Evanston - How is the area of Emerson St and Dodge Ave?

[newlandlord1]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The numbers are USELESS

Really. I can't know every neighborhood where I look for houses so I rely a lot on school ratings and crime index. How can you tell about a neighborhood if you are not living there?

[chet everett]

The problem with the other site is any jamoke can say their school is gr8 when the data says it has kids that are moving in and out three times a years, has poor parental involvement and chronic performance issues. At least get accurate data from the site run by NIU --http://iirc.niu.edu/SearchResult.asp...ext=$EVANSTON$ http://iirc.niu.edu/SearchResult.aspx?type=CITY&searchText=$EVANSTON$

I used to own rental houses and the best indication I had that a place was going to attract good tenants was how close to good jobs the place was , what kind of features their were for tenants with kids to stick around for an extended period , and how well maintained the neighbor places were. You still gotta screen your tenants, but if they do drive by and the whole block is commercial or gone to seed they are not going to be the kind of peole that take much pride in where they live which is never a good thing...

[terramama]

Originally Posted by newlandlord1

yeah, the crime index of that area is very low (19/100), but why all the schools surrounding the area have rating 8/10 (according to greatschools.net), which is pretty good?

There is no neighborhood school in the 5th ward, a majority minority neighborhood where (I believe) this home is located. Kids in this area are bused to one of three surrounding elementary schools -- Willard, Orrington, or Kingsley – all highly rated schools, with Willard being listed as one of the best in the state. Busing is an effort to ensure that Evanston schools are racially balanced.

Before buying a home in the 5th ward, especially if schools are a factor for you, you should know that there has been ongoing talk about building a new school in the 5th Ward since it’s the only neighborhood with no community school. The newly-elected school board here has already mentioned looking at this proposal as a priority. There is, of course, opposition to the idea, so who knows when or if the new school will actually be built.

A few articles if you are interested in reading about it further:

New school: Return to segregation? | Evanston Now

West side residents divided over 5th Ward school | Evanston Now

And here's a read about the history of segregation/desegregation in Evanston, particularly with regard to the 5th Ward:

A History of Foster School and Desegregation in School District 65 - Evanston RoundTable - Evanston, IL

[chet everett]

Those are great links! The one dated Aug 26 sounds eerily like MANY meetings I have attended over the years -- things devolve into "old grudges" pretty quick over DOZENS of things, from zoning gripes and tax rates to lack of recognition for what others may have experienced...

I know that there are lots of these meeting that "in print" seem far more dramatic than in person AND the polarized groups that make time for MOST meetings are not really all that reflective of the bulk of residents who are much more willing to accept a compromise...

Thanks for filling in the details about this situation!

[US-Traveller]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Evanston re-adopted a neighborhood school attendance policy many years ago...

Attendance Area Maps

Residents were not happy with efforts to achieve racial uniformity: Evanston School Desegregation Plan Unraveling - Chicago Tribune

The attendance zones are not strictly enforced. Evanston/Skokie 65 students can choose to enroll in any school if there is space regardless if they are zoned to it or not. I've known families zoned to Lincoln & Nichols whose kids end up at Willard & Haven. Simply look at the demographics of certain schools like Orrington or Lincoln, the demographics clearly do not reflect the neighborhoods.

[tcbb27]

I would not consider buying in this area especially if you have kids. We live in Evanston around 5 minutes away and I definitely don't feel safe when we drive past that area. I imagine it would also be tough if you ever wanted to sell the house down the road. Evanston elementary and middle schools are decent but the high school certainly has problems. Here's a website that provides info on Evanston schools and you can also compare it with other schools in IL.

Illinois Interactive Report Card