Where do tree hugging, vegetarian liberals belong in north Chicago? (Waukegan: for rent, neighborhood)

[jellary]

I have lived in Highland Park my entire life. I'm wondering why you took it off the list?

I'll admit, certain areas of Highland Park are grossly expensive and very yuppy and snobby, but I think the previous poster who suggested the Ravinia or Sunset Park neighborhoods was spot-on for you. Both of those areas will give you the small-community feel you want, and the elementary schools are fantastic. That's true for the whole city, though, even Wayne Thomas and Northwood are great schools...and the best thing about Northwood (and Highland Park High School too) is the presence of students from the neighboring city of Highwood, which is largely hispanic. In my opinion, Highwood is Highland Park's saving grace, because without it Highland Park would be 100% whitebread. Highwood gives the city flavor, and ensures that your children will not grow up in a 100% white community. Also, because they are so close, Highland Park offers many services geared toward the Spanish-speaking community, and the Highland Park City Council is very sensitive to Latino and working-class needs -- something that's unusual for the North Shore.

As far as Highland Park vs. Evanston, they are nothing alike, your realtor is crazy. Highland Park is mostly upper class Jews, very safe, and very suburban. Evanston is much more diverse and has a city-feel. I wouldn't call it unsafe by any means...I've never felt threatened there, even alone late at night. But it is not "the burbs" and does have diversity, and it therefore does have crime.

Remember, too, that Highland Park is only a twenty minute drive (half an hour train ride) from Evanston. Growing up, I knew downtown Evanston almost as well as downtown Highland Park, as my friends and I frequently went there for late-night cafes, a better music scene, vegetarian restaurants, etc.

I don't know anything about Lake Bluff...but from everything you've said in this post it sounded like you were pretty ready to come to Highland Park, so I'm just curious why you changed your mind.

[jaynetarzana]

Honestly, we changed our mind about Highland Park because everyone told me that it is predominately Jewish and we're not (or religious whatsoever). We just simply prefer to be in a diverse area. From what I understand, the people in Highwood mostly stay in Highwood so it doesn't seem to do much for the diversity factor. Maybe I am wrong about that. Diversity to me means more than wealthy white people and a small, less wealthy Hispanic population. I think Highland Park is absolutely beautiful without question and I have found quite a few houses we love (there are so many gorgeous homes there), but the diversity factor is the deal breaker for us. Since diversity is higher on the priority list than the type of house we live in, Evanston seems to make more sense.

[jaynetarzana]

So I just looked at the home sales graphs on city data for Lake Bluff and Evanston. They are going down quite dramatically in Lake Bluff and increasing steadily in Evanston. I sent these graphs to my agent and asked her why that might be and she just wrote me back saying that she doesn't want to waste her time in Lake Bluff and I should concentrate on Evanston. That is a step in the right direction, but she is saying it like she knows better, but if I want to make a big mistake, it is mine to make.

[Lookout Kid]

If you go back to the first three responses on this thread, you will see that Evanston was the first suggestion to pop into people's minds when you first asked your question. There's a reason for that! I would also throw in Oak Park, but it sounds like that may not work with your commute.

I've never met a single soul from Lake Bluff and have not spent more than ten minutes in that town, so I can't tell you anything about it.

[chet everett]

I have lived in several towns/cities/communities in the Chicago region with my family. I can say with 100% honesty that anybody that me, my wife or kids has gotten along with or not has NEVER been about race or religion or 'national' politics. It has been about VALUES -- if some one does not share similar values about their immediate environment or their pets/wild animals or their property and teach there kids to do that same that leads to problems. The quickest, but not necessarily surest way to get a check on those values is simply to look for outward signs -- Does it look like they have given some / any thought to what is growing around their house? Do they have a well cared for pet / bird feeder? Does their property, be it modest in cost or lavish, appear in good condition, yet still 'lived in/on' as oppesed to "field of lawns that suggests those who step foot upon it are subject to execution"? These are simple things, and not entirely without exceptions, but in general these are the things that make for good neighbors!

Would it be nice if there are folks nearby that "eat consciously" or what have you? Sure, but I doubt any block in any town in the country, including Berkley or Palo Alto CA, or Madison WI or , Cambridge MA has many such activists that have some sort of 'block club' that sponsors families moving in. There are out going types of people that might bake you some organic spelt cookies to welecome to a block, and there are people that might have a pig roast to welcome you to a block, and I suppose the odds are low that the pig roast is going to happen in Skokie or Highland Park, but nobody is going to shun you if your husband doesn't have torah tied to his forehead.

You simply HAVE to focus on the BASICS of cost and commute. If part of the appeal is architectural style than you should also have that on your list. Of course you have to all the other stuff in mind too -- it is not going to do you any good to flit back and forth between individual listings that are not meeting more than one of your criteria. Nor will do much good to rule out perfectly acceptable candidates because of groundless fears.

The other night I was the White Sox vs Cubs game. 40,000 people there from across the region. People of every race, religion, income, political persuasion, et cetera. We were all there because we had some interest in seeing an entertaining baseball game and we got some tickets. The OP is going to have to accept the fact that finding like minded "tree hugging vegetarian liberals" is to some degree like being at a baseball game vs watching on a TV -- you have to get some tickets...

Sure, you could argue that living is some town would be MORE supportive of being "t.h.v.l" but I could also argue that living in Bridgeport would be more supportive of being a Sox fan, or living in Lakeview would be more supportive of being a Cubs fans, yet in neither place is it impossible to be oposite. And there is a counter argument as well -- if you were to move into a town that had some public policies that were counter to being a tree hugger, or that had some sort of sales tax rebate to support the local butchershop (boy I'd move to that town based I what I spent on some prime steaks for a cook-out...) or was decidedly anti-liberal than perhaps you would answer the "call to arms" to wake up the community about ending their tree-hating policies or what ever they were mired in...

[Lookout Kid]

I don't entirely agree with Chet on this one... As somewhat liberal guy who has lived in very conservative towns before (i.e. places where the Republican primary was the real election), the culture of an area is deeply important to me in becoming part of a community. However, I would be quite happy in a town with a decent percentage of open-minded liberal residents. They don't need to be the dominant cultural force for me to be happy, but they do need to exist in large enough numbers to not be overwhelmed and cast out. I'd say that Evanston and Oak Park are probably in a category where many conservative residents would feel uncomfortable.

That said, even my 75% Republican town had a close community of intellectuals and lefties. And every bastion of the left I've lived in has had a good number of conservatives. Heck, most nuclear families don't even share the same politics amongst family members.

[chet everett]

Lookout Kid --

It is all about YOUR intentions, though, isn't it? You said it was your desire to "become part of the community" -- and the suggestion is that in the 'very conservative towns' that you lived in the Republican primary was a major part of that. Well out by where I live MOST of the local elections have no formal affiliation with the national parties and I would qualify them as quite conservative in terms of national political leanings. If I want to run for local office on a ticket of "no tax dollars for weed killers" or "pristine parks through modern chemical control" it is UP TO ME to find enough folks to sign a petition FOR THAT and there is nothing that Rahm Emmanuel or Trent Lott is going to do to help me!

I can happily answer questions about which towns in Eastern DuPage would be accepting what kind of person interested in running for local political office, but I have no way to answer a vague question about what towns have a high number of folks eating tofu for breakfast. One is a rather visible public act, the other happens in organic hemp pajamas at 4:17 AM while greeting the new day...

It definitely IS NOT about NUMBERS, it is about INCLINATION -- a vocal minority of ONE can get elected to a Library Board by keeping her 'secret intentions' hidden until she is seated then engaging on a four year reign of banning books with "two mommies".
There may have been some Cardinal or Tiger fans at the Cell last night and nobody was 'cast out' unless they were hitting the Margaritas so hard the yellow jacketed security goons got fed up with 'em...

[Calidreemer]

Chet you kow I love your informational and educational posts, but I want to chime in about how important it is not to forget that in addition to the rational and practical, there is that gene say quais that seals the deal or at times, doesn't seal the deal for a location. Sometimes something just clicks for you and you know that is the place you should be. It's called intuition and I don't think our culture really embraces decision making through intuitive means, but I for one have always found when I go against my gut I pay for it, sometimes literally.

I guess I am saying that I would take a longer commute and maybe even pay a little more to get into a community that felt like a fit for me. Of course I would also consider the Consumer Reports (so to speak) community comparison and decide what I could live with and what I could live without, but sometimes our choices are based on criteria that's not always based on analytical data. Where you live is a very personal thing and doesn't always fit neatly into a check list. That's just my two cents and Chet I hope you don't take it personally because I sincerely appreciate your contributions to the forum.

As a quick tangent - back to the Mrs., Ms., Miss debate - I go by Ms. because for some reason "Mrs." makes me feel like chattel. BTW I hyphonated my last name much to my husbands dismay.

[Calidreemer]

Hi Jay - I wanted to say that the condescending attitude that is coming across in your posts from your Realtor is really disconcerting. Based on attitude and performance I think you would be well within your rights to fire her and move on. You don't have to be loyal when someone is harmful when they are supposed to be helpful. I wouldn't want someone to get paid for bad behavior. Of course it's your choice, but if you were looking for some validation, here it is.

[chet everett]

Cali--

Completely agree on the intuition and the "bad fit" with regards to town and agent. If things are "not right" then no amount of rationalize will fix that.

The OP has to soak up enough of the feel of the place so that she'll be comfortable. If the agent she is working with is not into that they'd both be better off working with different people.

If I were the OP I might make some little signs asking for help finding a place in the various Whole Foods stores. Nothing to elaborate, just something with a 'disposable' email address and a statement like "Help. I want to find a place to live for me family (number of bedrooms etcetera). If you are a Realtor or home seller where I could find a peace loving non-meat eating tree loving home send info to xxx@gmail.com...