Flossmoor's Future (Chicago, Arlington Heights, Evanston: neighborhood, buying, construction)

[urza216]

Originally Posted by BER78

Urza, I think you are fixating too much on the 90% example that I gave, which wasn't meant to be fact but merely was to back up my point of why I find Flossmoor's current demographic mix appealing

Oh, really? Let's look at what you said. And your comments that triggered me to post a bunch of pie charts.. And why I got angry.

Originally Posted by BER78

Again, a healthy mix of races is necessary for true diversity. 90% of one race, whether white or black, is not diverse.

H-F SEEMS to have that healthy mix right now. So do Beverly, Hyde Park and the South Loop (which I also like). The rest of the south suburbs do not have that anymore.

If you have a bad attitude about the south suburbs then perhaps you should stay out of the south suburbs, including Flossmoor.

I will repeat my comment. Flossmoor's neighbor to the south, Chicago Heights, is more racially diverse than Flossmoor..

[BER78]

Originally Posted by urza216

Oh, really? Let's look at what you said. And your comments that triggered me to post a bunch of pie charts.. And why I got angry.

If you have a bad attitude about the south suburbs then perhaps you should stay out of the south suburbs, including Flossmoor.

I will repeat my comment. Flossmoor's neighbor to the south, Chicago Heights, is more racially diverse than Flossmoor..

Like I said before, I was really just talking about the demographics of the schools, which are different than the towns themselves. My apologies for not making that clear. I'm not trying to race bait or troll, here. We're not all bad on the internet. Can we move on?

[Midwest Revival]

Originally Posted by urza216

Oh, really? Let's look at what you said. And your comments that triggered me to post a bunch of pie charts.. And why I got angry.



If you have a bad attitude about the south suburbs then perhaps you should stay out of the south suburbs, including Flossmoor.

I will repeat my comment. Flossmoor's neighbor to the south, Chicago Heights, is more racially diverse than Flossmoor..

So your telling to OP to move to Chicago Heights? Lol...

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Midwest Revival

So your telling to OP to move to Chicago Heights? Lol...

Flossmoor or Chicago Heights? That's a tough choice.

[JamieLannister]

I wouldn't worry too much about Flossmoor. It will be fine. I think Flossmoor will maintain it's current mix of people of all races. White families are still moving there, mine included.

I also think that H-F in general both have an opportunity to attract Millennial home buyers in the future as they settle down with their own families. I know everyone thinks they want to stay in the city forever, but as soon as those kids come along, the suburbs start looking better and better.

I think H-F offers the best deal for the money out of all suburbs within 45 minutes of the Loop. You can get a very nice home, good schools and a safe, upscale and progressive community without making yourself house poor.

[chet everett]

If there is something that has been missed maybe it would help the OP understand forces that are in play. My impression is that the wider range of employment options that exist north / west of the city are likely to continue to create an unbalanced pull on folks with options desires of suburban living...

The most recent Census data suggest trends for the whole region are not exactly rosey. If there is something beyond "more house for the money" that could serve as a draw to the southern suburbs it would be very helpful .

Originally Posted by JamieLannister

I wouldn't worry too much about Flossmoor. It will be fine. I think Flossmoor will maintain it's current mix of people of all races. White families are still moving there, mine included.

I also think that H-F in general both have an opportunity to attract Millennial home buyers in the future as they settle down with their own families. I know everyone thinks they want to stay in the city forever, but as soon as those kids come along, the suburbs start looking better and better.

I think H-F offers the best deal for the money out of all suburbs within 45 minutes of the Loop. You can get a very nice home, good schools and a safe, upscale and progressive community without making yourself house poor.

[Crede's Crew]

So concern about race then why not pick something like Winnetka and Wilmette. After all, you'll have to commute anyway.

[JamieLannister]

Originally Posted by chet everett

If there is something that has been missed maybe it would help the OP understand forces that are in play. My impression is that the wider range of employment options that exist north / west of the city are likely to continue to create an unbalanced pull on folks with options desires of suburban living...

The most recent Census data suggest trends for the whole region are not exactly rosey. If there is something beyond "more house for the money" that could serve as a draw to the southern suburbs it would be very helpful .

Happy to chime in. My wife grew up in the area and her parents are still there to help out with babysitting, etc. We both work downtown (with some occasional regional travel by car), so we wanted something on a Metra line that was walkable.

We looked at the North Shore, Lincoln Square/Ravenswood, Oak Park/River Forest, La Grange/Western Springs/Hinsdale, Beverly, Mokena/Frankfort and Homewood/Flossmoor.

In the end, we much preferred the housing stock and overall "look" of Flossmoor, as well as all of the great offerings by the library and park district (not that these were necessary lacking in the other communities). Plus, there are a lot of people in H-F that are committed to the community. It was also very important to be near the grandparents.

In terms of beauty, there are parts of Flossmoor that I'd rank with eastern Winnetka, north River Forest and southeast Hinsdale (although at a much lower cost!). Lots of trees and canopied streets. It's very graceful.

Most people here seem to work downtown, at U of C or at one of the local hospitals. However, I've met a few people that take the Tri-State up to Oak Brook and Schaumburg, so there are people commuting from here to the west/northwest suburban job centers. The Tri-State, 57 and I-80 can connect south suburbanites with all points west, north and east.

We know that our house in Flossmoor might not appreciate much. However, we are able to live in a big, beautiful home in an upscale community with great neighbors and a quiet commute on the train for a fraction of what we would've spent north or west. That savings will open up so many more opportunities for our family and give us that much more of a financial cushion to fall back on.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by JamieLannister

Happy to chime in. My wife grew up in the area and her parents are still there to help out with babysitting, etc. ... It was also very important to be near the grandparents.

In terms of beauty, there are parts of Flossmoor that I'd rank with eastern Winnetka, north River Forest and southeast Hinsdale (although at a much lower cost!). Lots of trees and canopied streets. It's very graceful.

...

We know that our house in Flossmoor might not appreciate much. However, we are able to live in a big, beautiful home in an upscale community with great neighbors and a quiet commute on the train for a fraction of what we would've spent north or west. That savings will open up so many more opportunities for our family and give us that much more of a financial cushion to fall back on.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to have family close by. In fact of the many young families that I have helped to find starter homes those with one or more parents near by seem to do better financially over the long haul than all but the most highly compensated transferess . Aside daycare / babysitting the ability to not worry that if "if something comes up I have no back up" not jut for kids but even a family illness of even unfortunate car accident / appliance repair call tends to be a very postive force that allows families to maintain dual incomes.

I also highlighted the simple visual appeal of Flossmore as I agree that folks that foolishly move to some former farm field with all the appeal of moon colony sometimes forget that more than just a pretty street scape an area that has actual varied landscape will encourage kids to play outside, neigbors to see one another walking and a whole community that is much more functional than folks only forced to vote on HOA matters ...

[deechee_]

Country Club Hills is also another great option.