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Old 04-28-2008, 10:15 PM
 
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I have cousins down there. They are good guys, but they know that more than a few of the guys from their neighborhood are dependent on other guys who made it really big with the CBOT. As the automation continues to strip away a lot of the lower level jobs there will be be pressure of the guys that are not at the same level -- in short, while it is good "to have connections" to Brother Rice and the Chicago exchanges, it is not as stable as some other fields that have more employment based on transferable skills...
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Old 04-28-2008, 10:24 PM
 
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Huh? I don't think the majority of EP works for CBOT, so there is no danger of it turning into another Harvey as entry level CBOT jobs disappear. Harvey was decimated by factory closings, but EP is hardly a one industry town.
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Old 04-28-2008, 10:42 PM
 
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It won't be decimated, but the guys that do rely on the old school connections and higher level traders are not going to be putting on additions and rebuilding the way they have...

It'll never be Harvey for cripes sakes, but the "boom times" in real estate happened at just about the perfect time for a lot of the older guys at the exchanges to cash in.

The whole south suburban area does not have much appeal to transfer type families the way that some towns in the NW 'burbs or Naperville seem to, that's all I'm saying. My cousins are good guys -- they went the Rice, married girls from Mac and have decent income. They routinely tell me that their kids are going to face a different world. There are union electricians and other trades people on their blocks that are working on high rises in the south Loop -- once those are done there is likely to be a big lull in commercial construction.

It certainly is not going to turn into some god forsaken armpit with a corrupt pimp as mayor or anything close to it, but things are not as rosy as someplace where more people work in recession proof industries.

I like the town and if my life was a little different I might live in EP...

Last edited by chet everett; 04-28-2008 at 11:08 PM..
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Old 05-28-2008, 09:53 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChicagoGirl17 View Post
But I'm wondering, is it still like it was 15-20 years ago when he was growing up?

I grew up in EP in the 60's and 70's, moved away and moved back in the late 90's. It's not the same as it was. Here is why. There always was a lot of unreported crime, as EP keeps its bad news out of the Police Blotter. This was true when the Plaza was first built, in the 60's, and it's true today. The community is fractured, with many long time residents giving way to a new influx of people from all around the city and suburbs. They don't have the same history and don't care about the community. I work at home during the day and there are gang bangers walking the streets. These guys are not boy scouts. The taxes are high. You've got smaller houses and high taxes on those houses, not to mention high appraisals from last year. Here a for instance: 1300 sqft. living space, detached garage, and the taxes without home owners exemption is $5200. Most of it goes to the schools, and the schools are not turning out Einsteins. This makes the resale difficult, even if the market were not slow. The village government is non responsive to citizens, usually. I guess the taxes received from the horrible new Wal-mart is more important than the ordinary citizen. My advice: look elsewhere for Mayberry. It ain't here. I'm getting out as soon as I can, before taxes go up again.
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Old 05-28-2008, 10:06 AM
 
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While I don't doubt anything the above post says about EGP changing from the 70's I would argue that most parts of town are not scary at all. Those "gang bangers" are almost certainly bored wanna-be kids that are not pimpin' or dealin'.

The taxes are not tiny, but for selling price I bet they are in-line with things in Chicago. I'd bet the place with the $5200 tax bill would sell for about $275K...

The schools ought to do better, but again, in comparison to the low bar set by nearby CPS, the results are not dramatically different.
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Old 05-28-2008, 10:18 AM
 
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I'm not saying that parts are town are scary, but there are wanna- be GB's and the real deal bad guys. My brother in law is a cop. There's a lot of unreported stuff goes down. Also, the tax rates are not in line with city taxes and also taxes in the western or northern suburbs, based on sq ft vs rate. Check it out!
The OP wanted to know if Mayberry was still here. It ain't. And it's not likely to return -- if it was really ever here, which it wasn't.
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Old 05-28-2008, 10:23 AM
 
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sq ft is NOT part of the tax computation. Now if you want to make an APPEAL that your smaller house is over assessed compared to a larger one, sq ft is PART of the things that the appeal could be based on, but that bigger house ought to have MORE bedrooms & bathrooms, not just a more spacious dining room or the appeal won't succeed...
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Old 05-28-2008, 10:39 AM
 
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I've done the comparables. It's the same for all the houses around. I'm not saying I'm paying more than my neighbor; I'm saying it's more than other areas of the city and suburbs for a 3 bdrm 1.5 bath house with a similar square foot area. Look, every burb/neighborhood has it's warts. I've laid out a few. There are good things about EP, too. But paying really high taxes for schools for lousy results (and I went to the public school, too), while the police and fire departments have to beg, is just too bad. That's not isolated to EP, either. Like I said, the OP wanted to know if it was like it was. Well, it was never paradise, but it was okay. It's slid downhill in recent years, and it costs more to live here. What more can I say?
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Old 05-28-2008, 11:30 AM
 
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That is a different argument and one that is not unique to EP. Lots of towns are in the same boat, where the taxes are highish and the schools are not stellar. I think it is probably better in the long run to try and make the school perform, but I can completely understand wanting to move to an area where you get better value for your taxes.
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Old 11-12-2008, 12:21 AM
 
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I lived in Evergreen Park from 1988 until this past May. I'm now 24 years old. I'm sure it's still fine to raise young kids. I'd agree with those that say move in somewhere west of Kedzie, however I wouldn't consider it dangerous to move in east of Kedzie. The houses on the west side of town are nicer, as well as the parks.

If you are Catholic, Holy Redeemer is doing okay as a church, St. Bernadette on the east side of town is starting to struggle (as a grammar school at least).

I went to public school K-12 though and it was fine. After hearing about high school experiences other college friends had though I realized it definitely could have been better. These were other kids that went to public schools. Like anything it's what you get out of it. Most of the teachers there are good, but in regards to high level changes by the school, some occurred the last few years for the better, but the high school board at least still seems to have a small town mentality.

Mayor Sexton has done what he could the last couple years to improve the town in regards to new commercial development.

To continue with the school board thing and to respond to the person that said earlier that Evergreen Park is not Mayberry, well I have to politely disagree, or clarify at least. It's probably different for the new families moving there with kids, but for those that have been there a long time, there's a very small-town Mayberry feel. The reality is it's not Mayberry. The town is bordered on 3 sides by Chicago and it's changed a bit the last 10 years. I'll be comfortable visiting my parents and friends for several years, but unless there's improvements, I don't see myself moving back there when I get married and have kids several years down the road.
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