Lansing Is going Down the dumps... (Chicago, Naperville: condos, income, work)

[Dracula]

Originally Posted by area55

here is another example of people tring to tear down the reputation of our town that dont even live here.

Did you not read my last 2 posts? I made a mistake and apologized for it, how is that trying to tear down the reputation of your town?

[scottstrohmeyer]

I was born in Lansing,i graduated from Thornton Fractional South in 1985. the town was in good shape then with a very slight crime rate, probably went down a bit after i left as a matter of fact.
When i graduated there was only a couple black students and families in town,and we kept the city clean
Allowing the Mexicans,Africans and Asians in town was a crucial mistake made in the early nineties bringing down home values and rising crime rates and now everyone tries to say all is good in town but if you look at the statistics the town is declining at a hopeless rate and if you can still get a good price on your home it is better to sell now and move to some place you can still live the American dream and feel safe doing so..
Pretty harsh words , but statistics show it to be true. or you can get rich by buying and apartment complex and renting to section 8

[Humboldt1]

I get that people have different opinions but trashing someone for their grammar and spelling because they have had a negative experience living in Lansing is childish as best.

Very few times when white flight happens does an area improve. Oak Park has been successul as it has been able to price itself out of the poor market, though there are some areas as you approach austin that are crappy. The whitest parts of Oak Park as you approach River Forest by Harlem are the nicest.

Even an "integrated" community such as Oak Park is segregated by race and income. There are rich blacks who live in the nicer parts of Oak Park but most of them want nothing to do with the poorer less educated blacks over by Austin. They feel more comfortable around their rich white neighbors.

Lansing does not have the affluence to keep the riff raff out that are being displaced from the city.

In 10 years it will be another Calumet City. Whites and the businesses that have left are not moving back anytime soon.

And regarding the developer who sold to black families in foreclosure that may be more a function of them buying at the height of the market than anything else. Blacks, however as a whole have far worse credit than any other group. Some of this goes away when you account for income but there is still a large gap between blacks and whites. Hispanics have only slightly better credit as a group than blacks. Banks redline now using credit scores even with programs such as the CRA which force banks to invest in poor minority neighborhoods (humboldt park included) where our losses are much higher.

Just curious of those defending Lansing and attacking the original poster, how many of you are white/black? This debate seems to be divided somewhat along racial lines.

[skyeINIL]

Originally Posted by scottstrohmeyer

Allowing the Mexicans,Africans and Asians in town was a crucial mistake made in the early nineties

I wish everyone were as honest about their prejudices on here. It's much easier than wading through the code words.

It's ridiculous trying to defend a place to people who haven't lived here in years or have never even set foot in the town. It's pointless and I will continue to enjoy where I live.

[Chuckity]

Poor poor Lansing.

I remember when Calumet City and Lansing were pretty interchangable - there was a time when the two were very similar. I also remember the feed store just north of the intersection of Ridge & Burnham - I thought I was really in the country then!

I too see Lansing going the way of Cal City - sad, but true. I think the Ridge Road section closest to Munster will hold it's own for a while though ...

But my biggest question is ... is Kilroy's still there? I know Party Tap is LONG gone - but then again, that may have been on the Munster side anyway. Anyone remember Huckleberry's on Torrence?

Leave it to me to change a thread charged with racial intolerance to one about getting liquored up at local bars.

If anyone wants to chat about Cedric's or Palmer's on Halsted in Harvey, you know where to find me. Or Blue Suede Shoes in Hegewisch/Burnham ...

[skyeINIL]

Originally Posted by Chuckity

I also remember the feed store just north of the intersection of Ridge & Burnham - I thought I was really in the country then!

But my biggest question is ... is Kilroy's still there?

Both the feed store and Kilroy's are still there. The blacks haven't burned them down yet.

[Humboldt1]

Skye,

Are both the feed store and kilroys still in business.

It is not all blacks that are moving to Lansing that are promoting its decline, just the ghetto blacks.

Even ghetto whites and ghetto hispanics are seen as better. If you want to argue this point I am more than happy to provide factual sociological data to back this up.

I wish people would stop blaming the whites and blacks who are moving out of areas like Lansing and blame the ghetto people who are moving in.

[skyeINIL]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

Skye,

Are both the feed store and kilroys still in business.

It is not all blacks that are moving to Lansing that are promoting its decline, just the ghetto blacks.

Even ghetto whites and ghetto hispanics are seen as better. If you want to argue this point I am more than happy to provide factual sociological data to back this up.

I wish people would stop blaming the whites and blacks who are moving out of areas like Lansing and blame the ghetto people who are moving in.

Dude, you've never even been to Lansing. How do you know who's moving in?

I'm just wondering how these posters who know nothing about this town except for the relatively small increase in the black population (70% white (including Latinos)/30% black) are predicting it's decline and doom. The crime rate is well below the national average (and has been so for a while) and the home value has steadily risen over the past decade or so. The dreaded Section 8 renters are confined to two small areas of town. There are plenty of thriving businesses (including the aforementioned Kilroy's and Ted's Feed Store) and plenty of new families (white, black, Latino and a few Asian) moving in. It's not Hinsdale or Naperville, but it's not nearly Harvey or even close to Calumet City. It's just a nice, small, middle-class family town that has been a great home for my family for six years and counting.

[Humboldt1]

Dude,

My handyman owns a place in Lansing and I have been there a number of occasions.

I also worked for a bank in 2005 based out of Crete (I ultimately chose to return to large corporate banking). I know the area fairly well.

Calling it middle class is a bit of a stretch maybe working class to lower middle class is more accurate. Naperville is middle class and Lansing will never approach its level of affluence or test scores.

Is the data you are quoting from 2000 or more recent? The area has become decidely more black over the past few years. I should be able to get 2005 numbers but that may be as recent of data I can find. If you have data more recent than 2000 please post it. It would also be nice to have updated test scores and crime data.

[Chuckity]

The Lansing School District 158:

White 35%
Black 39.7%
Hispanic 17.3%

Sunnybrook SD 171:

White 10.7%
Black 74.1%
Hispanic 12.8%

And TF South:

White 40.3%
Black 45.2%
Hispanic: 11.8%

Which, no matter how you slice it, gives a remarkably different racial breakdown than the 2000 census.