Dyer, indiana Diversity (Gary, Merrillville, Schererville: rent, house, neighborhoods)

[Monest]

My wife and I have been looking in Dyer, In for homes the past few weeks. We are an African American family with a 5 yr old daughter. The homes we have seen are beautiful and the schools are pretty decent. The only concern we have is the diversity in Dyer. Seeing as though the African American population is less than 2% I was a little concerned if would encounter any problems with racism and not being welcomed. Up to this point the few people I've met have been very nice but that's a very small sample size. Honest opinions are very welcomed!

[subject2change]

So no one's answering. My answer isn't that helpful either. I don't think you'll have a problem for the most part, and people will be as nice as you've experienced, although some will just leave you alone. I'm sure that's not unexpected. There are still some hard core rednecks here, but I believe they are getting fewer. As a white woman coming here from the south suburbs a few years ago, I'm still not quite used to how white it is around here at times. But I believe that will inevitably be changing. I think you will do fine, but maybe expect to feel like pioneers a little bit!

[Northwest Indiana]

In Dyer, most of the Black population is upper middle class and reside in the Briar Ridge subdivision (where there is a large Asian population as well. Outside of that, the only other "diverse" parts of Dyer may be the northwest part where there are more hispanics mixed in. However, the Black population is growing in Dyer a bit mainly in subdivisions along the state line and south of 30. There is a subdivision in Dyer called Hearthstone that appears to be very diverse with Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and Whites. You should check it out!

In the Lake Central School Corporation, Schererville is the most diverse town, followed by Dyer, and lastly, St. John which is not diverse at all (although, that is changing a bit as well). If you want to remain in the school district but in a more diverse area, you may want to look at some of the following subdivisions on the far northeast area of Schererville north of Rt. 30: Foxwood Estates, Autumn Creek, Camden Woods, Fawn Valley, Prairie Estates. Those are newer and relatively newer subdivisions in the area that are pretty upscale and more diverse. There are some older subdivisions in that area but those tend to be less diverse. I should note that that area is further and closer to Merrillville so if being close to the state line is a major thing, you may want to consider that. Svillechris lives in the general area so he may have more input.

Being a minority myself, the areas I listed are where I would feel comfortable as well and even though I live in Munster (which is diverse, but not with many African-Americans), I can say that the more upscale the neighborhood, the less problems you will probably have. This isn't that good, but the reason is because individuals who would be likely to cause you problems may think "oh, they can afford to live here? They must be doing well!"...but in older neighborhoods that are more inexpensive, some folks tend to look at it as "an invasion" if you know what I mean.

We are here to help! Good Luck!

[svillechris]

I feel like this is such a tired topic of conversation. Why would a predominantly white town automatically trigger fears of racism? Seems rather presumptuous.

Nonetheless, I think if you don't push a culture on anyone else, are good neighbors that take pride in your house and are respectful to those in your neighborhood, there won't be any problem. However, I'd give the same advice to anyone regardless of their skin color.

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by svillechris

I feel like this is such a tired topic of conversation. Why would a predominantly white town automatically trigger fears of racism? Seems rather presumptuous.

Nonetheless, I think if you don't push a culture on anyone else, are good neighbors that take pride in your house and are respectful to those in your neighborhood, there won't be any problem. However, I'd give the same advice to anyone regardless of their skin color.

I think its one of those things where people assume this because they heard a friend of a friend of theirs may have had issues in one town or the other. What some people may not hear is how many people don't have issues. The reason why? Because when people don't have issues, there is nothing to talk about!

At the same time, I do know that the feeling of being an "intruder" is very real for many minorities especially those moving from the south suburbs to NWI...the same places that many whites from the south suburbs moved to. It is not fair to assume that the whole area would be racist, but even those minorities who keep up their homes, are friendly, and maintain well-behaved children and visitors have had issues.

[Monest]

Thanks everyone. Svillechris it would be nice if simply being a good neighbor was all it took but sadly that isn't the case. I can deal with a lot of things but I have a wife and 5yr old daughter to consider. Just checking around and doing a little research. There are a lot of immature people out there whether you realize it or not. Look at some of the message boards on the internet and you'll see it very quickly.

[SoHoVe]

I agree with those who have said the more upscale the area the fewer problems you are likely to have and this goes for ANY minority group.

Part of the reason I think a lot of people there remain skeptical of having black folks living in their neighborhoods is due to the mentality of a lot of black Gary residents. They simply are angry people who are also very suspicious and constantly pass judgement and attack (on the message board) even those who would genuinely like to help them.
Unfortunately a lot of NW Indiana residents veiw this as a racial problem rather than a problem with lack of sophistication in thinking and perception problem which is really what it boils down to. It can be very difficult to not stereotype and make widespread negative judgements when every interaction with members of a particular group turn into a horrror show.

They just choose to overlook all the white extremist trash groups in existance I suppose.

I after living 4 years in Houston, I cannot WAIT to get back to the West where people typically don't waste a lot of time hating. Dyer might not be the most welcoming place but unless you are unlucky enough to get really bad neighbors its unlikely you will have real problems. When I graduated from Lake Central in the late 80's there was ONE black girl in the entire school she had a very outgoing personality and MANY friends.

If your that concerned (which is justifiable) maybe rent for 6 months or so first if that's practical.

[Fmlyfrst]

Hi,

I'm curious about your decision. We're also an AA family thinking of moving to the area. We share the same concerns. What did you decide? If you moved to the area, what has your experience been?

[Dkmered47]

Originally Posted by Fmlyfrst

Hi,

I'm curious about your decision. We're also an AA family thinking of moving to the area. We share the same concerns. What did you decide? If you moved to the area, what has your experience been?

I am not the original poster but I can speak to this as my AA family that just made the move from Chicago to Schererville so same general area and school district. I can tell you without a doubt moving to Indiana is the best decision we ever made. The are a ton white folks down here, and I am completely fine with it. There are plenty of ways to stay connected to more diverse activities. For example, we still go to church in the city. I've met some of the nicest people down here. Our 12 year old went from a 100% black private school in Chicago to the local public school which is majority white but has good handful of both Latinos and AAs. I'd say that my child is actually in a more diverse atmosphere now than ever before. We built a home and expect to pay property taxes at a fraction of what we'd pay in a comparable Chicago burb. Looking back, I'd have no problem building in St. John or Dyer, but ultimately found the lot of our dreams in Schererville. Just my experience thus far, hope this helps.

[LIS123]

Originally Posted by Monest

My wife and I have been looking in Dyer, In for homes the past few weeks. We are an African American family with a 5 yr old daughter. The homes we have seen are beautiful and the schools are pretty decent. The only concern we have is the diversity in Dyer. Seeing as though the African American population is less than 2% I was a little concerned if would encounter any problems with racism and not being welcomed. Up to this point the few people I've met have been very nice but that's a very small sample size. Honest opinions are very welcomed!

Dyer is not that diverse as you noted. It wouldn't surprise me if there is some prejudice amongst Dyer residents but I'd have a hard time thinking of any place in the US where that is not the case.

If I had to guess... there won't be many outward expressions of racism or malice towards AAs. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if, as your daughter ages, some of her classmates are less interested in befriending her and minimize their exposure to her more than they would with their caucasian classmates. I don't think you'll see any overt hostility. Again, and I can't emphasize this enough... my sense is the level of 'racism' you'll experience in Dyer won't be much worse than it would be in supposedly cosmopolitan cities like NYC.

If you think moving to Dyer would be the best opportunity for you, I would not let fear of racial prejudice stop you from making the move. GL!