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wow development news on city data!
nice to know about, I posted onto skyscrapercity forum.
That will be a welcome addition to the area.
We are losing our video stores, but gaining a movie theatre!
Its right by the bike path, so conceivably I could
ride my bike to go see a movie, COOL!
I'm looking forward to it too. Will be exciting what else comes with it as they mentioned restaurants and retail I think. No more schlepping to Gurnee!
Ha ha I can't believe people want to live in Gurnee. What is so exciting about it? Has it changed much from the '80s and early '90s? My memory of it is outdated and from a child's perspective, but the only cool thing there was Great America. I can't say anything good about my old school district (Woodland) because where I grew up after that, it's unheard of for there to be NO art program, the music class ended up on wheels, and the special ed kids got jack all. My mom used to have to donate paper to my brother's class.
FWIW, our house was actually in Park City, and Gurnee was right over my back yard. A lot of people left the same time we did, and that place is probably a hole now. Maybe the other side of Gurnee is better. And from the Chicago kid I just met a couple weeks ago, I think people still are looking down on Gurnee. I mean I said the word and the eyes just went straight down the nose.
I lived in Libertyville while Gurnee was experiencing some of it's most spectacular growth.
Folks liked the idea of getting A BRAND NEW HOUSE IN A BRAND SUBDIVSION WITH BRAND NEW NEIGHBORS at a price that was, comparatively speaking, well below other more established areas.
When it turned out that some of those houses were thrown together with less than diligent workmanship, some of the subdivisions were laid out so that shopping was eother so far it required packing a lunch to get through all the stoplights or with a parking lot right in ones backyard, and the reason the price was so low was that new home owners would be footing the bill for expansion of schools and other infrastructure on their taxes for eternity the value seemed less then stellar.
Same things have happened in DOZENS other places from fringes of Naperville , Plainfield, and Schaumburg, to southern part of Glen Ellyn, outlying areas of Mount Prospect, to parts of Burr Ridge and Lake Forest... Big difference is that in most of those towns the "core" still has nice access to trains, or at least pleasant drive to normal scale shopping, but Gurnee is such a funky extreme with the giant single level mall cover untold acres that it blots out everything else for miles and the bit of "old Gurnee" is nestled against some rough old highway and the fringe of Waukegan warehosues and whatever you can eumphasitacaly the "historic" section of Park City (don't know how old a mobile home has to be to qualify as antique, but some of 'em have to be from the 60s or older...).
Fortunately EMPLOYMENT base in that corridor, with Abbot and other healthcare oriented firms is pretty strong, so unlike the sections of southern Cook Co where you can drive past miles of struggling strip malls and such the obvious signs of blight are harder to spot, but "discontentment" in the discussions of folks who thought they were buying something thisclose to the NorthShore is a topic I hear from more than a few folks, especially those that foolishly paid NorthShore prices for places that really don't measure up. Now don't get me wrong, I know a few folks that have STUNNINGLY attractive homes on huge lots in Old Mill Creek or Wadsworth that would not trade 'em for anything, with their masive kitchens, tricked out home theaters and to die for master suites, but when they find out the neighbors are not CFOs , but more likely Chief Airframe Mechanic for United or some other "not connected to college acheivement" profession and they don't understand the value of encouraging kids to take AP Chemistry to try to earn a PhD in Pharamalogy when you could make just as much with a union job it certainly reminds them this in NOT New Trier...
In the grand scheme of things there are LOTS of places that are way worse to raise a family, but the "boom town effect" is something that will NEVER be overcome. I mean you can look to someplace like Oak Brook, that, in the right subdivision, has AWESOME schools, a Park District that shames every other in the state with a workout facility that is more like the East Bank Club than typical basketball and playroom, crazy low taxes, highest building standards around and nicer / smarter neighbors than pretty much any other spot in DuPage Co, but it'll never have the cachet of even Hinsdale let alone Lake Forest or Winnetka...
I lived in Libertyville while Gurnee was experiencing some of it's most spectacular growth.
Folks liked the idea of getting A BRAND NEW HOUSE IN A BRAND SUBDIVSION WITH BRAND NEW NEIGHBORS at a price that was, comparatively speaking, well below other more established areas.
When it turned out that some of those houses were thrown together with less than diligent workmanship, some of the subdivisions were laid out so that shopping was eother so far it required packing a lunch to get through all the stoplights or with a parking lot right in ones backyard, and the reason the price was so low was that new home owners would be footing the bill for expansion of schools and other infrastructure on their taxes for eternity the value seemed less then stellar.
Same things have happened in DOZENS other places from fringes of Naperville , Plainfield, and Schaumburg, to southern part of Glen Ellyn, outlying areas of Mount Prospect, to parts of Burr Ridge and Lake Forest... Big difference is that in most of those towns the "core" still has nice access to trains, or at least pleasant drive to normal scale shopping, but Gurnee is such a funky extreme with the giant single level mall cover untold acres that it blots out everything else for miles and the bit of "old Gurnee" is nestled against some rough old highway and the fringe of Waukegan warehosues and whatever you can eumphasitacaly the "historic" section of Park City (don't know how old a mobile home has to be to qualify as antique, but some of 'em have to be from the 60s or older...).
Fortunately EMPLOYMENT base in that corridor, with Abbot and other healthcare oriented firms is pretty strong, so unlike the sections of southern Cook Co where you can drive past miles of struggling strip malls and such the obvious signs of blight are harder to spot, but "discontentment" in the discussions of folks who thought they were buying something this close to the NorthShore is a topic I hear from more than a few folks, especially those that foolishly paid NorthShore prices for places that really don't measure up. Now don't get me wrong, I know a few folks that have STUNNINGLY attractive homes on huge lots in Old Mill Creek or Wadsworth that would not trade 'em for anything, with their massive kitchens, tricked out home theaters and to die for master suites, but when they find out the neighbors are not CFOs , but more likely Chief Airframe Mechanic for United or some other "not connected to college achievement" profession and they don't understand the value of encouraging kids to take AP Chemistry to try to earn a PhD in Pharamalogy when you could make just as much with a union job it certainly reminds them this in NOT New Trier...
In the grand scheme of things there are LOTS of places that are way worse to raise a family, but the "boom town effect" is something that will NEVER be overcome. I mean you can look to someplace like Oak Brook, that, in the right subdivision, has AWESOME schools, a Park District that shames every other in the state with a workout facility that is more like the East Bank Club than typical basketball and playroom, crazy low taxes, highest building standards around and nicer / smarter neighbors than pretty much any other spot in DuPage Co, but it'll never have the cachet of even Hinsdale let alone Lake Forest or Winnetka...
Chet, you are obsessed with the North Shore and upper crust Dupage County. You are obsessed with the "high value" of living next to the CEO and the high value of mingling with the top 3% of earners.
Fiction you wrote:
1. Myth #1- Gurnee has homes with less than diligent workmanship: Quantify this with data! In my opinion its your "bogus" opinion based on the fact that if its not a New Trier feeder community, its less than equal. The fact is Chet, there are not armies of home improvement vendors fixing our homes.
2. Myth #2- Shopping is so far from residents you need to pack a lunch bag to get through the stop lights: All out lie. Show me the data that compares stop lights in Gurnee vs. other suburban villages that shows a disproportionate amount of lights here. Nuts!
3. Myth #3- Village laid out so poorly that parking lots are in your "back yard". Chet I lived for many years in Deerfield, Highland Park, Glenview and Evanston and I saw more homes next to parking lots and retail there than I do in Gurnee.
4. Myth #4- Gurnee has high taxes to pay for expanding schools- False! A $300,000 home paid less than $7000 in taxes this year. Part of the reason it was so low compared to other areas of the County is because that giant single level mall generates a ton of sales tax and the Village of Gurnee DOES NOT assess a Property tax on homeowners! That's a huge benefit! Also, The retailers in the 2 mile area around the giant single level mall have also thrived and are a contributing factor to Gurnee being the #1 lake county community in Retail revenue. Maybe you just don't like the clientele (i.e. non-CEO, non-New Trier) at the Giant single level mall, Chet?
5. Myth #5- Giant single level mall blots out everything for Miles. Who are you crapping, Chet? There is a ton of retail within 2 miles of the Mall and I bet you----that the land that it takes to house Gurnee Mills is SMALLER than the land it takes to house OLD Orchard. Yes, Old Orchard with its "monstrous" triple decker parking lots and untold add ons.
6. Myth #6-People in Gurnee are upset that they paid top dollar and are not living a "Northshore" life style. Oh my god. You are either purposely seeking out the town fools or your so in love with the Northshore that you can not see or think clearly. I have not had one conversation, not one, in over 10 years with any neighbor, co-worker, church member, voter, etc. etc. that stated they wish Gurnee was more "North Shore". If anything, people thank god that they live in a normal community.
7. Myth #7- Old Gurnee is next to an old highway and abuts the fringe areas of Waukegan: Well, you must have never been to Old Gurnee because it neithers abuts the fringe of Waukegan or is next to a highway. Old Gurnee is located off of Old Grand avenue and has some nice old homes, community parks, the entrance to the Des Plaines River trail and small business and is pretty nice overall. I think you must be referring to "East Gurnee" which is the area east of 41 that borders Waukegan. That area is more considered Waukegan than Gurnee.
8. Myth #8- People in Gurnee do not value higher education for their children because they and their neighbors are working "Union Jobs". What an all out bold faced lie.
Facts from Citydata.com:
Top 3 employment fields for Men in Gurnee in 2008:
1. Management Occupations
2. Sales Representatives
3. Top Executives
(What? No union machinist?)
2009 Median Income:
A. Gurnee- $88,889
B. Arlington Heights-$82,454
C. Palatine- $81,377
D. Skokie- $73,039
Gurnee is within striking distance of Glenview in income.
Education in Gurnee-
College Degree- 47.8%
Graduate Degree- 17%
Education in Arlington Heights-
College Degree- 46.5%
Graduate Degree- 16.3%
Last edited by lakecountylifer; 12-11-2010 at 12:08 PM..
Ha ha I can't believe people want to live in Gurnee. What is so exciting about it? Has it changed much from the '80s and early '90s? My memory of it is outdated and from a child's perspective, but the only cool thing there was Great America. I can't say anything good about my old school district (Woodland) because where I grew up after that, it's unheard of for there to be NO art program, the music class ended up on wheels, and the special ed kids got jack all. My mom used to have to donate paper to my brother's class.
FWIW, our house was actually in Park City, and Gurnee was right over my back yard. A lot of people left the same time we did, and that place is probably a hole now. Maybe the other side of Gurnee is better. And from the Chicago kid I just met a couple weeks ago, I think people still are looking down on Gurnee. I mean I said the word and the eyes just went straight down the nose.
Dude, I'm sorry you grew up in Park City, but thats as far away from Gurnee as Gurnee is to New York City. Other than some kids from Park City attend Woodland (which Skews the schools numbers), there is no commonality.
By the way, I went through the Deerfield school system and Woodland appears to have a better art program, music classes and the kids write on higher quality paper than I did. Maybe come back for a visit to your old school?
From what you say in your post, Gurnee is definitely the best bet. I go to church in Gurnee and we have a lot of military families from Great Lakes. The town is clean and safe. Gurnee has grown tremendously in the last twenty years so the housing stock is fairly new. Mostly family homes, but there are some very nice apartment complexes and townhouses. Gurnee is definitely IT for shopping and dining. There is the enormous Gurnee Mills mall and several nice strip malls surrounding it. All the national chains are well represented. Restaurants are mostly chains, Applebee's, Chili's, TGIFriday, etc. Again, nearly all national chains are there as well as many very nice independent restaurants. Grand Avenue, Washington Street and Belvidere Road run towards the lake in a straight east-west shot at near-freeway speeds. Your husband will be at the base within 20 minutes, maybe half an hour in rush hour. You must have an automobile; public transit is virtually nonexistent. Gurnee is sweet, I think you will like it.
Psr13, you mean than verses then. Get yours right before you post. You people are so up tight. I read posts all the time that is horrible in spelling. So knock it off. Im being nice.
One word as in contrast to your horrible post is nothing. Sorry.
I won't completely trash Gurnee, as it was an OK place to live. However, the schools seemed to leave much to desire. For as much as they pay for the newer houses, the schools should be better. Add on to that the fact that you have to pay extra for a lot of things, including a good number of classes, and it's just not good in my opinion. I will qualify this with the fact that out here it's against the law to charge for class materials and sports in most instances. It's just a foreign concept to me.
Coming from someone who PURPOSELY chose to live in Waukegan and is now leaving - WAUKEGAN IS NOT THAT BAD! Yes, there is a lot of room for improvement, but honestly the crime is no worse than you'd find in any major city (yes, Waukegan is it's own city and NOT a suburb). Comparing Lake Bluff to Waukegan is apples to oranges - no where near the same animal!
I love it here and wouldn't consider leaving if it weren't for a job relocation. In fact, I would even put my child in Waukegan Schools (and not just their magnet schools). The negative image of Waukegan is 30% reality and 70% ignorance and fear in my opinion.
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Boomtown effect...
