Is La Grange, IL racist?

[BRU67]

Neither can I The further outer burbs may be "safe" for the moment but do you honestly think there's some kind of invisible force field around these areas? Other than covert racism from those who "worked hard" to live in an all white area, there isn't. "Faces of color," as you say, are also heading to these areas. Latinos represent the fastest growing group in the Chicagoland area, by a mile and they are moving into almost every suburb now. The superficial benefits of low housing prices, a lot of space and low crime appeal to all.

Sooner or later, all suburbs will have substantial minority populations (except perhaps really pricey suburbs like Hinsdale and Lake Forest). And as the housing stock deteriorates -- and this won't take nearly as long in the out burbs as it did in the inner ring suburbs because of the lower quality housing stock -- they too will start suffering from "big city" problems. Maybe not now, but 10 years from now? Absolutely.

The best course is to be accepting of diversity and learn how to best integrate your community. You will be happier in the long run. Just my $.02 of course.

[skatealoneskatetogether]

Originally Posted by mdz

sorry skate, can't let this one slide

La Grange is NOT lower middle class. that would indicate to me near or below the median salary and they are way above that.

And "alot of locals resenting the faces of color" is way too much of a generalization.

And I don't think a lot of the people living in La Grange are envious of those living in Glen Ellyn or Downers Grove or even Naperville (very nice places, but so is LaGrange). The thing I like about Chicagoland is you really have choices where you can live, and some people prefer the further out burbs and other prefer other communities that are closer to the city and perhaps a bit more heterogenous.

Im sorry mdz i did not mean to offend you in anyway. When i think lower middle class, i think the true middle class, the majority of americans that fall into this category. its NOTHING to be ashamed of. its just when i think of upper middle class i think of places like barrington,vernon hills, lincolnshire or north glen ellyn.

[skatealoneskatetogether]

its just there are certain area's of lagrange that are not that desirable..i was making the observation that lagranges glory days are gone. bigger and better suburbs have sprawled out further. personally have nothing against anyone people of "color" or not. i welcome change, especially in the chicago area i think its long over due considering how major of a metro area it is.

[mdz]

Skate: There was no offense taken (and I don't live there anyway), so no worries.

But here's the median salary in these burbs (as per city-data)

La Grange: 85,600
Vernon Hills: 73,200
Naperville: 93,338
Glen Ellyn: 77,800
Barrington: 88,600
Lincolnshire: OK, that's way high

IL average is 50K

IMHO, not much difference there at all. And the median is up in LaGrange since 2000.

Again, we'll disagree on this I suppose, but there is a nice core of near-Chicago burbs that are NOT in decline--and I think LaGrange fits that bill.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by mdz

Again, we'll disagree on this I suppose, but there is a nice core of near-Chicago burbs that are NOT in decline--and I think LaGrange fits that bill.

I think you're right on that, and also think that the inner-ring suburbs will become more desirable as time goes on. I just can't see these hour-long commutes and generic tract homes maintaining their appeal for very long -- especially once their demographics start changing to more accurately reflect the rest of Chicagoland.

[Chicago Chef]

LaGrange is definitely not lower middle class. There may be some rough spots off Bluff and East avenues but it's more upper middle class than anything else. The home my parents bought there in 1970 for 33,000 dollars sold in 1989 for 278,000 dollars. That house, for sale now by the doctor who owns it, is priced at 690,000 dollars. Amazing! Crime is low for a town it's size and the people are quite friendly. I have never seen or heard of any problems with 'race' there. The location is great for shopping, raising your family and commuting to Chicago via train or I-55. If you can afford to live there I say go for it.

[pandabear]

La Grange has some tiny homes.

[lpny]

Wow. Get over yourself, Skate. Everyone is entitled to an opinion about what he or she values in a community, but your comments about La Grange are too far off base to be ignored. I don't live in La Grange, but I know it well, and I don't think it's possible for a person to paint it as you have without having an ulterior motive.

All this nonsense about moving on to bigger, better (and safer???) suburbs, the long lost glory days of the 70s and the idea that people choose to live in a town because it's the best they can manage...is all...well...preposterous.

The 70s is often seen as the low point for La Grange prior to the revitalization of its vibrant business district, and most would say it's never been better. People live in La Grange because they choose to—because they want to raise there families there. They're not fleeing anything, and they're not settling for anything. Just as you can't imagine living in La Grange, my guess is that most La Grange residents would probably see your bigger, better community as an undesirable alternative.

I did get a kick out your posts though. You may be the first person to ever use the word "sprawl" in a positive light.