What is wrong with Gary-East Chicago Indiana? (Indianapolis, Evansville: apartments, salary)

[urza216]

Originally Posted by msamhunter

The Hammond grid is similar to the Chicago grid yes, but doesn't actually use it, I'll have to dig up the information where it was stated as such.

Actually, the streets running east-west are numbered EXACTLY like Chicago's south side. It's very convenient for figuring out where you are on Chicago's south side / Hammond, Indiana. 165th street in Hammond is 165 blocks south of downtown Chicago.

You don't need to "dig up info". Just look at a map. If it wasn't labeled and border lines weren't drawn (just streets and landmarks), you might not even notice Hammond wasn't just as much a part of Chicago as the Hegweich neighborhood.

Most suburbs that touch Chicago don't completely and totally mimic Chicago's grid. But Hammond mimics it just as much as most of them. In other words, Hammond uses Chicago's grid about as much as neighboring Calumet City, Illinois.

Originally Posted by msamhunter

Either way, by a wide margin, people on the Indiana side work in Indiana.

And by a wide margin, people in west suburbs like Naperville DO NOT work in south or north suburbs (unless you consider "sothwest" south and "northwest" north.)

[urza216]

Msamhunter,

And by the way, Hammond has surpassed Gary in population according to the 2010 Census. So please explain to me how Hammond can be a SUBURB of a city that is now SMALLER than it?

Hammond, Indiana - population 80,830
Gary, Indiana - population 80,290

But 80,930 is small enough to be a suburb of Chicago, a city of 2.7 million - And a city that Hammond physically touches.

[thePR]

Originally Posted by msamhunter

NWI is NOT considered Chicagoland. That's strictly Illinois. NWI is referred to as the region which is why any Chicago advertisement is separated when they say all of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana.

Where did I even mention Indianapolis? Fact, Chicago, Lansing, Naperville etc. are in Illinois. Gary, Munster, Schererville etc, are in Indiana. Both sides cross the state line for employment it's just more people on the Indiana side crosses over into Illinois than people on the Illinois side crosses over into Indiana but the fact remains the majority of people who live on the Indiana side WORK in Indiana, hence commuting patterns.

Northwest Indiana actually is part of Chicagoland despite your claim.

Originally Posted by msamhunter

I do find it funny though how some are taking a little offense as far as online forums go about being lumped in with Gary and EC.

[SAB1010]

I grew up in that area. When the steel mill business went overseas, thanks to loosened export laws, the mills began to close down. The mills had thousands of employees, and the pay was good and the work was steady and plentiful. Not only that, but other businesses related to steel, such as pipe companies, cropped up as well. All of those folded as the steel mills did. Those that are still open are operating at a small percentage of what they once were. Add in the crime rate, which was high for that sized city, and things went downhill. People moved other places looking for work, and Gary became, in the late 90s, the murder capital of the U.S.

[Renaissance123]

Originally Posted by cw46360

Yes, pretty much all of Lake County in Northwest Indiana is like this, mostly North of US 30 however. There really is nothing postive to say about this area. It is a dying area, everyday nothing but negative news here.

Seriously? Mostly North of 30? Not sure where you are talking about but I've been to nice parts of Hammond and I actually think Munster is extremely nice. Geographically speaking, those cities are North of 30.

[chicagomama91509]

I live in East Chicago. It's not the "worst" place in the world, but it's not my idea of home. My street is clean (for the most part), my immediate neighbors are nice and even people I meet in the stores are nice! People are generally good people where-ever you go. but still..... I don't like the gang crime (it's a lot) or the urban grime.

East Chicago certainly isn't Mayberry. I love Munster however! Very nice area. It does tend to flood in parts, but that's off topic, lol...

I can tell you this: my friends from my hometown never visit (they're scared and I think they over react.) You're not going to get hurt unless you are careless and putting yourself in a position of being vulnerable. Stay street smart and you'll stay safe. Lock your doors. Don't go walking down dark alleys.

Still, I don't go outside at night by myself. Everyone has their own experiences with an area. If you involve yourself with the negative aspects of a place, you'll never have a good experience. There are some decent folks here...but still.. I'm hoping to high-tail it out of here as soon as possible! Hmm....come to think, I'd rather live here than in South Chicago or Gary. It could be a whole lot worse.

I'd like to just add that I consider myself part of Chicagoland. Heck I'm only 30 or so minutes from the city limits! So when people ask where I'm from, I always say Chicagoland area.

[valpoguy]

Originally Posted by msamhunter

Gary and Chicago still maintain separate metropolitan divisions just as Dallas-Forth Worth.

Both of these statements are false. Gary falls well within the Chicago metro area. (There is no Gary metro area.) Dallas and Ft. Worth are also in the same metro area. Look it up.

[Yippee4life]

Max, most high schools that play Gary schools will not travel to Gary. Gary teams have a LOT of away games.

[msamhunter]

Originally Posted by valpoguy

Both of these statements are false. Gary falls well within the Chicago metro area. (There is no Gary metro area.) Dallas and Ft. Worth are also in the same metro area. Look it up.

Pulled data straight from OMB so it's as legit as it gets. DWF, San Fran-Oakland/San Jose, Philly-Camden, NYC-Newark-CT and a few others are broken down into Metropolitan Division due to them being mega areas (11 total). No one said they WEREN'T the same area, just that they are further divided. For Chicago it's Kenosha-Lake (IL) Metropolitan Division, Chicago-Naperville Metropolitan Division and Gary-Hammond metropolitan division each with their own individual sub FIPS code under the Chicago-Gary-IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Area FIPS code.

[ConcernedNWIresident]

Yes, we all know that the tri-city - Gary, East Chicago, and Hammond - has been the first to experience economic depression in Indiana due to political warfare and the declining steel industry. Now those are still cities in Indiana; and as a Hoosier, I would like to read positive writings on how to bring all cities in Northwest Indiana up in the chart.

I think all Hoosiers would benefit if the State would focus on an economic development package for Lake County, Indiana. The Government needs to stop crying broke and start investing in National Interest.

We know that Lake County remains the stronghold of the democratic party in Indiana, resulting in the suffering of the present economic crisis. Although people are from different parties, which give balance to democracy, yet when it comes to the wellbeing of the State, we should all be Americans. Let both Democrats and Republicans show some class - work together to lift the value of the entire State. How about it?