Metra draws people to Kenosha

By Rob Golub

Sunday, March 20, 2005 2:08 AM CST

ABOARD THE METRA - Beth Reimer, 35, changed her life so she can sit on the 6:53 train from Kenosha to Chicago each morning.

She is a living example of what expanding Chicago's Metra commuter rail line through Racine County might do for the area. Just look at what Kenosha's Metra stop does for Kenosha.

In 2001 Reimer moved from downtown Chicago to Kenosha. She bought a house that's just a six-minute car ride from the downtown Kenosha Metra station.

The price she paid to buy real estate in Kenosha wouldn't have been good for much more than a cardboard box in downtown Chicago. In Kenosha, she gets a house and a yard.

"It's cheap," she said, smiling. "It's good value."

In a series of interviews with people chosen aboard the rush-hour Metra to Chicago last week, many people said they had moved to Kenosha for the Metra.

With local officials arguing it would be good for Racine County to create Metra stops here, the Beth Reimers of the world suggest that the proposed Racine and Caledonia stops could increase demand for homes and attract professionals to the area. In short, Metra might boost the local economy.

Mike Illies, 43, who sells early reading programs to schools, bought a house in Kenosha and moved there from the Chicago area just a month ago.

"One of the reasons I actually looked to Kenosha was because the Metra actually connected to Kenosha," he said. He drives 4 minutes to the station, rides the train to Evanston, Ill., and then walks a block to work.

Riders say the Metra is reliable. Some riders read the newspaper or work on a laptop, while others simply stare out the window.

Several riders said they take the bus from the train station once they arrive at their stop in Chicago or elsewhere. For commuters in cars, it may seem like a lot of get-in and get-out, but Metra commuters think nothing of it.

Anna Primus, 46, of Kenosha, commutes from Kenosha to the Great Lakes stop every day, where she works as a government employee. She takes a 15-minute bus ride from home to the Kenosha Metra station, rides two Metra trains for a total of 30 minutes, and takes a six-minute bus ride to work.

When asked if the commute was hard, she shrugged. "I've been doing it for 20 years," Primus said.

Several Kenosha Metra users said they'd use Metra even more if it is extended to Racine and Milwaukee. Some riders were occasional commuters. Geanie Jackson, 55, for example, who was on her weekly trip to pick up her granddaughter. She said she'd use new Racine County Metra stops to go to Racine for shopping.

Reimer said moving from the Chicago area to Kenosha is so common that in chatting with other commuters she has seen a pattern emerge. First, people rent in Kenosha, to try it out. Then, they buy.

Maybe, some day, Metra stops on Racine and Caledonia will have more people moving to Racine County to rent, and then to buy.

New Metra stops in Racine might also help local companies recruit talent from other cities. Kevin Canty, 28, of Evanston, commutes on the Metra every day to his Racine job at SC Johnson, 1525 Howe St. A bus from the company picks up several people at the Kenosha train station each day, he said.

He said Metra stops in Racine County would make it easier to use Metra to get to Johnson jobs.

"A lot of employees live in Chicago," he said. "I know there would probably be a lot more people taking the Metra than there are now."

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