South Chicago Heights? (Park Forest, Matteson, Steger: rentals, crime rate, mortgage)

[lilysmama]

Originally Posted by cin1071

i don't know where these people are getting the information re:south hts.
i have lived in so. hts for 50 years my entire family lives in so. hts. i have never had any trouble. the police force is great. it's a great neighborhood. yes it has changed some what over the years. but it is still a great little town to live in. everybody knows everybody!!!. as people pass on they leave the property that they have lived in forever to the children and the children usually live there and pass it on to their children. mayor david owens has been mayor for many, many years and is a great family man. you have south chicago heights mixed up with chicago heights. yes we are just south of there. but a much better little town to live in. many years ago the town tried to change it's name, but the people of the town had such great pride in were they lived, they didn't want to change anything. want more info? email me @ skasst@aol.com i tell you all about our great town. we have the same zip code as all those other towns. but we are totally differant people.

Yes your town is great but its so close to chicago heights that in some pretenses people tend to catergorize it to be the same, its sad but true.

[right1only]

Chicago Heights needs a drastic change if it wants to keep up with the development changes other areas surrounding it are undergoing

[bclover]

and let me tell you one common trait in life-long, hardcore Heights and South Heights residents -- they have an IMPOSSIBLE time seeing the deterioration around them because they are so caught up in their memories of how the place USED to be. Take that into account when you read their posts. Does anyone under 45 who can look at South Heights objectively remember a time when that area (as well as Steger) WASN'T white trash? The homes near Grant School appear decent, but if you want to buy drugs there are plenty of places to go in that neighborhood now. Does anyone remember a time when the Heights wasn't corrupt, or when it had good schools? Wake up. My parents did the same thing, defend the Heights over and over when I'd say you better get out, why pay these ridiculous property taxes for s**t services (waiting 2-3 days to get the street plowed after heavy snows, as nobody "important" lives in her neighborhood anymore -- years ago the Commissioner lived there but when he left, so did the basic attention to that neighborhood); you could lose a tire in the potholes on her block; horrible and underfunded schools, and to top it off they TAX you if you sell your home and leave the Heights and move somewhere with a better standard of living. They learned their lessons. My grandmother and grandfather had to be robbed that one last time (yes, they were robbed many times) where the man attacked my grandma (who, all 250 lbs of her, tore a chunk out of the guy's scalp) in order to make her see that the place is a pit and it was time to move. and it took stitches to her own head to make her realize her memories wouldn't keep her safe from the police-protected losers who now ran her neighborhood out in the open with the police driving right on by, ignoring it. You can move a few miles away to someplace like Homewood which is still affordable, with a kick-ass park district, cultural scene, good schools, and an even more vibrant social scene for seniors. But people who are chained to the good old days can't see the forest thru the trees. By the way, Heights cops, in all their glory, LOST all the evidence from the scene of the crime at my grandma's. No place is perfect, but who has the money to throw their money onto a sinking ship?

[cookatch]

well you got one thing right, the heights is bad. i've been here since 1992, on da eastside, and every year since then it has gotten more and more unbearable. now south heights, is way better, although the white's are very prejudice.

[NYrules]

The S. Heights is absolutely pitaful. As far as you working there, the town is great for industry, but thats about it! For the life of me I dont know how anyone would want to live there or even stays. The area is completely filthy and crime is rampant. The whole area, not just the S. Heights has become overrun with gangs that have migrated out there from the inner city, and in the past cops have been busted for being... lets just say "less than Kosher". The government got itself in trouble for also not exactly being honest with where the town's money was going just as many of the towns in the economically depressed areas of the south side have such as; Harvey and Dixmoor. Basically my advice is work in the heights, but live in Tinley Park or Frankfort.

There is an area that is located off St. Francis Rd. and Harlem Avenue that is very nice and very safe. Depending on what side of Harlem you are on down there (South of I-80) you will be in an area that is half black and half white, or if you are on the west side of Harlem in a subdivision known as "Frankfort Square" the area is all white. Steer clear of towns like Matteson and University Park as the areas are changing and crime rates are less than acceptable. The areas are changing so much in fact, that some years ago the mayor of Matteson got in HUGE trouble for basically running a campaign to try to keep the whites from moving out of the town and have new homes being sold to only white families and discouraging blacks from moving in. It was on the news and I think that mayor got kicked out of office for that stunt, so basically that was a no no. In any case though Im not too sure if anyone would want to move into an area that is changing that much. Just do yourself a favor, move west of Harlem Avenue. Homes are still appreciating in value and the area isn't really "changing" at all.

[ParkForester]

The areas are changing so much in fact, that some years ago the mayor of Matteson got in HUGE trouble for basically running a campaign to try to keep the whites from moving out of the town and have new homes being sold to only white families and discouraging blacks from moving in.

Can you please post some links to this information, please?

[NYrules]

I will do my best to look for stuff on that topic, but unfortunantly that issue occured about 10 years ago and I haven't been able to find much of anything on it. I'm sure that the village has done it's best to not have that leak back out as it was a very sore subject for a lot of folks and the village has swept it under the carpet as best they can. I just remember the topic vaguley being discussed in newspapers and I think some television stations covered it.

[quest1844]

I grew up in Evanston, IL and now I live on Commercial in South Chicago Heights. Let me tell you, Ive lived here for around 5 yrs and in the last 5 yrs, I have seen in decline VERY quickly. Seems a lot of people from Gary, the Projects in the city, and Ford Heights have moved to South Chicago Heights and crime has definatly gone up. My wife and I are good friends with most of the members on the police force and they have easily seen the difference. After my wife had to yell at some kids playing around my sports car, they yell back, 'my momma bought her house here so we can do whatever the f*** we want.' Then I wake up for work this morning and my car is keyed. The quality of people here is changing. Do NOT move here. I would NOT recommend it. I am looking forward to moving in the very near future. good luck.

[GSE]

Originally Posted by bclover

and let me tell you one common trait in life-long, hardcore Heights and South Heights residents -- they have an IMPOSSIBLE time seeing the deterioration around them because they are so caught up in their memories of how the place USED to be. Take that into account when you read their posts. Does anyone under 45 who can look at South Heights objectively remember a time when that area (as well as Steger) WASN'T white trash? The homes near Grant School appear decent, but if you want to buy drugs there are plenty of places to go in that neighborhood now. Does anyone remember a time when the Heights wasn't corrupt, or when it had good schools? Wake up. My parents did the same thing, defend the Heights over and over when I'd say you better get out, why pay these ridiculous property taxes for s**t services (waiting 2-3 days to get the street plowed after heavy snows, as nobody "important" lives in her neighborhood anymore -- years ago the Commissioner lived there but when he left, so did the basic attention to that neighborhood); you could lose a tire in the potholes on her block; horrible and underfunded schools, and to top it off they TAX you if you sell your home and leave the Heights and move somewhere with a better standard of living. They learned their lessons. My grandmother and grandfather had to be robbed that one last time (yes, they were robbed many times) where the man attacked my grandma (who, all 250 lbs of her, tore a chunk out of the guy's scalp) in order to make her see that the place is a pit and it was time to move. and it took stitches to her own head to make her realize her memories wouldn't keep her safe from the police-protected losers who now ran her neighborhood out in the open with the police driving right on by, ignoring it. You can move a few miles away to someplace like Homewood which is still affordable, with a kick-ass park district, cultural scene, good schools, and an even more vibrant social scene for seniors. But people who are chained to the good old days can't see the forest thru the trees. By the way, Heights cops, in all their glory, LOST all the evidence from the scene of the crime at my grandma's. No place is perfect, but who has the money to throw their money onto a sinking ship?

This is an important point, not only for South Chicago Heights, but for Chicago Heights as well. There is a group of people who've never left, and won't leave. They are living in a bubble. They play a large role in why perhaps these towns are not yet as bad as Harvey etc, but they are an aging population, and for those people whose kids buy the houses and live in them after their parents pass away, that is a bizarre and diminishing phenomenon as well, ARE YOU FREAKING NUTS???? South Chicago Heights, and in particular Chicago Heights are dying...(alot of people would claim they'v been dead for years, and would have a great case) , its been a slow death, death by a thousand itty bitty cuts, prolonged by a group of people who have an unwavering pride about towns that there is little left to be proud about. I grew up in Chicago Heights and fled that town at my first opportunity about 4 years ago upon graduating from college, and thats my opinion, I understand that some will disagree, many will agree with me completley.

[Childgrowingupindahood]

Im a teenager that lives in the South Chicago Heights I came from East Chicago. I have been known to causing alot of trouble. What can I say im just a bad ass. But really any where you go you are going to see one bad apple. But where im at I dont consider bad at all. I just see kids trying to have fun. Yea alot of fights break out and police are always around ma neighborhood. Alot of us go to Bloom high school are known has trouble makers. But we get our work done in school and are doning some type of act. in school or outside of school. For example I play on the Varsity girls basketball team at Bloom. This is what keeps me busy so I wont get in any more trouble. If anybody is so worried about the children why dont yall open a center (besides the jones river center)that kids will wont to go to, to have fun. This well keep them bussy instead of in the streets being as bad as they can be. Instead of talking about the community do something about the problem and maybe you wont have no problem at all.