Northwest Indiana is positioned to lead the state into the future. That's what Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch told Region tourism professionals in Hammond last week.
"Everywhere you go, there is something new and different to experience," Crouch said. "So, I'm excited about what you're going to do."
Crouch said the state has made great progress in recent decades on building a solid financial footing, with a balanced budget and low taxes. She said the next priority will be quality of life.
"It used to be that people followed businesses, but today, businesses are following people," Crouch explained.
Some of the Region's assets include the Indiana Dunes and other attractions, but also the individual communities themselves. The mayors of Crown Point and Hobart noted their historic downtowns and outdoor music venues are proving to be popular. The town of St. John, meanwhile, is looking to manage its rapid growth through planning efforts like its corridor study.
But new residents will also need a place to live. Crouch said the Indiana General Assembly tried to address that, by creating a program that lets communities get low-interest loans to build infrastructure for housing developments.
"So, we have to look at being very innovative, as they did this last session, but continue to look at ways that we can increase that housing stock but also keep housing affordable," Crouch told Lakeshore Public Media following last week's event.
Crouch acknowledged that the General Assembly's efforts to ban abortion and gender-affirming care may impact efforts to attract new residents. "You know, I'm always concerned about everything that would impact our ability to attract talent and to grow our population," Crouch said, "but we still have to recognize that we're a culturally conservative state."
She felt that the increase in tourism funding will make it easier for Indiana to tell its own story and put more of a focus on the "good things" happening in the state.
