Are Joliet and Aurora really that bad?

[GolfLover2]

CoffeeAddict: You're right, Aurora and Joliet both offer affordable options to your housing needs. Both have older sections that have beautiful older homes, smaller homes, that are offer great value.
Both have a mixed ethnic mix to enjoy and that brings cultural diversity to the area. The east side in Joliet is seeing a resurgence of home values and no longer heavily bears the stigma of past decades that a prior message here noted. New construction can be found to the west and south principally in the city, but small communities in every direction offer new and older homes to consider. Rural Will County may be a great fit for someone looking to house animals and have a need for plenty of space for them to roam. Manhattan Township to the south and east might be a great option to consider. Both my wife and I hail from Manhattan and it's a great little town. Close to larger amenities, but still somewhat small and rural in flavor. A great mixture. Being a lifetime resident of the area, if I can help by answering questions ... write! Best of luck to you.

[IlWesleyanGuy]

Originally Posted by profmortgagebanker

CoffeeAddict: You're right, Aurora and Joliet both offer affordable options to your housing needs. Both have older sections that have beautiful older homes, smaller homes, that are offer great value.
Both have a mixed ethnic mix to enjoy and that brings cultural diversity to the area. The east side in Joliet is seeing a resurgence of home values and no longer heavily bears the stigma of past decades that a prior message here noted. New construction can be found to the west and south principally in the city, but small communities in every direction offer new and older homes to consider. Rural Will County may be a great fit for someone looking to house animals and have a need for plenty of space for them to roam. Manhattan Township to the south and east might be a great option to consider. Both my wife and I hail from Manhattan and it's a great little town. Close to larger amenities, but still somewhat small and rural in flavor. A great mixture. Being a lifetime resident of the area, if I can help by answering questions ... write! Best of luck to you.

Also there are newer and nice homes on the far East side of Joliet. These homes in particular are along Gougar Road and also along Maple Road immediately east and west of Gougar. I did not realize that there has been a resurgence in home values on the east part of town. But I'm not that surprised, I've seen plenty of remodeled homes and and new houses in older neighborhoods. Hopefully, this trend will accelerate after the recession.

[cd562]

I saw this post and I felt I had to respond. I lived in Chicago for a very long time and recently moved to Aurora, and I have to say that the move has been one of my worst mistakes. Keep in mind that I moved about 3 miles from the downtown area because I was hoping for the urban feel of Chicago:

1) My house was robbed within the first year. Police have no leads, but say that it was probably someone looking for drug money and/or valuables that could be easily pawned off.
2) There is absolutely no culture. The Paramount Theater serves mainstream audiences and does little to challenge the intellect.
3) There is little respect for your property. Kids and adults are constantly throwing their refuse on my lawn, and there is loud music being played from passing cars and every night from neighboring homes.
4) There is no cuisine. Just fast-food Mexican restaurants, faster food American places (McDonalds, Burger King, etc), and big chains like Chiles. Interesting cafes? Forget it.

The take-home from all of this is that anything within a few miles of downtown should be considered a cesspool of low-rent living. And you shouldn't consider Aurora at all if you want a stimulating environment for you or your family. Don't do it.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by cd562

I saw this post and I felt I had to respond. I lived in Chicago for a very long time and recently moved to Aurora, and I have to say that the move has been one of my worst mistakes. Keep in mind that I moved about 3 miles from the downtown area because I was hoping for the urban feel of Chicago:

1) My house was robbed within the first year. Police have no leads, but say that it was probably someone looking for drug money and/or valuables that could be easily pawned off.
2) There is absolutely no culture. The Paramount Theater serves mainstream audiences and does little to challenge the intellect.
3) There is little respect for your property. Kids and adults are constantly throwing their refuse on my lawn, and there is loud music being played from passing cars and every night from neighboring homes.
4) There is no cuisine. Just fast-food Mexican restaurants, faster food American places (McDonalds, Burger King, etc), and big chains like Chiles. Interesting cafes? Forget it.

The take-home from all of this is that anything within a few miles of downtown should be considered a cesspool of low-rent living. And you shouldn't consider Aurora at all if you want a stimulating environment for you or your family. Don't do it.

Gee, youre comparing a city of 150K that is 50 miles west of Chicago, to a city of 3 million? Gee, thats fair. What next? Comparing Needles, CA to Los Angeles?

To me it sounds like you didnt do any research before you moved to Aurora.

[rccastner]

well the east part of aurora is very bad, and parts of the west are very bad. the far east of aurora is nice though. but crime, schoolwise, and income wise, aurora is worse than joliet. so id recomend joliet

[ManheimMadman]

Originally Posted by rccastner

well the east part of aurora is very bad, and parts of the west are very bad. the far east of aurora is nice though. but crime, schoolwise, and income wise, aurora is worse than joliet. so id recomend joliet

As a resident of Joliet, and a former resident of Aurora-- I can tell you that Joliet is quickly becoming the hellhole that Aurora is. The only good thing about Aurora is that it still has a good handful of decent pockets left. And, it borders Naperville.

Joliet's older neighborhoods are very quickly changing. As older folks move and die off, multiple families are moving into a 2be/1 bath and crime seems to follow.

I don't mind Joliet as a single guy, but there is no way I'd raise a kid here. This is not to say Joliet is a terrible, terrible place. The 19th century and early 20th c. homes are magnificent, my undergraduate college St. Francis is great, and the downtown is fun, in my opinion. Too bad there are no jobs here and the schools suck.