Northwest Indiana has most of the substance families and young professionals seek in the greater Chicagoland market.
Now we must pay closer attention to dressing the windows and garnishing the entrees to close the deal with scores of residents we hope to lure into our population fold.
The time is ripe for this extra attention to detail given the state of affairs in our neighboring state.
Unpaid Illinois government bills linger around the $15 billion mark, and the state's response is to raise taxes among its already highly taxed electorate.
Illinois workers soon will see another 1.2 percent taken from their paychecks in state income taxes, and property taxes, particularly in Chicago and the collar counties, remain exorbitant.
Meanwhile, Indiana property taxes remain low and capped by state government. There’s no sales tax on groceries or prescriptions.
A three- to five-bedroom home in Northwest Indiana can be obtained for a fraction of the cost in Illinois' suburban collar counties, to say nothing of the lower taxes paid on those homes.
Indiana state government has seen more than a decade of balanced budgets and maintains strong fiscal reserves with a stellar bond rating.
Our state and Region is pushing an investment and expansion in the South Shore Line to serve as one crucial hook for attracting commuters.
We have a beautiful lakeshore, quiet neighborhoods of both a suburban and rural feel and massive highway infrastructure.
We also have some of the best, top-performing public and private schools in the state.
Some streets, even in more affluent Region cities and towns, are a patchwork of tar patching, cracks and reoccurring potholes.
Most of these features are unsightly and some unsettling to the bouncing of vehicle suspensions, rattling the teeth of residents and visitors who are prospective residents.
Sidewalks are lacking along a number of our thoroughfares. Such valuable infrastructure provides pathways from homes to recreation and shopping.
How many of us as children learned to ride our bikes in the middle of a highway or residential street as opposed to a safer sidewalk?
They're the kind of assets prospective residents seek.
Some of the most affluent, successful suburban cities in Illinois have a feel of aesthetics and cohesion about them.
We're capable of creating that same feel and have the actual substance to serve as the foundation.
Region cities like Valparaiso, Crown Point and Whiting have pushed hard in recent years to create a sense of place that marries both substance and aesthetics.
They should continue the effort, and other Region cities should join in the collective investment.
We're wasting time and opportunity if we fail to invest now in luring new population, particularly from a neighboring state whose luster is clearly fading.