BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
Lake Station, Indiana.
Just saying it and even typing it feels dirty. The city’s motto is “Our Home Town”.
First and foremost, I don’t think the people of Lake Station suck as a whole. There are some people in my hometown that are genuinely good people who work hard, care about themselves, their family, their community and in leaving the world a better place than when they entered it.
As of the 2010 census the population was 12,572 but that number has reportedly gone down a few hundred or so since. In 2000 the census had over 13,900 people. Why do people keep leaving Lake Station? That’s simple.
Lake Station sucks.
I’m actively seeking the means to escape this place, but most folks will always say “make the best of what you have”. You can try to do this, but there comes a point where it’s just a moot point.
Lake Station is a small town right outside of Gary, Indiana and is around a half hour or so outside of the eastern tip of Chicago. Back in the day it was called “East Gary”, but that would change as soon as Gary stopped being a “selling point”.
The Local “Entertainment”
Are you looking to have a good time within the city limits? If you’re not into the local bar scene your options are limited. If you’re 18 and over you can go to Déjà Vu and watch your former classmates strip or mud wrestle. There is no performance theatre, movie theatre, shopping mall or even really a venue for live music. You’re options are limited to the local bars, the strip club, the occasional movie in the park or hanging out on Central and playing the “What minority did the police pull over this time?” game.
The Car Lots
Do you need a new car? Look no further! Lake Station has more used car lots than I can even count. I think it’s safe to say that there are more shady used car lots than actual current year model cars amongst the entire population of the city. If you need a pick up truck for “scraping”, a lucrative LS “business”, then you’re in the right place!
The Bars
At one point a friend and I had a long discussion about how many bars there ARE in Lake Station. This isn’t even counting the liquor stores, grocery store, and businesses to sell it. Just the bars, VFW, American Legion, and places like that. We started listing every place in town to serve alcohol and it by far outnumbers the amount of places that sell books or tooth paste. It’s safe to say that if you sit in a Lake Station bar long enough you’ll hear at least one Nickelback song.
The School System
There are certainly teachers in Lake Station that care and do the best they can to help kids and prepare them for the next step in life. I have been taught by some really great people. I don’t want to down these people, but they are outnumbered. There were teachers there just to collect a pay check and were pretty much glorified babysitters, bad ones at that. The school system in Lake Station is ridiculous though. The high school is a small shoddy building that’s actually a junior high AND high school. The same building has twelve year old seventh graders and nineteen year old seniors. That is a BIG age and maturity difference. Lake Station is bordered with another small area called “New Chicago”, which has its own school system and high school. If the two schools were combined, it would allow for more potential and growth within the community. What it could do for the local high school sports alone would be a HUGE morale booster.
The Racism
While Indiana is generally a “red state”, the Northwest Indiana area is considered “Chicagoland” because we’re so close to the major metropolitan area. We get Chicago news and most of us cheer on Chicago sport teams. As much as we are in Indiana area, we take on the Chicago area like it’s ours. Not everywhere though. Racism in Lake Station is pretty damn clear. I know there are racism and hateful people everywhere, but there is a big sense of a “backwoods”, “good ol’ boy” mentality amongst the folks. I’d not go as a far as saying Lake Station is the most racist town of the region because there are some pretty obvious ones that feature the letters “KKK” in as many business names as possible, but it’s up there.
The Roads
The roads in Lake Station would see a big improvement if they were just removed and left with gravel or dirt. The big “improvements” is merely patching up the numerous pot holes once in a great while and letting us fend for ourselves. When this past winter hit I thought it was the “Snowpocalypse” because when I left my home the roads were one big snowly sheet of us. It was so bad that attempting to turn around and go home seemed like the best option. Then you hit city limits and discover that snowplows and salt still exist. You could go to Hobart, Portage, Gary, or anywhere else in the Northwest Indiana region and quickly see that the roads were pretty much ignored in Lake Station.
The Library
Lake Station built a beautiful building in the middle of the town and put some books in it. It’s a big great looking structure and it’s hard to say it’s not a good looking building. The problem here is waste. Lake Station didn’t NEED a new library. For years the old small library was only open for a few hours like three or so days a week. Lake Station people were not flocking to the library, but for some reason it was considered a “great idea” to use money needed elsewhere to let people rent outdated DVDs and pay a quarter to copy pages from hand-me-down books.
The City Government
Firemen work the awkward sobriety check points, the police are suspect to many claims of harassment and abuse, the voter turnout is low as hell, and let’s not forget the mayor. I could have had one category specially titled “The Mayor”, but I didn’t want to leave anyone else out. There are allegations and charges that the mayor of Lake Station and his family, who got hired into city jobs, have stolen over $100,000 from the town and spent most of it at Four Winds Casino in Michigan. That’s a lot of money, but is anyone SURE it ends with that amount? When something like this comes to surface you have to really start to question everything. Were there more kick-backs than we know? Was there more taken than we know? How can we TRUST our city government? We can’t! With the current state of Lake Station and knowing that the people we’ve put in office aren’t looking out of the better good of its people it’s impossible to trust in the city. To top it off, there are “allegations” that money was taken from the Lake Station Food Pantry! These “people” literally took the food out of poor children’s mouths to go on a gambling trip? I only say “allegations” and that they were “accused of” because I fear the money I’d be sued over would be put on black at an out of state Casino.
I look around and I’m envious of those who have gotten out and have made it a personal mission to relocate as soon as possible. You can throw the old line of “love it or leave it”, but even when I’m as far away as possible Lake Station is still going to be my hometown. I’m still going to have to read the news, visit family and cringe at the decay of what used to be a nice little town.
I know there are good things about Lake Station. There are people who prove that a few rotten apples can’t spoil the bunch. I’ve made friends in Lake Station that I’ll cherish for the rest of the life. I’ve made great memories, grown up and appreciated many little things along the way. When it comes down to it Lake Station isn’t even the MOST corrupt, the sleaziest or even the WORST but it’s “Our Home Town” and I think it sucks.
Got Bitcoin? Help me move!
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