Walking Michigan City (Indiana)

For anyone who's wondering who the author is: Chris Arnade got a Ph.D. in particle physics at Johns Hopkins University, and then worked for 20 years as a bond trader on Wall Street. In 2011, he became interested in social class in the US -- what he calls the distinction between "front-row kids" and "back-row kids."

So he became a sort of itinerant photographer/journalist, documenting the lives of poor or middle-class people in unglamorous places -- often Rust Belt towns.

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Arnade

The home town of Ward Cunningham, the developer of the wiki (among other things)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ward_Cunningham

Walking is a great way to experience a place properly. I only discovered how much I enjoy walking during the lockdowns a few years ago when taking long walks was the only entertainment. I mostly walk around Berlin where I live. Exploring the areas in between the destinations where I normally by simply walking through them (as opposed to taking public transport and not seeing or noticing these areas), shows you a lot about a city.

Michigan City looks like a friendly enough place. Not that dissimilar from the working class areas here in Berlin. Lots of Berliners that live a bit further from the center.

One note, spectacular as that coal plant might look; living that close to one is not that great for your health. Coal plant pollution tends to affect health statistics (average age, incidence of lung related problems, etc.).

Odd that the author does not mention the lake. Hugely important reason why industry located there. It’s also the reason why it is a massive regional vacation destination (right next to the indiana dunes national park) and selling summer houses and condos is probably the reason that real estate agent mentioned out-earned everyone else in the state.