Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois > Chicago Suburbs
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 02-23-2010, 05:04 PM
 
Location: West Palm Beach/Chicago
85 posts, read 397,348 times
Reputation: 42

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by potter View Post
Not sure, either HIspanics will continue to migrate here or they will have to try to persuade these white affluent yuppies to begin to move here. Only time will tell, but Elmwood Park does offer a large variety of brick homes with tons of character. Especially on the south end of town, where lovely ranches, english tudors, georgians, cape cods, and colonials line the streets with beautiful old and charming trees surrounding them.
I am white, recently moved from Chicago to EP. I love my neighborhood, it's very nice. I think it depends on where you live in EP. The south side of the tracks seems to be a bit nicer, if you ask me.

You are right, the homes have so much character - for the price/location, you can't beat it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-26-2011, 08:05 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,520 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by Avengerfire View Post
Too bad Horwath's on Harlem is not around anymore.

Rumour has it that there was a lease extension problem and they now run Mill Race Inn, Geneva
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-26-2011, 08:12 PM
 
Location: Chicago
4,085 posts, read 4,300,345 times
Reputation: 688
Quote:
Originally Posted by chitowngoose View Post
Rumour has it that there was a lease extension problem and they now run Mill Race Inn, Geneva
I looked it up. That place just closed too!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-27-2011, 01:06 AM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,705,069 times
Reputation: 29966
Quote:
Originally Posted by chitowngoose View Post
Rumour has it that there was a lease extension problem and they now run Mill Race Inn, Geneva
Mill Race is gone now too. When an 80-year institution closes its doors, you know it's bad out there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-27-2011, 09:37 AM
 
28,455 posts, read 84,928,817 times
Reputation: 18723
Default I categorically disagree, and the reasons for my disagreement point to why I hesitate to recommend home in EP or RG

Quote:
Originally Posted by Drover View Post
Mill Race is gone now too. When an 80-year institution closes its doors, you know it's bad out there.

I know Horwaths well, ate at the EP location many many times. The business was not just rumored to have "mod ties" but has figured in dozens of criminal investigations of organized crime.

When the real estate market was hot and the owners sold, it was largely becuase they did the economic analysis and realized the return on their type business in their location was not going to increase.

The boredom factor or desire to try and parlay their once robust following into a VERY different market in Geneva was not well thought out. Moving that far away they were not a respected long time business merely relocating BUT a fragile new business that faced more challenges than they imagined...

I have known several families that owned "classic" Chicago region restaurants in eastern DuPage -- Andy's Steakhouse, Sharko's, The Flame and others. The shifts in their client base and their OWN FAILURE TO MANAGE THEIR BUSINESS IN RESPONSE TO THESE CHANGES is what was their undoing. Right now you could go into an of number of LUEY restaurants and the menu is not tat different than what those places served. The difference is Melman delivers a total experience that clicks with his customers AT HIS TARGET PRICE POINT!!
When those other places closed the overall economic climate was only a tiny part -- their failure to adapt was a much bigger factor.

The "total experience" for home buyers at the price point of EP or RG is NOT GOOD -- from the layout of the towns, the transportation limitations, the housing options the schools, the isolation of the government leaders and the failure to acknowledge shifts in demographics / workforce I see too many sings that things will not move in a positive direction.

I know there are those who disgree with me, but I would ask even those to ask some simple questions -- have things in other towns be more or less stable in price, have market times been longer, has investor activity been weaker or stronger, have rental rates been solid?

I do think that many of these factors are outside the control of political leaders or current residents. My fear is that in trying to over use the controls they do have (like taxes and TIF based redevelopment efforts) the potential to push things in a direction that makes improvement even harder increases...

I don't know how bad things wil get in these towns but I have seen MANY towns over the years be "harder hit" or even move in directions opposite their neighbors when economic activity increases precisely because of the perverse lags built into political / governmental action vs that of private investors. From Elgin and Joilet and Bolingbrook to Cicero there're lots of models of how NOT to proceed...

Last edited by chet everett; 03-27-2011 at 09:50 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-27-2011, 05:57 PM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,705,069 times
Reputation: 29966
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett View Post
I know Horwaths well, ate at the EP location many many times. The business was not just rumored to have "mod ties" but has figured in dozens of criminal investigations of organized crime.

When the real estate market was hot and the owners sold, it was largely becuase they did the economic analysis and realized the return on their type business in their location was not going to increase.

The boredom factor or desire to try and parlay their once robust following into a VERY different market in Geneva was not well thought out. Moving that far away they were not a respected long time business merely relocating BUT a fragile new business that faced more challenges than they imagined...

I have known several families that owned "classic" Chicago region restaurants in eastern DuPage -- Andy's Steakhouse, Sharko's, The Flame and others. The shifts in their client base and their OWN FAILURE TO MANAGE THEIR BUSINESS IN RESPONSE TO THESE CHANGES is what was their undoing. Right now you could go into an of number of LUEY restaurants and the menu is not tat different than what those places served. The difference is Melman delivers a total experience that clicks with his customers AT HIS TARGET PRICE POINT!!
When those other places closed the overall economic climate was only a tiny part -- their failure to adapt was a much bigger factor.

The "total experience" for home buyers at the price point of EP or RG is NOT GOOD -- from the layout of the towns, the transportation limitations, the housing options the schools, the isolation of the government leaders and the failure to acknowledge shifts in demographics / workforce I see too many sings that things will not move in a positive direction.

I know there are those who disgree with me, but I would ask even those to ask some simple questions -- have things in other towns be more or less stable in price, have market times been longer, has investor activity been weaker or stronger, have rental rates been solid?

I do think that many of these factors are outside the control of political leaders or current residents. My fear is that in trying to over use the controls they do have (like taxes and TIF based redevelopment efforts) the potential to push things in a direction that makes improvement even harder increases...

I don't know how bad things wil get in these towns but I have seen MANY towns over the years be "harder hit" or even move in directions opposite their neighbors when economic activity increases precisely because of the perverse lags built into political / governmental action vs that of private investors. From Elgin and Joilet and Bolingbrook to Cicero there're lots of models of how NOT to proceed...
Uhm... what?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-27-2011, 06:06 PM
 
Location: Chicago
4,085 posts, read 4,300,345 times
Reputation: 688
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett View Post
The "total experience" for home buyers at the price point of EP or RG is NOT GOOD -- from the layout of the towns, the transportation limitations
Huh? There are plenty of transportation options (CTA,Pace,Metra) in and near Elmwood Park and to a less extent River Grove. Elmwood Park is almost like being in the city.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-27-2011, 07:55 PM
 
28,455 posts, read 84,928,817 times
Reputation: 18723
The "limitations" of transportation that I see in inner ring suburbs is not about having "pretty much the same public transit as Galewood" but rather the FACT that places like Galewood have LIMITATIONS on getting to employment centers that are worse than further out suburbs.

Other towns are just much better than this -- think about a couple where one has to get to the Loop or the Medical Center area and the other has to get to Oak Brook or Schaumburg. Wouldn't a town like LaGrange or Oak Park gave much shorter commutes for both?

My comments about the failure of restaurants being detached from the overall economy may have been a little circuitous, but honestly restuarants are among the most failure prone of all businesses in even the best of times. You wanna measure the economy by the success of either Kernel Fabyan's or Gene or Jude's or one of those little boutiques that sell designer dog food and cat toys that is some awfully tenous data not mater how long the previous incarnations seemed to click with an economy that has shifted dramatically... Who needs the Beige Book, just count how many bones are stacked up in the trash behind Russells? Puhlease!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-27-2011, 09:02 PM
 
Location: Chicago
4,085 posts, read 4,300,345 times
Reputation: 688
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett View Post
Other towns are just much better than this -- think about a couple where one has to get to the Loop or the Medical Center area and the other has to get to Oak Brook or Schaumburg. Wouldn't a town like LaGrange or Oak Park gave much shorter commutes for both?
Elmwood Park and Galewood are right next to Oak Park.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-27-2011, 09:06 PM
 
28,455 posts, read 84,928,817 times
Reputation: 18723
Default Well yes, and so to are Hillside, Westchester, Villa Park "right next to" Oak Brook...

Quote:
Originally Posted by tonythetuna View Post
Elmwood Park is right next to Oak Park.


Being adjacent to a desirable suburb is not the same as being IN IT.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois > Chicago Suburbs
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top