Moving To Joliet/Plainfield ? (Chicago, Naperville: city hall, lawyers, house)

[isevilla]

Originally Posted by KCWKEN

If you're worried about schools, I've found an excellent website at www.greatschools.net that rates schools based on the %age of kids scoring at or above the state average on standardized tests and also gives information on demographics such as %age of kids considered "low income" etc. and has a place where you can read parent reviews of the schools. I've found it to be extremely helpful, and probably would have helped folks like Isevilla pick the right school district for them.

Thank you for your response and i will definately bookmark that site and take a look at it.

[Mono]

Can we get IMUS's view on this issue??????????

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by isevilla

I did check out the school and according to their web site it stated it was 25% white, 25% black, and 25% other so i was like oh ok its pretty mixed up so maybe it would be ok for the kids to be around kids from different cultures. Well it turned out to be inaccurate and also it failed to mention that the district for this school is very large and thats why kids from farther over east get bused in.

Well I do have to say that my kids are adjusting well and have no problems with the kids so that is a good thing.

I am still feeling out the neighborhood and talking to neighbors etc and so far its ok. Its just not what I am used to and that is upper middle class suburban areas. Who knows it may be a place that we will grow into and then again it may not. I always have the option to sell and buy somewhere else if it doesnt work out. I am however willing to give it a chance.

To answer your question: Preppy blacks are black people who are upper middle class or what others would call "white washed".

And just to make a point: There are bad people of all races and there are good people in all races. It doesnt matter what race you are its how you live and what you accomplish in life.

Not to chastise you because I'm sure you feel bad enough as it is but this is why you really have to research an area before moving there. This isn't a race issue but, rather, a class issue that you're experiencing. I consider myself to be progressive but I would never allow my kids to attend a predominantly low income school. Most obviously, the education quality will be lower, which means that they will be at a competitive disadvantage compared to their peers when college rolls around (assuming they even want to go to college at that point). And, as you picked up on, they will be resented, tormented and possibly physically injured by the other kids. They will also pick up the value system of their classmates. An anti-intellectualism tends to prevail among those groups, as well as other negative characteristics which you probably don't want your kids co-opting. I don't want to sound elitist here but certain realities about the lower demographics cannot be denied. What's done is done but, once you have kids, where you want to live and where you can live are often two different places.

[alm71]

High crime, and on the rise due to HUD relocations of Section 8 (welfare) people from Chicago. Schools are terrible, almost noone has beyond a high school education here, and even they will strike you as less. The high school here has a teenage pregnancy rate that makes you wonder if they have books or dirty mags in the classroom. Complacency born and bred in Joliet. Nowhere to shop, only one half decent mall - which incidentally is located in just about the only area that is kinda nice.

I am from Chicago (Lincoln Park) and came here for a job - ugghhhh.
Try Naperville, Lombard, Skorewood is OK. Be wary of Joliet and Lockport.

[law1013]

Originally Posted by isevilla

I did check out the school and according to their web site it stated it was 25% white, 25% black, and 25% other so i was like oh ok its pretty mixed up so maybe it would be ok for the kids to be around kids from different cultures. Well it turned out to be inaccurate and also it failed to mention that the district for this school is very large and thats why kids from farther over east get bused in.

Well I do have to say that my kids are adjusting well and have no problems with the kids so that is a good thing.

I am still feeling out the neighborhood and talking to neighbors etc and so far its ok. Its just not what I am used to and that is upper middle class suburban areas. Who knows it may be a place that we will grow into and then again it may not. I always have the option to sell and buy somewhere else if it doesnt work out. I am however willing to give it a chance.

To answer your question: Preppy blacks are black people who are upper middle class or what others would call "white washed".

And just to make a point: There are bad people of all races and there are good people in all races. It doesnt matter what race you are its how you live and what you accomplish in life.

Good luck Isevilla! I hope it all comes together, and everything works out for you and your family. Take care!

[isevilla]

Thank you all for your replies and i have to say that i agree with them all.

As far as we go so far its ok. The kids are meeting some kids around here and the new friends are ok. We have already had some problems with some kids and I had to pay a visit to a kids house and talk to parents already. This has happened in our old neighborhood as well and once the friends realize that they cant behave badly around our house or in our house they change. Hopefully thats the case around here too!

As far as the school goes i have a meeting next week with the principal, social workers, etc to see how my kids are doing and how the school is doing with them. We will see what happens with that.

Im beginning to like the overall area but more so over by shorewood and plainfield as thats where i go to shop. I dont do much over on this side of joliet as it leaves me a very uneasy.

We are more than likely only going to stay here for a couple of years as we remodel and build some equity and then we will be out of here for sure.

Again thanks to everyone for their insightful replies!

Is.

[sbd78]

If you move to Joliet, I would make sure you are NOT in Joliet's school district. The very far west side of Joliet is very nice and much of it is not in Joliet's school district. Joliet schools rank very poorly and have a high percentage of low income students. We are currently building a new home in Joliet's far west side. (I believe it is land that Joliet annexed in, it is actually west of Shorewood and just South of Plainfield, not near the city of Joliet.) We will be in Minooka schools, which are excellent. Other parts of far west Joliet are in Plainfield schools, which are also excellent. Parts of far west Joliet are in Troy (Shorewood) elementary schools which are good but Troy schools go to Joliet for high school so you have to be careful about that. (Although maybe as Shorewood grows they will build their own high school, but for now, Joliet.) But far west Joliet is nice, new, growing rapidly and a world apart from the city of Joliet which doesn't have the best reputation. As long as you stay in this part of Joliet and out of Joliet schools, you should be happy.

[isevilla]

Originally Posted by sbd78

If you move to Joliet, I would make sure you are NOT in Joliet's school district. The very far west side of Joliet is very nice and much of it is not in Joliet's school district. Joliet schools rank very poorly and have a high percentage of low income students. We are currently building a new home in Joliet's far west side. (I believe it is land that Joliet annexed in, it is actually west of Shorewood and just South of Plainfield, not near the city of Joliet.) We will be in Minooka schools, which are excellent. Other parts of far west Joliet are in Plainfield schools, which are also excellent. Parts of far west Joliet are in Troy (Shorewood) elementary schools which are good but Troy schools go to Joliet for high school so you have to be careful about that. (Although maybe as Shorewood grows they will build their own high school, but for now, Joliet.) But far west Joliet is nice, new, growing rapidly and a world apart from the city of Joliet which doesn't have the best reputation. As long as you stay in this part of Joliet and out of Joliet schools, you should be happy.

Please see my previous post as I have already moved into the joliet area.

Now as far as the schools go...

The joliet school system is horrible. Their test scores for this past year were scary. The low income ratio is higher this year than last its close to 80%. I dont know what I am going to do about my kids this school year. I have tried to transfer them out to other schools in the troy district but they wont take them cause theyre not in the district. I may have to just move or fight with the school board to get them out of the joliet 86 school district.

You know its really sad that we pay so much for home taxes etc and the city cant get decent schools going. I am so close to the troy district and no one will do anything for my kids.

I guess its time to move already only after 5 months of being here. I totally do not recommend moving anywhere east of Essington Street in the Joliet area.

Is.

[sbd78]

I've never priced out private schools, but maybe you could look into that? I assume they are pricey, but moving is pricey too and with the housing market not the best at the moment, maybe it would be better to send your kids to private schools for a few years until the housing market picks up and you build some equity on your home and can move to a better school district? I agree that it stinks to pay such high taxes and not have good schools.

[Steve-o]

I just read on the General Board that Plainfield is in the top 5 fastest growing suburbs in the USA, if thats important to anyone...