RUST BELT OASIS
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3/2/2020
I’ve lived in Michigan City for over 10 years now(March 2020) and am a native of Northwest Indiana (40 years.)
Michigan City is an older town, on Lake Michigan ESE of Chicago on the Michigan State Line while still being in Indiana. We’re dual located in the region known as Michiana, and on the Eastern edge of the Chicago Metro, and known to the locals, as The Region(NW Indiana.) It is approximately 50 miles (80 km) ESE of Chicago and 40 miles (64 km) west of South Bend. The city had a population of 31,479 at the 2010 census. Michigan City is noted for both its proximity to Indiana Dunes National Park and for bordering Lake Michigan. Due to this, Michigan City receives a fair amount of tourism during the summer months, especially by residents of Chicago and of nearby cities in Northern Indiana.
Ok, so the weather is not as bad as everyone seems to think it is, especially if you’re not from the Midwest. It can get brutal in the Winter with wind chills to -20 to -30F but that is rare. Typically temps average around 20F in midwinter to late Winter. We seem to have cycles of 3-4 years where snow will start falling in November and not melt until April, but usually we get snow, it melts, and we get more snow, it melts, etc. Spring comes late here. As Lake Michigan moderates temps around the region, the temps can stay in the 50-60’s up until around the 1st of July, where it warms up quick to 70’s and 80’s into early October with temps reaching the 90’s a few days in midsummer. Summers can get very warm and very muggy, but those days don’t last too long. Most people head to the beach, or take cold showers(Polish air conditioning.) The first cold front of Autumn is an amazing time of year! It’s very welcome(most of October is 50’s to 60’s and clean crisp air.) Fall foliage is great here with many different types of trees, but soon thereafter, November) most people slip into Winter gear, stoic faces, frumpy cold weather clothing, and become insular, homey, and sometimes grumpy. Tourists leave, kids go back to school, the beach front community packs up their summer homes and goes back to Chicago, and the locals dig in for the holidays and the cold dark winter.
The people of Michigan City are generally friendly, but not fake. You won’t see people walking around all smiles unless they’re crazy or high. Alcohol plays a part in the culture here, as we’re generally accepted as a blue collar town, with a few pockets of wealthier blue collar, white collar, and the beachfront community(generally from Illinois, and in a league of their own-which is both a positive and negative statement.)
The housing here is inexpensive, so their are some old beautiful homes worthy of investing or buying to live in. Some great restaurants and shopping( though room for expansion), a few museums, arts, uptown shops, diverse culture, historic places of worship, breweries, parks, a zoo, farmers markets, orchards, Amish country, etc. Crime exists but if you’re smart, you’ll avoid 99.9% of it. The South Shore commuter train has received a multi million $$$ grant for improvements in Michigan City and will turn the commute from 2 hours to one hour into Chicago’s Millenium Station. The people of MC have invested a lot of time and money and love into the Uptown Arts district and surrounding historical district. I see the city as growing positively but we are having some growing pains, as the 70’s through the 90’s saw major economic decline, demographic loss, etc, but the ones who stayed have been in overdrive to save our community, and we’re definitely seeing an uptick in positive moves.
John | Michigan City, IN