North West Indiana- Towns??? (Gary, Hammond: appointed, 2013, mortgages)

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by Chuckity

I'm going to disagree w/ you actually ... and say that you need to put Valpo & Crown Point in the skewing higher group. Valpo's median household income (when you remove a couple of city proper sections that are mainly university students and seniors on fixed incomes) is between $85K-$100K.

I would suspect that Crown Point is roughly the same - but to be honest, I'm too tired to look it up right now.

Btw, have you seen our new ice rink? (It's right across from the outdoor entertainment pavilion and summer splash pad.)



It's surrounded by lots of specialty restaurants and shops, two live theatres, a brewery ... and we even have valet parking for all the fun things to do downtown.

I see what you are saying, and I would say you are correct. But for the $85-100k, do you really mean the MEAN as opposed to the MEDIAN? I think that CP and Valpo are skewing higher as time goes on because nicer developments are going in as well.

I have seen the new rink! I know many folks think that the Mayor has been too ambitious with some public projects (especially with him being Republican), but I think he has done great! By the way, side-note. What do you think of the changes on the city council? You can DM me if you don't want to answer on here. I'm just curious because I have heard so many different opinions from people that is truly interesting! I feel like Valpo and Lake Station had by far the most interesting elections in the area!

[iidreamtheaterii]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

How long will it take from the 2 Munster stations to downtown Chicago?

I think the more important question is "has there been a timeline for the stations to be constructed yet?" I really haven't seen anything set in stone, and these projects take so much time to get approved, funded etc. I know with a lot of the towns committing a certain percentage of the CEDIT funds it will help, but some of those towns have already rescinded theirs after 1 year.

Someone that is aiming to live here for the long haul will benefit from the Munster/Dyer stops (and eventually St. John/Lowell hopefully). But this may take 3-5 years in actuality to even utilize their downtown commutes.

Just something to keep in mind. Buying closer to a current train line with the intent of moving again after these two stops are a viable option might make sense to some buyers. For those with children and not wanting to change school districts, this obviously isn't the case.

[jvr789]

Originally Posted by Momofboys2015

We are also relocating to NWI. I grew up in Carmel, IN and my husband and I are really interested in good schools and areas with a sense of community. I've heard St. John doesn't have a downtown, but also that a lot of young families move there (we have preschoolers). We definitely want to be with other families with kids around the same age.
We seem to be in-between Munster and St.John, but just from what I've read online. We looked in Naperville, IL at first , but taxes are so much higher! We are not moving from Carmel, we are moving from Avon, IN and I know the cost of living is a lot higher in NWI. My husband's employer started researching the raise offer he is going to offer my husband to expand the company in NWI- but I feel like he doesn't quite understand the difference in cost of living. What do people make and live comfortably in the area? Are some of the towns middle class and some upper middle class? I have so many questions because simply because I have never been there before. Thank you for any help you can offer!

We moved from downtown Chicago to Munster about a year ago with concerns regarding taxes in IL, good schools, proximity to Chicago and lower cost of living driving the decision. We have been happy in Munster and have met many young families. I think there are a number of communities which would be great to raise a family in NWI. Your specific housing criteria and budget will likely determine which will be the "best" fit for you given that your work will be in NWI. In Munster, there is a wide range of house prices but also a wide range in size and age. If you need a large home let's say 4+ bedrooms that is newer, some of the other communities to the south of Munster will be more affordable. You are only a few hours drive from NWI. My recommendation is go online, pick out some houses that are in your budget in a variety of areas, take the drive up, and check them out. Make it a fun adventure & it will help you narrow your focus and give you insight into what living here will be like. Good luck!!!

[Chuckity]

Originally Posted by Northwest Indiana

I see what you are saying, and I would say you are correct. But for the $85-100k, do you really mean the MEAN as opposed to the MEDIAN? I think that CP and Valpo are skewing higher as time goes on because nicer developments are going in as well.

I have seen the new rink! I know many folks think that the Mayor has been too ambitious with some public projects (especially with him being Republican), but I think he has done great! By the way, side-note. What do you think of the changes on the city council? You can DM me if you don't want to answer on here. I'm just curious because I have heard so many different opinions from people that is truly interesting! I feel like Valpo and Lake Station had by far the most interesting elections in the area!

Nope, I mean median. If you go click around the maps in the data section of City Data, the numbers they use are the median household income.

Jon's a good guy. He has done A LOT for Valparaiso. The downtown area is not what it was when I moved here - he's really done fantastic things here. The people who complain about it are the ones who would really like to see Valpo go back to being a one horse town. And I get them. I get them. Totally.

Most down town squares in Small Town USA are bordering on ghost towns. It's sad ... really really sad. And Valpo's could have totally went that way - but I give Costas a lot of the credit for being a visionary and not letting that happen here.

I don't put a lot of weight to party affiliations when it comes to small town politics. I'm a registered Republican and the last time I voted Dem in a Presidential election was Clinton's first term. (I totally voted Dole 4 years later.) But I have definitely voted for some dem's here. Unfortunately, I can't vote for Costas because I'm Center Township and not Valpo proper.

I think the only thing I've really been unhappy about was Jon's public statement (the first one) on the VU student being pulled over and then arrested. I thought he totally missed the mark - and that was after I watched the entire video from the dash cam several times.

[NWIexpat]

Originally Posted by Northwest Indiana

Most of the suburban areas of NWI are middle class in nature but have varying degrees of it. Munster, Dyer, Schererville, and St. John skew on the higher end of the middle-class spectrum, while places like Highland, Crown Point, Hobart, Cedar Lake, and Valpo are more on the middle end, and Merrillville, Griffith, Portage are closer to the lower end of the middle class spectrum, OVERALL.

I would not agree with this statement. I would say that a higher end of the middle class would include Munster, St. John, Crown Point, and Chesterton. On the middle of that spectrum mentioned before would be Highland, Cedar Lake, Hobart, and Dyer. On the bottom of it would be places like Merrillville, Portage, Lake Station, Griffith, Gary, Whiting, East Chicago, Whiting etc.

St. John has no downtown so if you're into some sort of entertainment in your town St. John is off the list. Munster and Crown Point as well as Valpo all have a lively downtown area. Munster is very expensive so you might want to check that off of your list.

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by NWIexpat

I would not agree with this statement. I would say that a higher end of the middle class would include Munster, St. John, Crown Point, and Chesterton. On the middle of that spectrum mentioned before would be Highland, Cedar Lake, Hobart, and Dyer. On the bottom of it would be places like Merrillville, Portage, Lake Station, Griffith, Gary, Whiting, East Chicago, Whiting etc.

St. John has no downtown so if you're into some sort of entertainment in your town St. John is off the list. Munster and Crown Point as well as Valpo all have a lively downtown area. Munster is very expensive so you might want to check that off of your list.

With the exception of a couple of additions (and moving CP up) you pretty much agreed with my statement. And if Dyer was on the middle end on that spectrum (which it definitely isn't), that Crown Point definitely wouldn't be up their either.

[artemis]

I wouldn't put Valpo & Cedar Lake on the same level. There's no comparison.

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by artemis

I wouldn't put Valpo & Cedar Lake on the same level. There's no comparison.

Valpo overall is wealthier than Cedar Lake, but Cedar Lake is getting more wealth in its borders as well as into the school district due to some nicer subdivisions in the Hanover Township area of St. John. But yes, overall, I would say you're right. Valpo would be a tier above CL.

[iidreamtheaterii]

Originally Posted by Northwest Indiana

Valpo overall is wealthier than Cedar Lake, but Cedar Lake is getting more wealth in its borders as well as into the school district due to some nicer subdivisions in the Hanover Township area of St. John. But yes, overall, I would say you're right. Valpo would be a tier above CL.

Valpo is definitely in a tier above Cedar Lake and will remain that way for quite some time. It has far too many amenities and nice areas for it not to be.

Originally Posted by NWIexpat

I would not agree with this statement. I would say that a higher end of the middle class would include Munster, St. John, Crown Point, and Chesterton. On the middle of that spectrum mentioned before would be Highland, Cedar Lake, Hobart, and Dyer. On the bottom of it would be places like Merrillville, Portage, Lake Station, Griffith, Gary, Whiting, East Chicago, Whiting etc.

St. John has no downtown so if you're into some sort of entertainment in your town St. John is off the list. Munster and Crown Point as well as Valpo all have a lively downtown area. Munster is very expensive so you might want to check that off of your list.

Upper Middle: Munster, St. John, Valpo, Crown Point, Chesterton


Middle: Dyer, Highland, Hobart, Schererville, Cedar Lake, Winfield


It's really hard to place Merrillville at the moment. Lower Middle - Middle Class. It's still fighting to keep Gary at bay. Griffith is another 'tweener' to me. It has a lot of potential. Great Downtown


Lower Middle: Portage, Lake Station, Gary, Whiting, East Chicago, Whiting


Lowell doesn't get mentioned ever being the furthest southern Lake County town.

[Humboldt1]

I don't really consider anything less than 100k upper middle class for household income but maybe it is relative to cost of living. I am sure there are parts of towns in NWI that fit this description, just not the entire towns.

Carmel does meet this metric while many other towns do not.