Thoughts on Hammond

[CCrest182]

Originally Posted by G1324

I seriously have no idea why everyone is talking trash about Hammond. I've said it on a different thread, and I will say it again. Hammond is a city that has crimes, rough areas, abandoned buildings, and more problems overall. Although Hammond has problems, the city still has its upsides. A new subdivision, incredible bike trails (countless), many parks, easy expressway access (short commute to Chicago), businesses RELOCATING from other cities to Hammond. Hammond also has the only Cabela's in NWI. In fact, the next Cabela's past Hammond is over 60 MILES away. People from other cities further out are moving back to Hammond, and saying that it was a great decision. Hammond's crime rate is DECLINING. Hammond is a better city than it was just a few years ago. The mayor is doing a great job at running the city of Hammond.

Let me talk about Hammond bike trails. The state of Indiana REWARDED HAMMOND for having the overall best bike trails in the STATE of INDIANA. Hammond, an urban city, beat every other city in Indiana. Just earlier this year, two new bike bridges were added to the city. Also, plans for future bridges and bike trails are still being created. On top of all this, there is now a BOARWALK near the toll road. This boardwalk is in the Robertsdale neighborhood, and was built over Wolf Lake. Hammond is a great, improving city. This is all just scratching the surface.

The city of Hammond is trying to create a brand new downtown. 10-15 years ago, downtown looked somewhat different than how it currently looks. The First Baptist church expanded, some new businesses moved to downtown, an area in downtown was converted to a parking lot, and there was a new charter school built several years ago. (HAST) Also, there is a nice fountain right off Rimbach & Hohman Avenue. The whole downtown area has brick walkways for pedestrian crossing, and looks a whole lot nicer than it should. I congratulate the workers who were able to create a better downtown out of what they had. I agree with FleeTheRustBelt about living near downtown. Living in the downtown area is not the best choice to live. Eating at a restaurant in downtown, walking in downtown, going to school in downtown, and working in downtown are all completely different than living in downtown. In 10 years, Downtown Hammond will be better than it already is now.

Currently, a Buffalo Wild Wings is going to close on Ridge Rd in Lansing, and is being built right off Kennedy Avenue in Hammond. (between 80/94 and Highland, IN) Also, a Hampton Inn will also be built in the same area in Hessville. Just across Kennedy Avenue are several hotels and a Cracker Barrel. Kennedy Avenue is also being repaved, and will look much nicer. The city of Hammond always tries to fix busted up streets as fast and efficiently as they possibly can so residents and visitors will not have problems. In just 5-10 years, we WILL see a new, improved, and much better Hessville. There is currently a new subdivision in Hessville called Parrish View. There are some very nice new construction homes in the Parrish View subdivision. If you are looking for a home in Hammond, and have $220,000+ to spend, you could get a brand new middle class house and lot for approximately $220,000 to $250,000.

Please do not even get me started on the festivals in Hammond...
Thousands upon thousands of people flock into the Wolf Lake area to go see amazing bands and musicians at a little festival called "The Festival of the Lakes." There are carnival rides, games, food stands, and best of all, famous musicians playing hit songs at the concert stage called "The Pavilion." (The "Pav") There have been famous musicians such as LL COOL J, MC Hammer, Pat Benatar,
Jimmy Cliff, Sugar Ray, The Black Crowes, and many more. Also, Hammond has a little something that
is called "The Bizarre Bazaar." The Bizarre Bazaar is a festival in Harrison Park. (near Downtown Hammond) Some places of the BB are similar to a flea market. You can purchase various items from many different stands throughout Harrison Park. The Bizarre Bazaar also has a chess tournament, food vendors, and a street right outside of Harrison Park that has classic cars showcased specifically for the festival. (Waltham Street) Of course Hammond also has many different parades such as the Christmas and Fourth of July parades.

Hammond also has many different programs such as Neighborhood Watch, Neighborhood Stabilization, Home Bound, and College Bound. The College Bound program is fantastic for parents. College Bound helps aid citizens in paying for their child to go to off two college. College bound will pay THOUSANDS of dollars for your kids to go to college. If you and your kids were to be a resident of Hammond for over 8 years, and your kid had a certain grade average, you would get a LARGE amount of money that will help pay for college. I am pretty sure that there is no other town in the area that has the College Bound program.

Another popular location in Hammond is the very well known Horseshoe Casino. People come from all over the Chicago area/NWI to come and visit the Horseshoe Casino. There is a beach and park on Wolf Lake, (near the Pavilion) as well as a beach on Lake Michigan called "Marina Beach." (near Horseshoe) Hammond also has a fantastic golf course near the Pavilion called "The Lost Marsh." Once again, people from all over the COUNTRY have played golf here. The PGA Tour had a golf tournament here with all of the popular pro golfers. (Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, ETC.) These are just a few pro golfers who have visited Hammond because of PGA.

The city of Hammond has also developed an app called Hammond 311. It is an app the citizens of Hammond can use to report problems with the city. (EX: Street light outages, Code violation, Fallen branches/tress, Potholes, ETC) The city of Hammond is constantly doing whatever they can to make the city look much nicer, and as close to problem free as they possibly can. I use Hammond 311 all the time. Any other citizen of Hammond reading this post should also download this app to help improve Hammond.

I need to say this:

Hammond is not the ghetto, messed up, trash town that people make it out to be. That is just their negative attitude. Some areas in Hammond are places where you shouldn't be walking around randomly at midnight. I completely understand that there are a lot of problems in the city of Hammond, but it is really not so bad. I have lived in Hammond my whole life, and I have the same problems that I would have in any other town. Someone was stabbed to death down the hall from a relative's apartment in Crown Point. A friend of mine lives in Valparaiso. They bought a house in a subdivision far out from the rest of town. A house in their subdivision is always being lived in by random people. (Rental House)The previous people who lived in the house have had the cops called on them multiple times for drugs. The previous drug addicts lived in a subdivision with nicer people who wanted to get away from drug dealers in Gary, not live right next to them. Think about it... My friend purchased a house in the middle of nowhere, and they are still having problems. People have been shot in Munster, murdered in Crown Point, and kidnapped in Dyer. Nowhere is perfect. Nowhere has ever been perfect. Nowhere will ever be perfect. All we can do is move to a nice village such as St. John, and just wait for reality to call when you get held up walking your dog. Maybe reality will give you a call when someone you know gets kidnapped in Schererville. Hammond's crime rate has been decreasing with many police officers and maximum protection. I have the same problems in Hammond that I would have elsewhere. Gary, East Chicago, Calumet City, Harvey, Chicago Heights, Ford Heights, Lake Station, Dolton, and the majority of the Southside of Chicago all have a higher crime rate than Hammond. Most of the cities/areas that I have mentioned have a significantly higher murder rate, such as Gary, Ford Heights, Chicago Heights, Calumet City, and a handful of neighborhoods in Chicago's Southside. Gang members go through all cities, not just Gary and South Chicago. There was a member of the Latin Kings (Chicago Gang) LIVING IN HIGHLAND. The pleasant town of Highland, Indiana was home to a member of the Latin Kings up until he was arrested. I think that Hammond is a great city that is always trying to be made a much better city. I walk everywhere in Hammond. Rarely ever has there been some sort of problem. I have never gotten mugged or held up. I see normal people walking around my neighborhood after dark all the time. I sometimes forget to lock my doors, and nothing happens. I enter and exit my house late at night all the time. I am still perfectly fine. Some people were held up in Munster late at night. I am not saying that I live in a problem free neighborhood, I am just saying stop talking like Hammond is a paradise for gangs. Hammond is a place to raise a family. Hammond is a place with many parks and activities. Hammond is a wonderful city.

Thank you for supporting the city of Hammond!
~G1324

It's great you have passion for Hammond as well as personal experiences, but Hammond, from the available information online as well as it's visual look in driving through there- shows itself to be a rough neighborhood. I'm sure there are nice pockets, but most of it is blight. It's not nearly as bad as gary, but it's probably on par with some south side neighborhoods in Chicago like auburn Gresham and south shore.

Your anecdotes on crime do not negate the fact that Hammond's violent crime rate is well over two times the national average, and has not seen less than 6 homicides for the past two decades.
Other crime is also at least two times the nat'nl avg.

I don't know if hammond well make a comeback in its blighted and corrupt parts, or if it will continue to decline. But what's apparent is that unless you are in the south portion, hammond is more comparable to a ghetto rather than 'another suburb'. Most of south and southeast Chicagoland have been hit pretty hard these past few decades. I do know NW indiana is growing, as people in IL are beginning to move out of state to avoid the corruption. Not sure if that will be the historically well brought up areas to the south or if this means change in current dumps like Gary and East Chi, but it's going to take a while to clean up.

[G1324]

Originally Posted by CCrest182

It's great you have passion for Hammond as well as personal experiences, but Hammond, from the available information online as well as it's visual look in driving through there- shows itself to be a rough neighborhood. I'm sure there are nice pockets, but most of it is blight. It's not nearly as bad as gary, but it's probably on par with some south side neighborhoods in Chicago like auburn Gresham and south shore.

Your anecdotes on crime do not negate the fact that Hammond's violent crime rate is well over two times the national average, and has not seen less than 6 homicides for the past two decades.
Other crime is also at least two times the nat'nl avg.

I don't know if hammond well make a comeback in its blighted and corrupt parts, or if it will continue to decline. But what's apparent is that unless you are in the south portion, hammond is more comparable to a ghetto rather than 'another suburb'. Most of south and southeast Chicagoland have been hit pretty hard these past few decades. I do know NW indiana is growing, as people in IL are beginning to move out of state to avoid the corruption. Not sure if that will be the historically well brought up areas to the south or if this means change in current dumps like Gary and East Chi, but it's going to take a while to clean up.

Hopefully this link works.
United Neighborhoods Inc
This is about houses that were newly built, and houses in torn up parts of Hammond that were completely renovated. Hammond is at least trying hard to rebuilt the messed up sections. Crime is decreasing overall, so hopefully homicides will also be much less common in the city. The worst part of Hammond is mostly the middle of the city. The area around Hammond City Hall/Downtown is not the best location to raise a family. Outside of that, everywhere else is pretty much normal.

[midwest1]

Hammond has loads of potential.

[bigpop007]

There seems to be a lot of Hammond bashing on these threads. Admittedly, Hammond isn't an oasis but it's far from being a dump. It definitely isn't anywhere near as bad as Gary. It's been mentioned that there are some places that are pretty dang rough and that may very well be the case. Different people have vastly different levels of tolerance. I grew up in Hammond and graduated from high school in the late 90's. I still visit regularly as my parents still live there. In all of that time, I cannot recall a time when I've ever been uncomfortable being in Hammond. I'm curious as to how much time the people bashing Hammond have actually spent there. I suspect that many of those comparing Hammond to Gary have not been to either city. The only thing those cities have in common is a border. How many Walmarts does anybody see in Gary? Cabellas? Buffalo Wild Wings? Even a bona fide grocery store? Those retail and dining facilities aren't meant to convey an image of prosperity for Hammond, but rather, to illustrate the challenges of day-to-day living in Gary and any other southside neighborhood in Chicago which can be described as true ghettos. The differences between these cities/neighborhoods and Hammond aren't even close.

Hammond did peak 50 years ago and the current level of prosperity is far below what it once was. There isn't any denying that fact. The population is very diverse and is, indeed, comprised of mostly blue collar residents. I don't see any reason why this should be something to look down upon. The city, particularly Hessville and South Hammond, is very affordable and still decent overall. Crime can always be reduced as with any location. The schools could use some serious improvement as could the city as a whole. The local government, for better or for worse, is at least trying to implement a vision of progress as indicated by the various talking points presented by G1324. The city does have some potential. The historical trends haven't been anything to write home about and I suspect the downward trend won't be reversed anytime soon; however, I think the point of no return is still a long way off and there is still plenty of time for things to turn around.

From a pure geographical standpoint, there isn't a city in Indiana closer to Chicago. The city is 30 minutes from central Chicago by auto while also being essentially served by two commuter rail stops that ride for 45 minutes or less. The downtown has been redeveloped and has the potential to be very charming. Additionally, Purdue Cal has grown significantly in both enrollment and presence since the 1970's. There is a base from which to build upon.

To state that Hammond is a place where you end up due to bad life decisions is painting the citizenry with an extremely broad stroke. I do think that Hammond is a move-up community for some. Maybe not from the perspective of the Munster, Tri-Town, & Crown Point crowd as that demographic would not likely seriously consider Hammond as an alternative, if they considered Hammond at all. However, there are plenty of folks from communities exponentially more destitute than Hammond that would consider the city to be a breath of fresh air. Affluent, Hammond is not. But not every city or town can be. Cities like Hammond fill the void.

[svillechris]

Originally Posted by bigpop007

There seems to be a lot of Hammond bashing on these threads. Admittedly, Hammond isn't an oasis but it's far from being a dump. It definitely isn't anywhere near as bad as Gary. It's been mentioned that there are some places that are pretty dang rough and that may very well be the case. Different people have vastly different levels of tolerance. I grew up in Hammond and graduated from high school in the late 90's. I still visit regularly as my parents still live there. In all of that time, I cannot recall a time when I've ever been uncomfortable being in Hammond. I'm curious as to how much time the people bashing Hammond have actually spent there. I suspect that many of those comparing Hammond to Gary have not been to either city. The only thing those cities have in common is a border. How many Walmarts does anybody see in Gary? Cabellas? Buffalo Wild Wings? Even a bona fide grocery store? Those retail and dining facilities aren't meant to convey an image of prosperity for Hammond, but rather, to illustrate the challenges of day-to-day living in Gary and any other southside neighborhood in Chicago which can be described as true ghettos. The differences between these cities/neighborhoods and Hammond aren't even close.

Hammond did peak 50 years ago and the current level of prosperity is far below what it once was. There isn't any denying that fact. The population is very diverse and is, indeed, comprised of mostly blue collar residents. I don't see any reason why this should be something to look down upon. The city, particularly Hessville and South Hammond, is very affordable and still decent overall. Crime can always be reduced as with any location. The schools could use some serious improvement as could the city as a whole. The local government, for better or for worse, is at least trying to implement a vision of progress as indicated by the various talking points presented by G1324. The city does have some potential. The historical trends haven't been anything to write home about and I suspect the downward trend won't be reversed anytime soon; however, I think the point of no return is still a long way off and there is still plenty of time for things to turn around.

From a pure geographical standpoint, there isn't a city in Indiana closer to Chicago. The city is 30 minutes from central Chicago by auto while also being essentially served by two commuter rail stops that ride for 45 minutes or less. The downtown has been redeveloped and has the potential to be very charming. Additionally, Purdue Cal has grown significantly in both enrollment and presence since the 1970's. There is a base from which to build upon.

To state that Hammond is a place where you end up due to bad life decisions is painting the citizenry with an extremely broad stroke. I do think that Hammond is a move-up community for some. Maybe not from the perspective of the Munster, Tri-Town, & Crown Point crowd as that demographic would not likely seriously consider Hammond as an alternative, if they considered Hammond at all. However, there are plenty of folks from communities exponentially more destitute than Hammond that would consider the city to be a breath of fresh air. Affluent, Hammond is not. But not every city or town can be. Cities like Hammond fill the void.

You make some good points. But let me ask you these questions as your profile shows you live in Lincoln Park. I may be wrong, but my guess is you don't have kids and aren't married?

Regardless of whether you are now or may be married with kids in the future:


Would you move your family back to Hammond? Why or why not?

Why you feel confident in the long-term viability of Hammond?

Would you purchase real estate in Hammond thinking it is a sound financial investment with a reasonable chance that the value will rise over the next couple decades?

Would you feel comfortable sending your kids through Hammond's public school district?

Would you feel comfortable having your wife and/or kids walking after sunset through any part of Hammond without you?

To each his own, and I'm not going to tell you you're wrong since it's your opinion. But, I am just curious to hear your thoughts and answers to these questions from an advocate of Hammond who doesn't currently live there.

[bigpop007]

Originally Posted by svillechris

You make some good points. But let me ask you these questions as your profile shows you live in Lincoln Park. I may be wrong, but my guess is you don't have kids and aren't married?

Regardless of whether you are now or may be married with kids in the future:


Would you move your family back to Hammond? Why or why not?

Why you feel confident in the long-term viability of Hammond?

Would you purchase real estate in Hammond thinking it is a sound financial investment with a reasonable chance that the value will rise over the next couple decades?

Would you feel comfortable sending your kids through Hammond's public school district?

Would you feel comfortable having your wife and/or kids walking after sunset through any part of Hammond without you?

To each his own, and I'm not going to tell you you're wrong since it's your opinion. But, I am just curious to hear your thoughts and answers to these questions from an advocate of Hammond who doesn't currently live there.

Well, I do live in Lincoln Park with my wife and daughter. It is ironic that you ask whether I would move my family to Hammond. We're actually at a point where we've decided that we would like to change direction and acquire some space (i.e. several acres) to build a house. City life and other financial considerations related to raising a family in the city are beginning to present challenges that we'd like to work around. Given our requirements of being within 10 driving minutes of a South Shore station, the most likely scenario has this happening in or around Chesterton. In the near term, we're currently looking for a short-term & suitable home (about 2 years) that is extremely affordable to allow for greater financial flexibility while also being able to maintain a better oversight of the construction process. Hammond (along with Highland, Griffith, Hobart, & Portage) is seriously being considered as a potential location. There aren't any favorites on the list, but Hammond definitely hasn't been ruled out. In any case, this is a strategic decision and not related to some bad life decision. I would be okay with a move there and, yes, I'd be comfortable with my wife and daughter walking after sunset in places like South Hammond, Woodmar, or Hessville (within reason). Obviously, I wouldn't be comfortable with anybody walking around at midnight or something crazy. That's asking for trouble anywhere. But no...I wouldn't be comfortable with them walking around after sunset in *any* part of Hammond. Not all areas of Hammond are created equal. Much of central Hammond has been unattractive for as long as my memory serves me. I haven't been to north Hammond/Robertsdale area in such a long time that I simply can't have an opinion of it anymore. All I have to go off there is based on other people's opinions and those have to be taken with a grain of salt, at times.

Given the fact that I'm considering Hammond for a home purchase, I would say that Hammond real estate does have the potential to at least provide a marginal rise over the next 5-10 years, provided a slow, but steady rise in general real estate transactions continues. That's just the historical trajectory for all but the worst of communities. As anecdotal evidence, my parents bought their house for $36k in 1988. I think there would be a general consensus that the downward trend in Hammond started long before 1988. Given the current state of the home, I would say that the property could likely fetch around $65k-70k today if it were to be made available. It may not seem like much of an increase, but it is just about double what they paid 26 years ago. The numbers are rough and it doesn't account for some small updates that took place in the late 90's, but compounded, it breaks down to roughly 2.3-2.6% annually. It's not much of a return, but it is a return and that average rate would be indicative of what most would refer to as a healthy and sustainable market. Hammond simply isn't the place to be if one is looking for a turbocharged housing market with 10% annual price increases. With that said, I'm not aware of any town or city in NWI that *is* that place to be. Beyond that, attempting to speculate on the financial viability of real estate outside of 5-10 years is likely a risky bet in most communities. If someone is truly looking to make a sound investment, there are probably better financial vehicles that can be utilized to realize a more attractive return while also providing the ability to achieve greater liquidity.

As for the schooling...I would definitely say that the School City of Hammond is definitely a step up from the run-of-mill Chicago Public School. Conversely, that isn't saying much. I've already stated the schools need some work. While I would be okay with my daughter going to elementary school in Hammond, I'd probably be more hesitant about middle school. I would lean towards a "no" for High school as long as I had the financial resources to pursue an alternative approach unless I was persuaded with some evidence of ongoing improvement. Focusing solely on education, I don't see how this perspective is any different from the families that choose to live in Chicago yet arrange for alternative schooling for their children. It's common knowledge that CPS non-magnet schools are atrocious and this fact pushes many families to flee the city, although not all do. Many do,in fact, stay. Just because you live in a city or community doesn't mean you have to partake in every single aspect of that community.

[SoHoVe]

Ehhhhh....don't know about values increasing but Hammond is getting a largely undeserved bad rap on this thread.

Early 70's it was nice and actually had a downtown. South Hammond along Homan Ave had some grand homes and many professionals. Most have moved on over the years but some remain. Most of those homes are still intact but nothing like their former glory.
Although Hammond did obviously decline from those days it's been rather gradual

North Hammond has been rough for many years.

The city is not so much declining these days as it is just a stagnant industrial midwestern city.

[Northwest Indiana]

Overall, I would say Hammond is okay. Sure, it has some rough areas, but I wouldn't have a problem living in Hammond, if it was south of 165th at least (or in that nice section just north of Maywood Elementary school and west of Hohman). Hammond is like Beverly Hills compared to most of Gary, in my honest opinion. It has not fallen as hard as Gary and I don't think it ever will. There are way too many people who live in Hammond that will never leave, and that is a great thing. While there was some flight, I think that the main issue with Hammond is that there are a LOT of old people living there and when they die off, they are not really being replaced by many families. In addition, when a homeowner dies, their home may be sold to an investor and then if it is a slumlord, the home may become a revolving door of trouble for that neighborhood. And one bad neighbor can ruin a block. I know that I have never bashed Hammond mainly because I actually like the towns location and if the schools were a lot better, I wouldn't have many issues. I feel pretty safe when I am in Hammond and I do see people out and about doing the same things that people in Munster, Tri-town, and Crown Point do. Honestly, I have said this before and I'll say it again. I would much much rather live in Hammond than in Merrillville. To me, Merrillville is very unstable and more expensive than Hammond compared to what you get and I would only see myself losing money there.

[mewgirl]

Originally Posted by bigpop007

words

>says Hammond isn't ghetto
>says wife shouldn't walk at midnight in Hammond