Northwest Indiana Business Magazine

Northwest Indiana’s Leading Regional Business Magazine Since 1991

  • Home
  • Industries
    • Banking
    • Education
    • Health & Wellness
    • Manufacturing & Technology
    • Professional Services
    • Real Estate & Building
    • Small Business & Entrepreneurship
    • Tourism & Recreation
    • Transportation & Logistics
  • Community
    • Around the Region
    • Business News Bits
    • Economic Development
    • Events
    • Leadership
    • Making a Difference
  • Lifestyle
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Viewpoint
    • Publisher’s Note
  • Jobs
  • Webinars
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues Archive
    • Advertise With Us
    • Business News eNewsletter
    • Subscriptions and Renewals
    • Contributing Writers
    • Editorial and Business Advisory Board
    • Magazine Team
  • About
    • Contact
    • Advertise With Us
    • Subscriptions and Renewals
    • Our History
    • Privacy
    • Terms
  • Log In
You are here: Home / Articles / Time for Region to shine

Time for Region to shine

December 5, 2019 – By Larry Avila Leave a Comment

Northwest Indiana much more than its reputation lets on

Larry Avila

Larry Avila is managing editor of the Northwest Indiana Business Magazine.

“You can’t judge a book by its cover” is more than an expression to me — especially when it comes to Northwest Indiana.

My initial impression of the Region was based mostly on my travels between my home state of Michigan and either the metro Chicago area or Wisconsin. I drove through Northwest Indiana either on the Skyway or Interstate 94 for more than two decades. My limited view from my car window impressed upon me that the Region was very industrial, and that people and freight simply must pass through it to get somewhere else.

I didn’t really think about the people who must live here. But that changed in June 2017 when I took a job in Munster as business editor of The Times of Northwest Indiana. The newspaper relocated my wife and I from Wisconsin to Indiana. And we made a home in Crown Point.

My time at The Times was cut short in January 2018 when I was laid off by the newspaper, but my wife and I chose to stay in Crown Point. Luckily, as one door closed another opened, leading me to my post as managing editor of the Northwest Indiana Business Magazine.

After that, I learned so much more about the Region and all it has to offer. I was glad I stayed.

But life took another turn, and my wife and I moved to Chicago in July 2019. It was my turn to follow her as she pursued her career in health care.

Now that we’ve lived in Chicago for a few months, we do miss some things about the Region. Some are obvious. The cost of living certainly is higher in Chicago than in Crown Point. And the traffic, of course, seems like a parking lot compared to the backups on Route 30 between Schererville and Merrillville and some sections of U.S. 41, either in Highland or St. John.

When we took our first shopping trips to some Chicago retailers, we were surprised to discover all charging a few cents for plastic shopping bags — thanks to the 7-cent checkout tax per bag. Former Gov. Mike Pence made sure that won’t happen in Indiana any time soon. He signed a law in 2016 that doesn’t allow for a plastic bag tax or the ability to restrict their use in Indiana.

Granted when you live in a big city, living conditions are going to be different. Parking a car close to a restaurant will prove challenging at times and finding green space to take your dog for a walk or to play can be more of a chore.

These kinds of little, big city-living issues make me miss living in a smaller community.

A colleague recently shared a New York Times article with me that examined the issue of how a growing number of Americans were turning away from big city life to live in quieter small towns.

That makes sense because advances in technology make it much easier for people to work remotely. Some eliminate their commutes altogether or at least limit the number of days they must report to an office. Employers also are becoming more flexible, allowing staff to work from home, which is the case for me.

Schools also are a reason for those with children to head here. Many communities in Northwest Indiana have reputable school systems. This truly is a marketable asset for professionals with families.

Passenger rail expansion also is driving new housing and commercial development. Soon Chicago’s plentiful amenities will be even more accessible from Northwest Indiana. That goes both ways, because there also is plenty to see and do in Northwest Indiana.

In the time my wife and I lived in Crown Point, we discovered and enjoyed several local eateries, festivals and farmers markets. Crown Point’s Hunt and Gather event at the Lake County Fairgrounds comes to mind, as well as the Greek Food Festival at Saint George Hellenic Orthodox Church in Schererville.

The Schererville locations of the Burgerhaus and the Tomato Bar Pizza Bakery are just two of the restaurants we dined at on occasion and likely will visit again. We still have opportunities to experience some of our favorite Region places and activities since my wife’s daughter lives and works in Northwest Indiana.

Efforts to help others come to the same epiphany about the Region’s many amenities are underway. Community and business leaders as well as several organizations already are leading numerous efforts with a unified goal of showcasing the strengths that make Northwest Indiana a great place to live and work.

Support for those initiatives needs to continue, and the people involved must be more proactive in letting the world know the Region simply isn’t a place to pass through on the way to the Chicago metro area.

As I’ve discovered, opening the pages of the book called Northwest Indiana led me to many great discoveries and altered my preconceptions. Hopefully, others will take the time as well to learn what the Region is all about.

— Larry Avila is managing editor of the Northwest Indiana Business Magazine.

Click here to read more from the Dec-Jan 2019 issue of Northwest Indiana Business Magazine.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Larry Avila
Follow me
Larry Avila
Larry is an award-winning journalist with more than 25 years of experience working with daily newspapers and business-to-business publications around the Midwest. Avila is a Michigan native and a graduate of Central Michigan University.
Larry Avila
Follow me
Latest posts by Larry Avila (see all)
  • Holy Cross College at Notre Dame introduces new president - August 12, 2022
  • Survey finds inflation among top concerns for small business owners - August 12, 2022
  • Genesis Products Inc. acquires division of Native Hardwoods - August 11, 2022

Filed Under: 2019-Dec-Jan, Viewpoint Tagged With: Burgerhaus, Crown Point, Double Track project, Greek Food Festival, Larry Avila, Northwest Indiana Business Magazine, the Tomato Bar Pizza Bakery

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Print Issue

December-January 2019

December-January 2020 issue cover

Magazine Articles

In this issue

Around the Region: December-January 2019

Regional approach to curb appeal

Evolving CPA offers more than number crunching

Small business community ready to launch ideas

More than steps toward well-being

Partners in hiring

Research key to educating next generation of scientists

The evolving workplace

Charitable good neighbors

Dreamy peanut butter success

Out & about in Northwest Indiana

Out & about in greater South Bend: December-January 2019

From trash to natural treasure

The write leadership stuff

Time for Region to shine

Categories

Archives

  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Business News Bits
  • Archive
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscriptions and Renewals
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Contact

© Copyright 1991-2022 Linker Media Group, Inc · All Rights Reserved

Posting....