Evanston's pros & cons for us? (Chicago, Schaumburg: relocate, real estate, showing)

[Paige65]

Originally Posted by fridleygal

homeward bound - not to burst your bubble, but unless you spend 750,000 on a house, the quality of lake Michigan won't matter, because you won't ever see it!!!! The entire North Shore is all private beaches, from north of Chicago to almost Wisconsin - not that you can't sneak in to tan with the mucky mucks once a summer, but it won't be part of your daily lives! sorry

While one would be hard pressed to find something on the north shore for the $300,000 the poster mentions, one does not need $750,000 for a home. There are many homes in the $600's, some in the $500's and a few in the $400's. I just did a quick search of Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park, and Lake Forest and found over 200 single family homes in the $400 to $600 price range. The compromise on the north shore is square footage and condition, but "lower" priced homes do exist. Also, every town on the north shore has a public beach.

[tragicandfancytoo]

First of all, Rogers Park isn't exactly East Lake Shore Drive, but I don't know if "very iffy" is an apt description either. Maybe it seems "iffy" to people from Barrington or rural Utah. To most people in Chicago though, Rogers Park is definately not iffy.
Secondly, the "closer to the lake.. the better!" thing is ridiculously stupid. NW Evanston has some of the nicest homes in the area. Everyone knows that.
Lastly, the taboo area "near the high school" is a neighborhood of modest bungalows and cultural diversity, not a war-torn hellhole.
You people are disgusting.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by tragicandfancytoo

First of all, Rogers Park isn't exactly East Lake Shore Drive, but I don't know if "very iffy" is an apt description either. Maybe it seems "iffy" to people from Barrington or rural Utah. To most people in Chicago though, Rogers Park is definately not iffy.
Secondly, the "closer to the lake.. the better!" thing is ridiculously stupid. NW Evanston has some of the nicest homes in the area. Everyone knows that.
Lastly, the taboo area "near the high school" is a neighborhood of modest bungalows and cultural diversity, not a war-torn hellhole.
You people are disgusting.

I was born in Chicago and lived in Chicago my whole life and I consider most of Rogers Park iffy. As a matter of fact, I was born in Rogers Park. When I was a kid and teenager all of Rogers Park was iffy. Sorry to burst you bubble. You seem to have lost me on this one. Hmmm.

[homeward bound]

Thanks again for the feedback, but, if you don't mind me repeating my (follow-up) question: I was asking about Lake Michigan's water quality down near Chicago.

For example, is the drinking water from it okay?

Are the nearby beaches nice or (often? sometimes?) fouled?

Can one safely eat fish caught nearby?

I was amazed how much cleaner Lakes Ontario and, especially, Lake Erie got while I lived in Buffalo (1970-1984). Apparently the clean-up there slowly continues. Is this the same case around Chicago?

Thanks--and I hope the ice storm isn't getting you!

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by homeward bound

Thanks again for the feedback, but, if you don't mind me repeating my (follow-up) question: I was asking about Lake Michigan's water quality down near Chicago.

For example, is the drinking water from it okay?

Are the nearby beaches nice or (often? sometimes?) fouled?

Can one safely eat fish caught nearby?

I was amazed how much cleaner Lakes Ontario and, especially, Lake Erie got while I lived in Buffalo (1970-1984). Apparently the clean-up there slowly continues. Is this the same case around Chicago?

Thanks--and I hope the ice storm isn't getting you!

The ice is sort of getting us. The sidewalks were very dangerous a few days ago. Hopefully people will salt and/or sand the crap out of them because that is what needs to be done. Remember,in the city you can be sued by someone that is injured on your sidewalk for not keeping your sidewalk safe!!!

I think the quality of Chicago/Lake Michigan water is better than anywhere else on the Great Lakes. As far as I know, Lake Michigan is the least polluted of all of them. Millions of people (including many burbs) get their water from the Chicago intakes and filtration plants. I would not worry too much.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by tragicandfancytoo

First of all, Rogers Park isn't exactly East Lake Shore Drive, but I don't know if "very iffy" is an apt description either. Maybe it seems "iffy" to people from Barrington or rural Utah. To most people in Chicago though, Rogers Park is definately not iffy.

There are plenty of Chicagoans who consider Rogers Park "iffy," including more than a few Rogers Park residents themselves. In just the last couple of weeks there's been 3 or 4 shootings, at least one fatal. The police blotter reprints on the Morse Hellhole blog (a site admittedly to be taken with a grain of salt) is eye-opening.

[prinsessa]

Originally Posted by ahava

That's not entirely true. I go to the Clark St beach in Evanston at least once every summer, and it's not free but you don't have to live in Evanston to get in. And the beach in Lake Forest is free - you have to have a Lake Forest sticker to park in the lot there, but you can park on the street and walk over. Plus there's always Illinois Beach State Park...

Don't you have to pay something like $8 per person to get in some Evanston beaches?

[ahava]

Originally Posted by prinsessa

Don't you have to pay something like $8 per person to get in some Evanston beaches?

Something like that. I want to say it was $7 at Clark St last time, but I don't remember for certain.

[Windy City John]

drinking water is fine!

[tragicandfancytoo]

Okay fine, Rogers Park is the iffiest place on earth... So says people who were born there and lived there years and years and years ago. It totally HAS to be true then, right? Thanks for showing me the light, guys! I mean, I'm originally from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, so I eat "3 or 4 shootings" for breakfast. On a slow day. I guess my definition of "iffy" requires a little more spice. And by spice, I mean complete devastation, total abandonment, and utter blight. SO, the moral of the story, I guess, is this: Unless you want to get SHOT IN THE FACE all the time everyday, do NOT move to Evanston because there is some crime sometimes in the adjacent Chicago neighborhood of Rogers Park. Is that accurate? And people, I have my own personal wounds as a result of the "iffy" in RP... Barely 12 hours ago, I was at the Chipotle on horrible, iffy Sheridan Road, when a Loyola student CARELESSLY BUMPED INTO ME AND MY TRAY OF CARNITAS! AGH! IFFINESS! CRIME! That's when I truly, truly knew: Rogers Park is a dangerous, "iffy" place where deviance and dirt reign supreme. Taco supreme.