Gurnee (East of Skokie Highway and South of Grant) (Chicago: violent crime, houses)

[Crede's Crew]

Hi, we are looking to purchase a house in Gurnee. I heard Gurnee for the most part is very good. The house we want is located east of Skokie Highway and South of Grant across the street from Woodlawn Park. This is west of Green Bay. I know that this is very close to Waukegan and Park City and I heard that these area are bad but how bad is it. I grew up in North Chicago (by Damen and Foster) and it is a very diverse neighborhood. We found a house that is affordable for our new family. Is this area as bad as some people say? Can I walk my dog at night? Can I walk my kids to the park? Is Woodlawn Park a safe, kids friendly place or a place where thugs hangout to sell drug? My boss said his brother live a block away and never have any crime or flood issue. We're home to live here at least 5 years before we can afford the west side or even move somewhere closer to Chicago like Glenview. I need as much feed back as possible. Thanks.

[chet everett]

What is your definition of "very good"? It is certsinly not like Waukegan or Zion but don't kid youself it ain't anywhere near as desirable as Libertyville, Lake Forest/ Lake Bluff, Highland Park or even spots like Long Grove...

The relative level of "thugs" that you would find in even the worst parts of Waukegan is not going to compare to parts of Chicago that are crime ridden and desolate.

The question you really seem to be asking is something like "if I buy a spot in Gurnee now will it be decent enough in five years for me to be able to move up" and frankly that is very hard to predict. Even if you did buy some randomn house in a premium suburb on the North Shore the key would be what you pay for it / what you put into / how the neighborhood changes.

My sense is that the MASSIVE overbuilding of industrial sites in and around Gurnee is not helping the local economy, further the competitive forces that make southern Wisconsin more attractive than Ilinois are likely to intensify.

If you get a huge bargain on a place that needs some fixing up and the neighborhood moves in a positive direction you be OK. Even better find a lower priced home in a nicer community and fix it up...

[Crede's Crew]

Thanks for your reply. I'm not looking for fancy areas like Highland Park or Lake Bluff. We tried that and realized that we couldn't afford it... lol... We found this fixer upper house in this part of Gurnee and is hoping that this part of town is safe for my family. Right now I'm concern about if the neighborhood is safe for me to stroll my kids to the park and walk my dog around the block without someone attacking me. That is my main concern. I'm not too concern about the home value as much as the safety of my family. Was wondering if anyone can tell me how safe this neighborhood is.

[chet everett]

I used to work up there and it is safe. There are actually a handful of "cute" homes in that part of Gurnee but the kind if buyer that is most common in Gurnee tends to look at subdivisions with curvy streets and cul de sacs so it is a bit of anomaly... The thing too is buyer that are looking for more traditional type homes also tend to like the walkable streets and smaller neighborhood schools that are more typical in areas like Libertyville or the North Shore...

Depending on your need for schools / desires to have "like minded neighbors" you might want to check out the attitudes of those who already live in the area. This is a little tricky, becuase you might just encounter the gruff / suspicions types OR if you go to the trouble of walking your dog a little you might just find that the types of folks of that do like to talk to other dog walkers are not typical of the whole community...

Finally a lot comes down to price -- if the place is run down / needs a lot of work the the return on smart fix-ups MIGHT be so tempting that nothing else really matters SO LONG AS there are not plague of similarly run down homes surrounding. Basic rule of thumb is "buy the worst house on the best block for good bang for buck"...

[Crede's Crew]

Thanks chet everett. My husband used to flip houses before the market crashed so I think this house is perfect. We don't want a sub division where all houses all look the same. We checked out the neighborhood during the day and night. No roughly garage party on a Super Bowl Suday, so I think that is a good sign. The area appeared to be ok both times we went. Nice and peaceful in my opinion. Yes, no sidewalk is a turnoff. I grew up in Chicago and Park Ridge, so having a side walk was a norm. But I seen nice neighborhoods in Lake Zurich with no sidewalk but people still walk their dogs and jog just fine. We're getting this house 1700sq ft contemporary style home for $140k. The neighbor across the street is selling their house for $180k. Also all houses in that block seem to be in the $160-$250k range. I think this is a good investment. Even if we break even, I'm ok with. Just want to be sure that I'm not putting my family is a risky neighborhood.

[chet everett]

Sounds pretty promissing. I have some friends in that area, if I get a chance to send 'em email I'll ask if there are any unusal poliical changes or similar local concerns to worry about but my sense is that Gurnee is mostly focused on trying to increase local employment...

[pvande55]

I know several people who live or lived in Gurnee and none complain. There have been flooding problems in some parts, so be sure to check the flood history. Point of information: did you live in North Chicago, a city not far from Gurnee, or actually the North side of Chicago?

[Crede's Crew]

Hi, I meant north side Chicago. I was in Ravenwood for a while, then we moved to Edison Park across from Park Ridge. I didn't even know there is a town named North Chicago. Sorry.

[brian571]

I work close to there and I don't think it's bad at all. I wouldn't feel unsafe in that area. For that matter, I don't think Waukegan is as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Are there areas to avoid? Sure. But there actually isn't a lot of violent crime in the city. I haven't heard anything about Park City being unsafe. It probably just gets knocked because the town is almost entirely one large trailer park.

[lakecountylifer]

I see no one had really answered your question. East of 41/Skokie Highway is the least desirable section of Gurnee. That area blends in with Waukegan and is really cut off from the rest of Gurnee. I would pick a home in Gurnee west of 41 and preferably west of Oplaine rd. Also, Chet does not like Gurnee so take that with a grain of salt. Gurnee is very comparable to Libertyville. Gurnee has newer and bigger homes, more spread out shopping, the Des Plaines river trail and Gurnee Mills is being renovated to a full price mall with Macy's opening 7-1. Libertyville has a nice walkable downtown but away from that down town it's all spread out shopping (strip malls) similar to Gurnee. Libertyville has older homes many of which are slabs. Libertyville is not at all comparable to north shore communities such as lake forest, highland park and lake bluff. Libertyville is comparable to the other villages that are just to the west of the towns that sit directly on the lake which are Vernon Hills and Gurnee.