465 and 465 dead south between Brookville Rd and 65.
It's a fluid area that really extends from the North burbs to Benton Harbor, MI and in some instances South Bend as it is only an hour difference between Downtown Gary and Downtown South Bend hence why the South Shore extends from South Bend to Chicago.
Why would businesses establish a presence in downtown Gary? Who's going to patronize them?
Actually during the day, there is a lot of activity in Downtown Gary as there is believe it or not business there; maybe you should visit it, it just shuts down after 5 unless there's a Railcats game or a BBall game at the Genesis. Not only Gary residents enjoy a railcats game. Suburbanites also visit the stadium and no one that I've heard of or read has ever had anything bad to say with the exception of the prices at the concession.
Actually during the day, there is a lot of activity in Downtown Gary
The most activity I've ever seen in downtown Gary is at the Metro Center South Shore station. And that's comprised of people like me taking the train into Chicago.
When you say shopping or business hub in NWI, I don't think anyone thinks of Gary.
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