There is much progress in Joliet (Chicago, Aurora: job, custom home, high crime)

[Daveposts]

[SIZE=3]I’ve been reading posts about Joliet this week and I wanted to give my take on the city. By the way, I am a resident of Joliet.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Everyone loves to talk about how terrible the crime is in Joliet but don’t seem to take note that it is a city of nearly 150,000. It’s as if people expect all towns of this size to be like Naperville. Naperville is an exceptional town but it is a rarity, and many of you need to realize this. And as for the total number of crimes, it has dropped significantly over the past years even though Joliet has garnered thousands upon thousands of people. Joliet is below the national average for crime in cities around its size. Even though, city-data.com shows a very slight increase in Joliet’s crime rate from 2005 to 2006, I am confident the crime rate will continue to decrease over time. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] One of the reasons that I like Joliet is because it has a diverse population that spans beyond race. More specifically, the affluent and poor share this city- and this diversity is more pervasive than most if not all of the towns that are usually mentioned, even more than Aurora. And I’m not bashing Aurora; I happen to like that town and think it has incredible potential. It seems that no one wants to live around poor people; it’s as if many feel the poor are insignificant ESPECIALLY in Chicagoland. Few of you show respect for Joliet, Waukegan, Aurora, Elgin etc. which are some of the most influential towns in Chicagoland. Many of these cities are postindustrial and it is nearly impossible to fully recover from the devastation that these industrial/manufacturing companies caused when they exited not only the Chicago region but also the North and Midwest in general. For those who do not believe that then take a look at Detroit, Gary, IN, etc. It’s a miracle that Joliet even survived even if initially it was gasping for breath. Joliet is a great place and is progressing. I’m not saying Joliet is the best place because I don’t believe in that, each city has its upsides and downsides. Among the complaints about Joliet is that there is nothing to do. I challenge that and any one from Joliet should do the same. We have two MAJOR raceways: Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway. We have two casinos: Empress Casino and Harrah’s Casino. We soon will have two shopping malls. Yes, I know the Louis Joliet Mall is subpar but Westfield (the group that owns the mall) plans to expand retail by another 100,000 sq. ft. and a 14 screen stadium seating movie theatre will be built on the west side of the mall. The other mall will be an outdoor one that will have at least 1.5 million sq. ft. of retail/ restaurants and other attractions ([/SIZE][SIZE=3]http://www.bridgestreetchicagoland.com/[/SIZE][SIZE=3]). We have beautiful Silver Cross Field which is home to the Joliet Jackhammers. We have the largest paintballing facility in the Midwest: Challenge Park Extreme. We have one of the most stunning theatres in the nation- the Rialto Theatre. And then we have what most other towns boast of. You know, bowling alleys, a water park, ice rink, football stadium, golf courses and so forth. Downtown and nightlife are getting better. These things just take time. So, overall Joliet is not doing to bad for a postindustrial city is it?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] Sorry that this is so long. I had a lot to say.[/SIZE]

[thompson84606]

Reputation for you. This is what I was trying to get across in another thread that was hijacked.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by Daveposts

[SIZE=3]I’ve been reading posts about Joliet this week and I wanted to give my take on the city. By the way, I am a resident of Joliet.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Everyone loves to talk about how terrible the crime is in Joliet but don’t seem to take note that it is a city of nearly 150,000. It’s as if people expect all towns of this size to be like Naperville. Naperville is an exceptional town but it is a rarity, and many of you need to realize this. And as for the total number of crimes, it has dropped significantly over the past years even though Joliet has garnered thousands upon thousands of people. Joliet is below the national average for crime in cities around its size. Even though, city-data.com shows a very slight increase in Joliet’s crime rate from 2005 to 2006, I am confident the crime rate will continue to decrease over time. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] One of the reasons that I like Joliet is because it has a diverse population that spans beyond race. More specifically, the affluent and poor share this city- and this diversity is more pervasive than most if not all of the towns that are usually mentioned, even more than Aurora. And I’m not bashing Aurora; I happen to like that town and think it has incredible potential. It seems that no one wants to live around poor people; it’s as if many feel the poor are insignificant ESPECIALLY in Chicagoland. Few of you show respect for Joliet, Waukegan, Aurora, Elgin etc. which are some of the most influential towns in Chicagoland. Many of these cities are postindustrial and it is nearly impossible to fully recover from the devastation that these industrial/manufacturing companies caused when they exited not only the Chicago region but also the North and Midwest in general. For those who do not believe that then take a look at Detroit, Gary, IN, etc. It’s a miracle that Joliet even survived even if initially it was gasping for breath. Joliet is a great place and is progressing. I’m not saying Joliet is the best place because I don’t believe in that, each city has its upsides and downsides. Among the complaints about Joliet is that there is nothing to do. I challenge that and any one from Joliet should do the same. We have two MAJOR raceways: Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway. We have two casinos: Empress Casino and Harrah’s Casino. We soon will have two shopping malls. Yes, I know the Louis Joliet Mall is subpar but Westfield (the group that owns the mall) plans to expand retail by another 100,000 sq. ft. and a 14 screen stadium seating movie theatre will be built on the west side of the mall. The other mall will be an outdoor one that will have at least 1.5 million sq. ft. of retail/ restaurants and other attractions ([/SIZE][SIZE=3]http://www.bridgestreetchicagoland.com/[/SIZE][SIZE=3]). We have beautiful Silver Cross Field which is home to the Joliet Jackhammers. We have the largest paintballing facility in the Midwest: Challenge Park Extreme. We have one of the most stunning theatres in the nation- the Rialto Theatre. And then we have what most other towns boast of. You know, bowling alleys, a water park, ice rink, football stadium, golf courses and so forth. Downtown and nightlife are getting better. These things just take time. So, overall Joliet is not doing to bad for a postindustrial city is it?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] Sorry that this is so long. I had a lot to say.[/SIZE]

Sadly enough on this board if you are not speaking wonderfully of the towns of Oak Park, Naperville, Plainfield, Evanston, and in the city; Lakeview, Lincoln Park, or any of the towns in DuPage county, you are immediately jumped by the others on this board and its bull. There is a whole nother part of the city that is TOTALLY neglected from this board and it is very sad(ie. the south suburbs, Joliet, New Lenox, Manhattan, Minooka, and NW IN) Those areas are spoken of in a way to say, "ewww stay away from there because... blah blah blah" when indeed many of the areas that people (typically from the north side or western burbs) are telling newbies to steer away from are actually nicer than many of the towns constantly mentioned on this board and/or have just as much to offer and come at a cheaper price due to them being less popular or forgotten about. I have seen this on this board time and time again and it is really getting old. How about people start to mention some towns that are out of the norm for this board, such as Oak Forest, Mokena, Lemont, Willow Springs, Willowbrook, Brookfield, etc. when questions such as, "I'm looking to buy a house in a nice neighborhood with good schools..." is mentioned? (The usual response is, "move to Naperville.. Move to Oak Park...) I never see anything mentioned about any of those towns (Oak Forest, Lemont, WS, Willowbrook..) I listed as well as many others unless I say it.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by NYrules

Sadly enough on this board if you are not speaking wonderfully of the towns of Oak Park, Naperville, Plainfield, Evanston, and in the city; Lakeview, Lincoln Park, or any of the towns in DuPage county, you are immediately jumped by the others on this board and its bull $#!T.

WTF?

Joliet has rough spots, people point that out, and its a FACT that it does indeed have high-crime areas. But, the town is rapidly expanding and is becoming attractive to many new families, etc, which we also point out. If you cant handle the fact that people point out the bad areas of town, and what high-crime areas to avoid, then thats your problem. I happen to kinda like Joliet, as do MANY other people on these boards, so youre not alone thinking that youre the only one who likes that area. And FYI there are a few towns in DuPage County that I wouldnt recommend, so dont sit here and tell us that we all worship DuPage County in its entirety. DuPage County is blessed to have many wonderful suburbs that people like to share and recommend. Theres nothing wrong with that, thats what these boards are for. Those that love DuPage and are vocal about it are no different than you and your love for the southern burbs, correct???? You dont see anyone on here calling your opinions "bull" when you recommend New Lenox, do you? Speaking of "jumping on others"....

[BUalumni]

So much progress, but still not a good place to live. Joliet has a long way to go before it looks like something from DuPage county. It may be growing like a weed, but not really in the right direction. If I were to move into that area I would pick Plainfield before ever looking into Joliet. That isn't saying to much either.

[sbd78]

My husband and I recently purchased a new home in the far West part of Joliet, the area that is currently growing like a weed. I feel we made a great decision. Our main draw to the area was affordable housing prices. Since we are a young family starting out, and since I stopped working full time when our son was born, we couldn't afford to drop $400K+ on a house. (I honestly don't know how people, especially young people starting out, afford the suburbs that everyone recommends.) I live in the area West of route 59 in between Plainfield and Shorewood, and it's very nice here. Are some of the homes a bit cookie cutter? Sure, but honestly, most newer areas do have cookie cutter homes, and I'm not a millionaire and can't afford some expensive custom home. Sure, Joliet has some run down, crime infested areas. Joliet is a large city, most cities Joliet's size do, and I live no where near the run down parts of town. People talk about how Joliet has high crime, but crime in my zip code (60431) is very low. Joliet's schools do have issues, but most of the new and growing parts of Joliet are not in Joliet's school system, they are in Plainfield, Minooka, Shorewood, or New Lenox schools. Schools were important since we have 1 child and are planning on more. The area we chose falls in the Minooka school district, and while my child is not school aged yet, my neighbors who do have school age children have been very happy with the schools. And if someone does buy a home in Joliet's school district, prices are so reasonable you can always go the private school route. Honestly, I think a lot of the people who rip on Joliet have never seen the nice parts. My husband and I would never move our family to some crime infested ghetto. I think the area I live is a perfect spot for young families who want to get into home ownership, but can't afford the high prices in the Naperville's, etc. And that is what this area is full of, young families with young children which is great because that is just the kind of area I wanted my child to grow up in. Nearly every family on my block has young kids. We have lots of shopping nearby, Route 59 is lined with tons of shopping, the Louis Joliet Mall is close by, I'm an easy drive up 59 to the Naperville area and all that has to offer, as the op mentioned, a huge upscale mall is planned for the area of I55 and I80 Chicagoland and another shopping center is planned for 5 minutes from my house Tower Marketplace shopping enjoyment for the entire family So overall, I'm very happy with our decision to move here.

[medic65]

Originally Posted by BUalumni

So much progress, but still not a good place to live. Joliet has a long way to go before it looks like something from DuPage county. It may be growing like a weed, but not really in the right direction. If I were to move into that area I would pick Plainfield before ever looking into Joliet. That isn't saying to much either.

Joliet is growing....and in some opinions not a "good place to live".....I disagree. Maybe some people dont want it to look like DuPage....everyone has different opinions......I lived in DuPage County years ago.....and dont pretend to know how it is to live there now...but I have looked in many areas in Cook and Will when looking for my home....and am VERY happy where I chose..yes I am on the far east side of Joliet..in a beautiful home that would have cost much much more somewhere else...and probably not be as convenient as my home is to anywhere I want to go.....and so much more growth expected. Are there what some people call "shady" areas of Joliet??...sure...but anyone who thinks any area is squeeky clean needs to take off their blinders. So to anyone looking.....come check out Joliet from east to West......I think you will be pleasantly surprised!!!!

[nJohn]

To be honest I like Joliet. My sister was going to move there for a teaching job and to add that she actually liked it - the good and the bad. Joliet has a lot of potential to be a an amazing suburb with a rich history unlike many subdivision communities. The town has heart, which I can't say for a lot of places.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

WTF?

Joliet has rough spots, people point that out, and its a FACT that it does indeed have high-crime areas. But, the town is rapidly expanding and is becoming attractive to many new families, etc, which we also point out. If you cant handle the fact that people point out the bad areas of town, and what high-crime areas to avoid, then thats your problem. I happen to kinda like Joliet, as do MANY other people on these boards, so youre not alone thinking that youre the only one who likes that area. And FYI there are a few towns in DuPage County that I wouldnt recommend, so dont sit here and tell us that we all worship DuPage County in its entirety. DuPage County is blessed to have many wonderful suburbs that people like to share and recommend. Theres nothing wrong with that, thats what these boards are for. Those that love DuPage and are vocal about it are no different than you and your love for the southern burbs, correct???? You dont see anyone on here calling your opinions "bull" when you recommend New Lenox, do you? Speaking of "jumping on others"....

More like WTF are you talking about? Get a grip dude and read already and stop jumping on people as you CONSTANTLY do! I never said that Joliet is wonderful or bad, but what I did say is that it is an area that is often forgotten about as well as the towns that surround there (New Lenox, Lockport, Minooka, Homer Glen, Mokena) when people on this board are recommending towns to move into. If you read my post SLOWLY and comprehended it, you would see that all I was pointing out is the fact that there are a usual 10 burbs constantly named on here to move into and these towns are seemingly worshiped by about 10 regulars on here, ESP naming towns of Naperville and Oak Park, and as for the others... well the rest are just totally overlooked which is what is sad.

[bigman123]

I agree with the OP. 1 major factor that seems to be ignored when discussing Joliet, is its size. Joilet is probably 3 or 4 times the size of some of the towns it is compared with. The "good" parts of Joliet could easily be broken down into 2 or 3 nice sized towns. Joliet's nicer parts are wonderful. Because of the size of the city, the nicer areas are very well buffered from the bad areas. It truley feels like at least 2 different towns, east side vs west side.

The east side of Joliet is as significant to Joliet's west-side, as Aurora's far east side is to Napervilles Rt 59 communities. No one would say the Naperville's west-side is strongly influenced by Aurora's far east side and Im willing to bet that the distances are about the same. Like Joliets east & west sides, they have different schools distrcits, different park districts, and are miles apart.

As a boater, gambler, and one who loves to dine out, I see alot of promise in Joliets downtown. The place has ENORMOUS potential. They are not that far from reaching that potential. I attended a few summer festivals down at the river. They were very nice, especially the "Water Daze" event. I was actually a little impressed.