Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn...Diversity AND Safety...too much to ask? (Chicago: section 8, townhouses)

[mrscmb]

Hello Everyone,

I've read several posts here and I love this forum of open speech and communication...so here goes, my first post:

I currently live in Hillside.
I would say the town is probably 40% African American (of which I identify), 30% Latino, and 30% White or maybe my numbers are off a bit...but overall I feel safe here. My family and I ride the Prairie Path on summer nights late into the evening but we ride it towards to West into Elmhurst, Lombard, Glen Ellyn, etc.

We are looking to move because we have an 11 and 6 year old. The 11 year old will be ready for 6th grade next year and looking ahead, Proviso West isn't my favorite choice, neither is paying for St. Joseph's. So we are trying to move further West. My husband works in Schaumburg so I don't want to stress his commute any further.

I don't want our children to feel like they are the only Black/African American child in their respective classes. I love the shops, entertainment, and home feeling of community in Elmhurst...our dentistry is in Glen Ellyn...we frequent the Hinsdale Library, but truth be told, our home budget (3 bedrooms) is $260K which isn't going to buy us a shack in most of the areas where we frequent. And even so are they diverse enough so my kids are 2 of 20 African American kids in the whole school.

THE QUESTION: Where can I go that is safe, with decent schools (they don't have to be #1s, but I don't want Police Stations permanently inside the school or Section 8 housing nearby), that is affordable, and diverse enough to not have the "record scratch" when we walk into an establishment. "Record scratch" meaning, all heads turn for a few moments of silence and then most resume their original activities.

Oh, and please don't say Oak Park. My in-laws are there and for our dollar, we can only get the old shacks that need fixing up. Basically, I wondering will my children feel ostracized in the suburbs and are more to the West of Hillside.

Thanks Everyone.

[fusillirob1983]

Villa Park and Lombard potentially meet what you're looking for. I don't think it's a significant African American population but it's definitely more than Elmhurst or Glen Ellyn. These towns feed into Glenbard East and Willowbrook which are not top schools but supposedly decent. They are both fairly diverse high schools as there are Asian and Hispanic populations, too. I can't speak to your "record scratch" comment as I'm not a minority, so I've never experienced that myself.


Some elementary schools get rated better than others, so keep that in mind if that is a concern.

[BIG CATS]

Batavia, IL would be another suggestion.

[damba]

Originally Posted by mrscmb

Hello Everyone,

I've read several posts here and I love this forum of open speech and communication...so here goes, my first post:

I currently live in Hillside.
I would say the town is probably 40% African American (of which I identify), 30% Latino, and 30% White or maybe my numbers are off a bit...but overall I feel safe here. My family and I ride the Prairie Path on summer nights late into the evening but we ride it towards to West into Elmhurst, Lombard, Glen Ellyn, etc.

We are looking to move because we have an 11 and 6 year old. The 11 year old will be ready for 6th grade next year and looking ahead, Proviso West isn't my favorite choice, neither is paying for St. Joseph's. So we are trying to move further West. My husband works in Schaumburg so I don't want to stress his commute any further.

I don't want our children to feel like they are the only Black/African American child in their respective classes. I love the shops, entertainment, and home feeling of community in Elmhurst...our dentistry is in Glen Ellyn...we frequent the Hinsdale Library, but truth be told, our home budget (3 bedrooms) is $260K which isn't going to buy us a shack in most of the areas where we frequent. And even so are they diverse enough so my kids are 2 of 20 African American kids in the whole school.

THE QUESTION: Where can I go that is safe, with decent schools (they don't have to be #1s, but I don't want Police Stations permanently inside the school or Section 8 housing nearby), that is affordable, and diverse enough to not have the "record scratch" when we walk into an establishment. "Record scratch" meaning, all heads turn for a few moments of silence and then most resume their original activities.

Oh, and please don't say Oak Park. My in-laws are there and for our dollar, we can only get the old shacks that need fixing up. Basically, I wondering will my children feel ostracized in the suburbs and are more to the West of Hillside.

Thanks Everyone.

In all honesty, it's unfortunately hard to find what you are looking for in Chicago without a higher price point or longer commute. The demographics of suburbs as you move further west will only seem similar ;(

If a longer commute would be doable (~45 min), how about areas west of Evanston in Skokie or Morton Grove? Good schools and some homes in that price range that might not need a huge amount of work.
I know it's far from where you are now, but it would in no way be a 'record scratch' for your family.

[nikitakolata]

I was also going to suggest Villa Park, Lombard or Glendale Heights. I went to elementary and middle school in the Glendale Heights district that feeds into Glenbard East. We moved right before I started high school but I kept in touch with several friends and they had fine experiences there. Most of the kids I was friends with in middle school ended up going to the same university as me (UIUC), actually.

I don't think any of those towns would be a bad commute to Schaumburg. What about Schaumburg itself? Or Roselle?

[damba]

That’s one difficulty when discussing schools. One person’s experience can be quite different than someone else’s. The OP’s task is somewhat complicated since it involves both price point/school quality and overall ‘culture’.

[ToriaT]

That is a very difficult price point to work with for a house.

Villa Park is probably your best bet. There are some homes in that price range. Its right next to Elmhurst. Its one of the "budget options" for DuPage County.

https://www.redfin.com/IL/Villa-Park.../home/18111691
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Villa-Park.../home/18109890
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Villa-Park.../home/18112039

[nikitakolata]

Originally Posted by damba

That’s one difficulty when discussing schools. One person’s experience can be quite different than someone else’s. The OP’s task is somewhat complicated since it involves both price point/school quality and overall ‘culture’.

Definitely. I just know that there was a ton more diversity in the school district I went to in Glendale Heights than there was in St. Charles. I still remember walking into the freshman orientation in St. Charles and I was shocked at how white it was. There were maybe 20 non-white people in my class of 750. Glendale Heights was extremely different and an African American family didn't stand out at all there.

Edited to add - There are some decent townhouses in Bloomingdale that could maybe work for the OP. These, unfortunately, have pretty much zero curb appeal, but they are nice inside:

https://www.redfin.com/IL/Bloomingda.../home/18185884
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Bloomingda.../home/18185046
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Bloomingda.../home/18186064

[doodlemagic]

I also agree with Villa Park. Dupage County for the most part isn't a bastion of diversity, but Villa Park is probably the best option. Great access to expressways and roadways for your husbands commute.

In terms of diversity not a huge black population but 4% black, 5% asian and 23% hispanic so there is a bit more diversity than most burbs. Housing stock is nice and has some character, alot of beautiful older houses.

Schools are not the best in Illinois but are fine safe schools.

[userius]

Can't speak for your own woes in that regard since I'm not black, but those areas aren't much less diverse than far NW suburbs like Crystal Lake or McHenry, and I don't notice anyone "sticking out" even in those areas.