Beginning as a factory town in the late 19th century, Aetna has grown into a single-family home neighborhood with access to parks, restaurants and nearby attractions. The neighborhood lies just south of the southernmost point of Lake Michigan and is approximately a one-hour drive from downtown Chicago.
With an average listing price of $90,000, Homes in Aetna are significantly lower than those in surrounding neighborhoods like Miller Beach and Lake Station. Bi-levels, brick ranch-style homes and Cape Cods make up the majority of the market here, and houses sit on quarter-acre lots. The lower end of the market features manufactured homes and fixer-uppers, with a two-bedroom, $750 square-foot home listed for $75,000. Investors will find empty lots and abandoned homes listed for $30,000 and less. Buyers with bigger budgets can find three-bedroom, 2,000-square-foot homes for around $200,000.
A variety of local and chain restaurants can be found within Aetna’s borders. Great Lakes Café in the neighborhood’s western corner provides patrons with a wide selection of breakfast and lunch options from biscuits with gravy and hearty omelets to savory burgers and chicken sandwiches. After a meal out, locals can travel to 18th Street Brewery to try out their various house brewed IPAs and pale ales. Aetna is also home to a selection of chain restaurants such as Popeye’s, McDonalds and Denny’s. Residents can pick up their groceries and daily necessities at the Family Dollar or Miller K Market, both found on Melton Road.
Gary Community School Corporation serves most of the area and receives a D-minus from Niche. Most children can attend Banneker Elementary at Marquette and Gary Middle School, which each earn a D-plus. West Side Leadership Academy gets a C-minus and focuses on leadership and STEM education. Alternatively, students could attend the tuition-free 21st Century Charter School for kindergarten through 12th grade. The school has more than 1,300 students, receives a C-plus from Niche and has a 94% graduation rate.
Some students may be served by Lake Station Community Schools. These children can attend C-rated Virgil I. Bailey Elementary School and C-plus-rated Thomas A. Edison Jr. Sr. High School.
Locals enjoy the neighborhood’s walkability and can use its sidewalks to travel to one of Aetna’s community parks. Glen Ryan Park, located on 6th Avenue, provides nearby residents with a playground, picnic pavilion and basketball courts. A mile to the southeast, locals will find June Labroi Park which features an open field, a playground and a miniature statue of liberty. For a weekend outing, Aetna locals can travel along Miller Avenue to Lake Street, which will take them to Lake Street Beach, where visitors can go for a cool swim in Lake Michigan or walk along the sand.
Interstates 90 and 65 intersect in the neighborhood, and I-90 can take people 3 miles west to central Gary or 42 miles north to Chicago’s city center.
Gene Ayers
Ayers REALTORS(r)
(219) 979-6529
122 Total Sales
4 in Aetna
$98K - $178K Price Range
Jeff McCormick
McCormick Real Estate, Inc.
(219) 491-2854
707 Total Sales
13 in Aetna
$1K - $234K Price Range
RH
Randy Hoyle
Randall Hoyle
(219) 244-5445
67 Total Sales
1 in Aetna
$149,000 Price
Erika Avitia
@properties Christie's International Real Estate
(877) 761-3762
84 Total Sales
1 in Aetna
$183,000 Price
Jason Moon
Trueblood Real Estate, LLC
(219) 351-6237
483 Total Sales
1 in Aetna
$75,000 Price
Melissa Yanez
Favela Real Estate, LLC
(219) 240-0461
74 Total Sales
3 in Aetna
$14K - $225K Price Range
Airport
Chicago Midway International
51 min drive
Train
Miller (Gary) Station
Bus
7th & New Hampshire
Bus
Amazon (15th & Texas)
Bus
10th & Clay
Bus
Marshalltown Dr. & Wisconsin
Bus
21st & Missouri
Bus
10th & Fayette
On average, homes in Aetna, Gary sell after 46 days on the market compared to the national average of 53 days. The median sale price for homes in Aetna, Gary over the last 12 months is $121,000, up 48% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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