Lansing Is going Down the dumps... (Chicago, Oak Park: mortgage broker, foreclosure, broker)

[skyeINIL]

Chuckity, Sunnybrook and TF South have at least half their students from Lynwood, which is a mostly black town directly south of Lansing, so those numbers are not reflective of Lansing (not saying that's a negative thing, just stating the facts).

My numbers are not from the 2000 Census. When I worked for an affordable housing division for a large corporate bank (you're not the only one, Humboldt), I had access to a website that had more recent demographic information to cities and towns in Cook County. I looked up Lansing in 2005 and got the numbers I stated above. The best I can do to back up those numbers is call an old co-worker and have her email me the data.

I apologize, Humboldt, for the assumption. In your previous posts and the DM you sent me it seemed as if you had no personal knowledge of Lansing as you only mentioned the research that you did from previous posts, data from this website, and secondhand information from your handyman (who you said rented out a 4 or 5 bedroom house for $1,800).

The test scores for the elementary schools and elementary schools are average. The high school test scores are atrocious. The crime data is up to date as of 2006 and looking at the past seven years the crime rate has not increased drastically and has stayed below the national average. There is no trend matching neighboring Cal City.

Also, I'd disagree on the middle class argument. Your ideas on middle class are decidedly different than most I've seen. I don't see a median household income of $93,338 (Naperville) as middle class.

[skyeINIL]

Ack! I need to wait until the sun comes up to post. I meant "elementary schools and middle school".

[Chuckity]

Originally Posted by skye1974

There is no trend matching neighboring Cal City.

Unfortunately, that's not true. In 1990, Cal City was mostly white - as well as Lynwood for that matter. Crime was lower. Schools were better. Blah blah blah.

Lansing is trending just as Calumet City did - albeit at a much slower rate. But I would expect that in ten years, Cal City & Lansing will be interchangable. Which is ironic in a way, because the two WERE once interchangable.

[skyeINIL]

Originally Posted by Chuckity

Unfortunately, that's not true. In 1990, Cal City was mostly white - as well as Lynwood for that matter. Crime was lower. Schools were better. Blah blah blah.

Lansing is trending just as Calumet City did - albeit at a much slower rate. But I would expect that in ten years, Cal City & Lansing will be interchangable. Which is ironic in a way, because the two WERE once interchangable.

Unless I acquire the ability to see into the future, I can't refute this part of the argument. The present Lansing that I see everyday is nothing like Calumet City and judging by the families that are buying homes in Lansing, it doesn't seem like it will be.

[Humboldt1]

If you worked at a large corporate bank (granted not for profit isn't commercial lending) you should be able to do better than Lansing. I am assuming you want your kids to go to a tier 1 public university or private university. Raising them in an area such as Lansing may hinder their education. You can do better.

I don't care if you are black or white, your kids will have a much better education in an area such as Orland Park.

Many of the worst ghetto blacks and their families have been forced out of the city. Even in Humboldt Park, the blacks are moving out as the hispanics move in. I have never had any problems with the hispanics but am constantly calling the police for blacks with loud music, yelling and cursing at all hours, dealing and smoking drugs. Just this morning a black guy (usually not females) ask me for money. This happens at least every week.

These same people will be coming to your area. Your house is worth less than 200K I believe. The home prices are simply not high enough to keep the riff raff out. I would get out while you can. By the way all home values went up in Chicago the past 10 years. Relative to other areas how did Lansing fare?

By the way, right or wrong the first wave of blacks that enter a neighborhood as white flight begins are more affluent and educated than the later arrivals. If the first black family that moved in sold drugs they would be forced out in a matter of months if not sooner.

And usually after more and more riff raff arrive law abiding blacks including you will move out to greener pastures. My guess is as you are able to afford a nicer place (your house is really cheap, even condos in humboldt sell for more) you will move. I will be surprised and disappointed if someone as educated and intelligent as you (you are clearly bright by your posts) will let their kids live in an area like Lansing will become in 10 years.

End of the day it is not about race but money. If you can afford to live in a better area do it for the sake of your children.

[skyeINIL]

Umm, yeah, thanks for your advice.

[Aswang]

Ah, Lansing. Grew up there. I used to call it Lan-suck when I was a teen, then my family moved to Dyer. Then I realized how much Lansing did not suck. I live in Chicago now. I could walk Ridge Rd, Torrence Ave all day. I would ride my bike from one friends house on one side of town to the next. This was all late 90's early 2000's. Living in Lansing i could walk to a store, unlike in places like Dyer where its subdivision after subdivision after subdivision. i hate NW Indy as much as Orland Park. Strip malls and subdivisions and a stupid sense of entitlement. Lansing used to be and is till full of mom and pop stores, that is why i loved it growing up. And those complaining about "them blacks", well you know, there is good and bad in every group of people and I have met more disgusting white people in the O.P. As for the ghetto thing in lasing, cal city, glenwood, you can thank Mayor Daily for Gentrifying their neighborhoods and tearing apart their families and shipping them to the South Burbs. The problem with the south burbs is not "the minorities", the problem taking away activities, like Friday nights and the coffee shop, tearing down minigolf, and replacing everything with endless seas of generic strip malls. There is more to life than buying things, people! I do not get why everyone wants to be a pretentious snobby unfriendly white person . I'd rather shop at River Oaks and Chicago Ridge Mall than Orland Mall or SouthLake.

I still have family in Lansing. My family still owns and runs businesses in Lansing. Things change, but Lansing is still an ok place to live. The people who live in the town have to power to make or break, but i do hear my family complains about the local lansing government. it I'd rather live in Lansing than all those lame subdivisions with no where to walk or bike too that most people are moving too. Heck, They just torn down the Fun-Center in Highland to build another lame strip mall! Sometimes people need to do batting cages, driving ranges, racing, gaming outdoors. At least lansing has a forest preserve with nice trails. We also had good soil in our yard for growing veggies, but other people have clay soil. A lot of the homes are those WWII type homes with some 60's and 70's prefabs. Oh yeah, you can also go bowing in Lansing. There is the Memorial Day parade, and the Arts and Crafts fair. Ted's Feed store is the good feed store, not to far from a good ice cream place.By River Oaks is a good Thai restraunt (under Westwood college). Gaytee's icecream on ridge is something from my childhood, then are not originally from on ridge, but they sell their chocolate bars in Ohare airtport!

As for the school demographics, most kids in Lansing I knew went to private schools, not the public ones, and some of the private ones in Lansing, Chi-heights are not that bad.

RIP Terry's Aquarium, best pet store ever. RIP Bossa Nova and Muse Cafe.

They white people of Lansing are an interesting story of white flight. A lot of people i grew up with originally had family in South Chicago or Hegwisch, then moved to Lansing, now moving to Dyer, St. John, Scherville. Almost everyone in the diviision in Dyer my family lives in is from Lansing originally and their family originally came from Chicago south side. Most of these people, however did not move be cause of the "minorties" but because the Cook County taxes were killing them slowly.

[skyeINIL]

Lansing is definitely a walkable town.

That's funny you mention the soil. I've never had better home-grown vegetables than the ones I've grown since I moved into my house.

Good ice cream place? You must be talking about Dari-ville and I have to agree.

I'd forgotten about the private school factor effect on demographics. There are 6 private schools in town and the enrollment is almost overwhelmingly white.

[Aswang]

I forgot to mention, all the sweet fresh veggies in Lansing, so close to so many farms stands! I think Glenwood-Dyer road, is where it starts but on ridge is Jasma's. We got veggies there and we bought meat at Komos. The grocery for junk food was Key Markets ( i think it is a Strack and Van-Til, technically Munster?) Unfortunatly for Lansing, most buisnesses are moving to NW Indiana area with the families that own them, believe me.

As for schools, anyone who is from Lansing and catholic sends their kids to Marian Catholic HS in the heights, for the most part, even when they move to NW Indiana. I know the Lutheran and Christian Private schools in Lansing are suposed to be ok too. TFSotuh was know to suck, according to my parents, when they went there in the 70s and whenever they say something dumb they joke "its that TFsouth education" so this TFS thing is nothing new.

[Chuckity]

Originally Posted by Aswang

RIP Terry's Aquarium, best pet store ever. RIP Bossa Nova and Muse Cafe.

The owner of Bossa Nova, Ben Mollin now owns Dynamite Music & Hair in Griffith, Indiana.

And was on Bravo's "Shear Genius" ...

best.haircuts.ever.