Wasco (Chicago, Aurora, Naperville: skyscrapers, condo, housing)

[BUalumni]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Wasco has more amenities than you'd think. There are several parks in town, several just outside town (5 minute drive), a nice school, doctors offices and restaurants (ie Pizza Cucina, Tonys Steamers, a Chinese joint, Michaelangelos Pizza, Subway, McDonalds, etc), baseball diamonds and disc golf and are also now served by the Campton Hills Police. I take it you havent been there in awhile?

Sounds AMAZING!

Wasco is just another Chicagoland (if you can even call it that anymore) suburban mess. If it isn't Wasco today, it will be just some other place tomorrow. The area between Dekalb and St. Charles is getting smaller and uglier as the months roll on. In a few decades, there will be no distinction between Rockford and Chicago. Just a mass of housing and strip malls that all look alike. Sad. Very, very sad.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by BOB POTATOE

stores, doctors, lawyers and bars are not ammenities.

Uh, then what are?

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by BUalumni

In a few decades, there will be no distinction between Rockford and Chicago. Just a mass of housing and strip malls that all look alike. Sad. Very, very sad.

This is not unique to Chicagoland, youll find this EVERYWHERE that is experiencing growth, sadly.

[BUalumni]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

This is not unique to Chicagoland, youll find this EVERYWHERE that is experiencing growth, sadly.

That is not always the case. I was in Phoenix (well Scottsdale and Gilbert) last week, and I am still in shock at how fast that an entire area is growing! (By the way, if you want some great weather and landscape, head down there, BEAUTIFUL!!) But one aspect of their growth, that you don't see in Chicagoland, is that of 'master planned projects'. Sure you see a few gated settings in the Chicago sprawl machine that you know had significant planning involved with them. But for the whole this is not the case. In California there are whole cities whose conception was actually decades ago, but due to high volume growth, are still folowing the same plan. Thousand Oaks comes to mind very quickly. This is great because it allows the city government to keep control out of the hands of the builders, and makes for a much better city layout when it is all said and done. It also helps with traffic, and lays out strategic plans for where, and what kind of commercial and buisness sectors the city will allow to be built. In Chicago's burbs this is not the case, and Wasco is a prime example of this. Naperville and Plainfield are even more to the point. What fast growing Sun-belt cities are doing is smarter than what midwest cities are allowing to happen. I look at the Plainfield and Joliet border and just think about the city that it "could've been"

I agree with what others have said, Wasco is ugly and no where near the potential of what it could have been. Such is the case thoughout much of Chicagoland though.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by BUalumni

That is not always the case. I was in Phoenix (well Scottsdale and Gilbert) last week, and I am still in shock at how fast that an entire area is growing! (By the way, if you want some great weather and landscape, head down there, BEAUTIFUL!!) But one aspect of their growth, that you don't see in Chicagoland, is that of 'master planned projects'. Sure you see a few gated settings in the Chicago sprawl machine that you know had significant planning involved with them. But for the whole this is not the case. In California there are whole cities whose conception was actually decades ago, but due to high volume growth, are still folowing the same plan. Thousand Oaks comes to mind very quickly. This is great because it allows the city government to keep control out of the hands of the builders, and makes for a much better city layout when it is all said and done. It also helps with traffic, and lays out strategic plans for where, and what kind of commercial and buisness sectors the city will allow to be built. In Chicago's burbs this is not the case, and Wasco is a prime example of this. Naperville and Plainfield are even more to the point. What fast growing Sun-belt cities are doing is smarter than what midwest cities are allowing to happen. I look at the Plainfield and Joliet border and just think about the city that it "could've been"

I agree with what others have said, Wasco is ugly and no where near the potential of what it could have been. Such is the case thoughout much of Chicagoland though.

Unreal. You bash Chicagolands sprawl, then condone Phoenixs?!?!? And besides, the crap in PHX is the very epitome of cookie-cutter, endless sprawl, and chains. I know, Im down there several times a year, and its AWFUL how much those suburbs all look the same. There are very few parts of PHX area that are old and have any kind of soul to them, its mostly brand-new, soulless, stucco crap, you cant deny that. And if you think Wasco is ugly, how can you possibly think Gilbert is?!?!?! Gotta love those houses that are 3 ft apart, all with rock yards (and if youre lucky you get a tiny little strip of grass) and all brown stucco paint with those beautiful cinderblock fences.

Here is your typical Gilbert neighborhood...
http://www.highlandcorner.org/hcrangle350.jpg

Here is Wasco... I think someone would be crazy to pick Gilberts over Wasco.

[BUalumni]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Unreal. You bash Chicagolands sprawl, then condone Phoenixs?!?!? And besides, the crap in PHX is the very epitome of cookie-cutter, endless sprawl, and chains. I know, Im down there several times a year, and its AWFUL how much those suburbs all look the same. There are very few parts of PHX area that are old and have any kind of soul to them, its mostly brand-new, soulless, stucco crap, you cant deny that. And if you think Wasco is ugly, how can you possibly think Gilbert is?!?!?! Gotta love those houses that are 3 ft apart, all with rock yards (and if youre lucky you get a tiny little strip of grass) and all brown stucco paint with those beautiful cinderblock fences.

Here is your typical Gilbert neighborhood...
http://www.highlandcorner.org/hcrangle350.jpg

Here is Wasco... I think someone would be crazy to pick Gilberts over Wasco.

What is "unreal" is how to you took what I said totally out of context. If you had taken the time to actually read what I posted, I never said that Phoenix was superior to Chicago in any way, shape, or form. I do hate sprawl, whether it be the endless miles of stucco in the Phoenix, or the endless miles of plastic, cheap vinyl siding in Wasco, it is all the same. With that said, it is no secret that Phoenix as of now is FAR more popular than Chicago, and people are choosing to live in its burbs before the Windy City. If you had read what I wrote, you would understand that I was simply trying to point out that Phoenix uses much more wise, and smarter form of sprawl than Chicago. They have too! For instance, the beautiful city of Scottsdale is made up of huge master planned settings througout. There is nothing master planned about anything in Chicagoland. Look at south Naperville for your evidence!! What a joke.

By the way, you obviously have little basis for your argument as you show a bad picture of Gilbert, and compare it to a bright sunny day in Wasco. We all know that the picture of Wasco is hardly the norm, and is probably the best shot that you will ever get of that town. Besides, Gilbert is, you know, a city, and aspires much higher than what Wasco will ever be. Wasco is simply St. Charles sprawl. You definition of "crazy" includes most people. Like I said, Phoenix is set to surpass Chicago in population within the next few decades. There is nothing in Illinois that can even compete with their growth both in poplulation, and in income. Comparing Gilbert to Wasco is 100% unrealistic.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by BUalumni

With that said, it is no secret that Phoenix as of now is FAR more popular than Chicago, and people are choosing to live in its burbs before the Windy City. If you had read what I wrote, you would understand that I was simply trying to point out that Phoenix uses much more wise, and smarter form of sprawl than Chicago. They have too! For instance, the beautiful city of Scottsdale is made up of huge master planned settings througout. There is nothing master planned about anything in Chicagoland. Look at south Naperville for your evidence!! What a joke

First off, there are many cities in Chicago that are growing just as fast, if not faster, than any in AZ. Chicagoland is also home to 3 of the fastest growing counties in the USA and Chicagoland is the 7th fastest growing metro in the USA. People who move to AZ arent looking for culture, diversity, world class urban/suburban living, many are just after the skin-cancer causing sun and cheap homes. And whats nice is that Chicagoland isnt sitting on the worst housing bubble crash in the USA either. My FIL sells real estate in AZ and hasnt sold a house in, get this, 8 months now. Yuu can find entire blocks of homes up for sale in AZ, as well as 10s of 1000s of unoccupied homes covering the entire Valley. Also, youre comparing Scottsdale's neighborhoods to Wasco's? Thats not fair. That would be the equivalent of me comparing Lake Forest to Chandler. Whats next? Comparing Paradise Valley to Carol Stream? And if you think all of Scottsdale is planned nicely, youre sorely mistaken and it shows your lack of Valley knowledge. Central Scottsdale is a grid, with old, small, homes on tiny lots all crammed on top of each other. New areas around, say, Indian School Rd are the same, just new. Northern and eastern areas of Scottsdale also retain tons of cookie-cutter 'hoods, with the nicer neighborhoods concentrated way up in North Scottsdale, around the Pinnacle Peak Rd area. Even then, some of the gated communities up there are cookie-cutter McMansions. The truly special areas are places like McCormick Ranch, The Boulders, etc. And once you get out of Carefree and North Scottsdale on Carefree Hwy, youre back in cookie cutter land as far as the eye can see. Go to Chandler and you see the same thing. Go to Mesa, same thing. Go to Casa Grande, same thing. Go to Gilbert, same thing. Suprise, Anthem, Sun City, Sun City West, etc, etc, etc, etc... the list goes on and on. PHX is SPRAWL. New, soulless, strip mall HELL. There are nice areas such as Biltmore in PHX, Flagstaff, Prescott, Jerome, etc, that have some soul, but you wont find much in the Valley. Dont attack Wasco, then tell people to move to Gilbert, that doesnt make any sense. And millions of people in the Sonoran Desert where water is precious is NOT planned better than anything in Chicagoland. Same goes for people planting grass and the hundreds of golf courses down there. That isnt masterful planning, thats stupidity... a waste of precious resources.

[BUalumni]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

First off, there are many cities in Chicago that are growing just as fast, if not faster, than any in AZ. Chicagoland is also home to 3 of the fastest growing counties in the USA and Chicagoland is the 7th fastest growing metro in the USA. People who move to AZ arent looking for culture, diversity, world class urban/suburban living, many are just after the skin-cancer causing sun and cheap homes. And whats nice is that Chicagoland isnt sitting on the worst housing bubble crash in the USA either. My FIL sells real estate in AZ and hasnt sold a house in, get this, 8 months now. Yuu can find entire blocks of homes up for sale in AZ, as well as 10s of 1000s of unoccupied homes covering the entire Valley. Also, youre comparing Scottsdale's neighborhoods to Wasco's? Thats not fair. That would be the equivalent of me comparing Lake Forest to Chandler. Whats next? Comparing Paradise Valley to Carol Stream? And if you think all of Scottsdale is planned nicely, youre sorely mistaken and it shows your lack of Valley knowledge. Central Scottsdale is a grid, with old, small, homes on tiny lots all crammed on top of each other. New areas around, say, Indian School Rd are the same, just new. Northern and eastern areas of Scottsdale also retain tons of cookie-cutter 'hoods, with the nicer neighborhoods concentrated way up in North Scottsdale, around the Pinnacle Peak Rd area. Even then, some of the gated communities up there are cookie-cutter McMansions. The truly special areas are places like McCormick Ranch, The Boulders, etc. And once you get out of Carefree and North Scottsdale on Carefree Hwy, youre back in cookie cutter land as far as the eye can see. Go to Chandler and you see the same thing. Go to Mesa, same thing. Go to Casa Grande, same thing. Go to Gilbert, same thing. Suprise, Anthem, Sun City, Sun City West, etc, etc, etc, etc... the list goes on and on. PHX is SPRAWL. New, soulless, strip mall HELL. There are nice areas such as Biltmore in PHX, Flagstaff, Prescott, Jerome, etc, that have some soul, but you wont find much in the Valley. Dont attack Wasco, then tell people to move to Gilbert, that doesnt make any sense. And millions of people in the Sonoran Desert where water is precious is NOT planned better than anything in Chicagoland. Same goes for people planting grass and the hundreds of golf courses down there. That isnt masterful planning, thats stupidity... a waste of precious resources.

OK. Let's end this now since we seem to have hit a nerve with you. I really don't care enough to reply to your obvious hateful ramblings about Phoenix or Scottsdale. Time and time again I have read your crazed remarks of the dreaded city of Phoenix. You have a very real issue with that area for some unknown reason, and I will not be responsible for bringing your hatred to a forum that is relativly free of them.

As for your last statement though, "That isn't masterful planning, thats stupidity...a waste of precious resources."

ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!??? ACTUALLY! ARE YOU INSANE!!?? Maybe you forgot that places like Wasco have eaten up some of the most fertile land in the world!!! LAND THAT WE CAN NEVER GET BACK!!!! Yes, that is indeed "masterful planning"!! And for what? Ugly tract homes! You question my knowledge of Phoenix, and then make a remark like that. What an absolutly foolish statement!

By the way, I am in Phoenix almost a dozen times a year for an average of a weeks stay each time. Not to mention that I have family in the area as well. I'm well aware of the area. But I would excpect such useless ramblings from a person that puts the words "Naperville" and "soul" in the same sentence. If you think Naperville and the like are full of "soul" then how in the bloody world can we take you serious when you say that Phoenix does not! Give me a break! Most ignorant post of the century!

Yes, and only people of culture move to Chicago. Yeah right! Aurora, Joliet, Elgin, and Gary are literal dumps. But I guess dump now equals "culture" that is just oozing with prestige. Yes, whenever I drive through those cities, "culture" is the first thing I think of. What a joke!! What an absolute joke!!

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by BUalumni

OK. Let's end this now since we seem to have hit a nerve with you. I really don't care enough to reply to your obvious hateful ramblings about Phoenix or Scottsdale. Time and time again I have read your crazed remarks of the dreaded city of Phoenix. You have a very real issue with that area for some unknown reason, and I will not be responsible for bringing your hatred to a forum that is relativly free of them.

As for your last statement though, "That is masterful planning, thats stupidity...a waste of precious resources."

ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!??? ACTUALLY! ARE YOU INSANE!!?? Maybe you forgot that places like Wasco have eaten up some of the most fertile land in the world!!! LAND THAT WE CAN NEVER GET BACK!!!! Yes, that is indeed "masterful planning"!! And for what? Ugly tract homes! You question my knowledge of Phoenix, and then make a remark like that. What an absolutly foolish statement!

By the way, I am in Phoenix almost a dozen times a year for an average of a weeks stay each time. Not to mention that I have family in the area as well. I'm well aware of the area. But I would excpect such useless ramblings from a person that puts the words "Naperville" and "soul" in the same sentence. If you think Naperville and the like are full of "soul" then how in the bloody world can we take you serious when you say that Phoenix does not! Give me a break! Most ignorant post of the century!

Hello? McFly?

The Sonoran Desert is a fragile environment that is being bulldozed by the acre to put up Taco Bells and Taco Bell-inspired homes. The area is home to unique flora and fauna that cant be found anywhere else in the world, but thats ok to demolish?!? The area is in an extended drought with no end in sight, yet stupid golf courses keep going up all over the place with reckless abandon. You hate sprawl, but love Gilbert's sprawl, saying theyre "doing things right". Hardly, theyre not doing anything right down there as evident by their rapidly growing crime and traffic, water issues, poor public transportation, worst-in-the-nation school system, etc. PHX is going the wrong direction, and will continue to get worse as it grows.

[BUalumni]

McFly? Is that supposed to be a joke?

LMBO! What I find hilarious about your statements is how hypocritical they are. Can't you see it? When it comes down to it, who are we to say that the enviroment in Arizona is anymore or less important than the one in Illinois? Simple answer; you can't! Yes, the Sonoran Desert is being beat with a baseball bat. I am in complete agreement. But what Chicago is doing is NO better, and to believe otherwise is utter ignorance on your part. Calling Phoenix cookie-cutter is "like the pot calling the kettle black." Come on! It is readily apparent that people favor "Taco-Bell" homes in Phoenix, to plastic homes in Chicago. Really? What is your point? I'm sorry, but Plainfield, Illinois, which is the only place around Chicago to can even compare to Phoenix 'burbs, is one of the most hideous cities I have ever seen before in my life. To hate Phoenix, but to love Wasco is absolute ignorance!

I'm interested though. Why do you care so much about what happens in Phoenix? It isn't like what happens in the desert affects you on a daily basis. Just because Gilbert and Chandler are sprawling into oblivion, does little to upset the focus of your day. If they run out of water because of bad decisions, then that really doesn't make your life that much harder to live. On the other hand. Places like Wasco, that eat up the WORLD'S RICHEST FARMLAND!!!!!!!!!!, let's say that again because it just isn't going through, WORLD'S RICHEST FARMLAND!!!!!!!!! will, at some point affect us all. Lest you forget, eating is a daily event in all parts of the world!! Your support of desert sprawl that affects few, compared to your love of farmland sprawl, which affects everyone, is beyond strange to me!