Oak Lawn today and later (Chicago, Tinley Park: incomes, new home, violent crime)

[gahs7]

Hello, I need the truth about how people feel about Oak Lawn. The area I would consider moving into is the Linus area or by Kolmar school. How is it today and where will it be in 15 years. Is Richards high school still pretty decent. How is raising a family there?

[trinity7774]

i dont' care for oak lawn much. I just moved here 6 months ago, and already had 2 break ins in my house... don't know much about the schools. No kids.

[NYrules]

Oak Lawn is sorry to say, nothing more than a has been. It once was a nice elegant burb, but has been changing over the past 20 years and not for the better. The town is scrambling to do everthing in it's power to reverse this mindset of not moving into the town; such as revitalizing the downtown and building a new city hall, new metra station, and such to lure new buyers in, but sad to say over all no matter what is done to the town, Oak Lawn is old and rather run down in many parts. Residents in many areas don't take care of their homes and let them fall into complete disarray and the schools are complete antiques now built in the 1940's and 50's. My recommendation would be for you to reconsider your idea of moving a family with children into Oak Lawn and maybe consider Tinley Park. With Tinley park, schools are top notch, homes are newer and more well maintained, the area is no where near as crowded, and crime is almost non-existant.

[prairiestate]

If old equals bad, you don't want to move to Tinley Park either. There are some areas that are not too attractive, but you could hardly call them run down. It's a large town, and there are a variety of distinct neighborhoods, most of which are quite nice. Yes, Oak Lawn is in a transition phase right now. The population is becoming more diverse, mid rise buildings are going up in the town center and the center of Oak Lawn is becoming much more urban. We have a lot of new development, though. Target, Home Depot, TGI Fridays, Panera, Chipotle and many more new shops and restaurants. Our library is the largest in the south suburbs, and was recently expanded and renovated. The park district offers numerous programs, 3 swimming pools, an ice arena, fitness centers, a very popular theater program and much more. There is a neighborhood feel here, and in most parts of town you can walk to local shops. It's also much quicker and easier to go into the city from here.

[punkerjim]

i live close to Oak Lawn. For the most part I do not see these "rundown" houses people are talking about. The area I'm most familiar with is the area around the library. The schools are not bad.

I can't say where the city is going in the future but, as for now, it's a great area to raise a young family.

[Oobie119]

Oak Lawn is either a hit or miss- i would never buy there, but my brother loves it. There are a lot of polish moving in (not there is anything wrong with that: ) ) the schools aren't too bad. Property value is going up but in my opinion, it's good more bad than good

[CHgoMaur]

I live in the 'downtown' area of Oak Lawn. It is a wonderful place to raise a family. My neighborhood has mostly older or historical homes. The neighborhood is beautiful, clean and safe. The St. Linus area you ask about is 5-6 blocks from my home. There are many beautiful brand new homes in the immediate area, and many lovely large mid-cetury homes. I haven't ever seen run down homes in this area of the Village. Everything is extremely convenient and the schools -both private and public - are nationally rated at the top. I am really impressed with the grade school my child attends as well as the brand new, state of the art, middle-school that is for 5th to 8th graders. Although I grrew up and have lived in many parts of Chicagoland, Oak Lawn fits the fare of family friendly. Other gems are the park district and library. Serious or violent crimes are mostly unknown here. TO READ FACTS about the area please go to the Chicago Tribune which will give you crime rate, medium home prices, incomes, etc., etc. You can compare areas this way to make an educated choice.

[ahava]

Originally Posted by CHgoMaur

Everything is extremely convenient and the schools -both private and public - are nationally rated at the top.

By what rating system?

[prairiestate]

No kidding. I'm pretty fond of Oak Lawn, and a big advocate of the community, but the schools are not great. Not horrible, by any means, no gang shootings, and the text books are probably all up to date, but if you look at the actual state statistics, the numbers can be a bit disheartening. Still, I know people who's kids are in honors classes, and one who has just spent an academic year studying in Spain. So, it's certainly possible to have a successful academic career there.

[cdc3217]

I can't add much to what's been said, but if you like Oak Lawn but aren't sure, you might want to check out Evergreen Park, one town east. It's good well-performing schools, similar feel to Oak Lawn, and lots of retail development as well.