Orland Park to U of C via metra at Olympia (Chicago: crime, houses)

[rongoe]

I'm moving to Chicago burbs and will be working at U of C in Hyde Park. With 4 kids aged 3-11 good schools is a priority, but I'd like to keep the commute manageable (say around an hour). Problem is that Hyde Park is only easy to access from the Metra Electric line that serves the South suburbs. All the other areas require going into the loop and then transferring to a bus for another 30 minutes. Hence I'd like to use Metra Electric.

Many have suggested living in Flossmoor, and the housing stock looks nice there, but the schools don't look as strong as they once were. Furthermore, the percent of students that are white (in the high school) has been trending down by 3% or so every single year for the last decade or more. Is this a trend that one should be concerned about? The crime stats still look pretty good, but will that be true in 5-10 years?

Question 1: does Flossmoor's future look good, and are the schools as good as, say, Orland Park?

Given my concerns about Flossmoor, I'm considering Orland Park and driving to the Olympia Fields metra station (where parking is ample). Metra has a 22 minute express train to 59th street, which would be fast and pleasant with no stops at all.

Question 2: will the rush hour drive from Orland Park to the metra in Olympia Fields be smooth sailing? I suppose this might depend on where I would be in Orland Park.

Question 3: given my desire to have easy commute to Olympia Fields metra, where would you recommend I buy in Orland Park. I want Sandburg HS, and we'll be looking at the 500-650k range for houses.

Question 4: should I just take the Metra Electiric line all the way to University Park and live in Will county (Frankfort)? Are the schools good there? I noticed they devote much less $$ to teaching than do most of the other schools ($4500 or so, compared to an average around $7500 or more). It just seems SO far away.

I know this is asking a lot. Input on any 1 question would be greatly appreciated!

[ParkForester]

Hey rongoe

I take the Metra electric everyday but catch it at the Richton Park station.

I can tell you that by the time the train rolls into the Olympia Fields station you'll have a difficult time finding a seat. It's usually packed by then because there's already four stops before that one.

The rush hour drive from Orland to Olympia Fields is going to stink. It gets pretty crowded in Orland during that time. Also, think how the commute would be during the winter. Not too fun.

Frankfort is a far drive to Olympia Fields but I do know a lot of commuters who do it. I personally could never do it. Too far.

There's nothing wrong with Flossmoor. In fact, if I could I would buy a house there. It's a really beautiful, diverse neighborhood. It's weathered the storm that most of the south suburbs have gone through pretty well. And as far as I can tell Flossmoors schools are pretty decent. I know H-F high school is well regarded.

Another thing, you may want to look into Homewood as well. That is right along the Metral Electric line and is a decent neighborhood.

Hope that helps.

[sbd78]

Looking at a map, it looks like Frankfort may actually be closer to Olympia Fields than Orland Park. The Lincoln Way school district serves Frankfort and has a great reputation. You may also want to consider Tinley Park/Andrew High School district (same district as Sandburg) and also the areas of Tinley Park that fall in the Lincoln Way district. Orland Park looks a bit farther, but Orland is also a great family town. I think it really depends on where you are located in the towns you are considering. Homes in the East side of Frankfort and the South East sides of Tinley Park and Orland Park will probably be a bit closer to Olympia Fields.

[ParkForester]

Oh, and another thing to think about is price. A monthly train ticket for the Metra is a little pricey. For pricing info you can visit Metra - Welcome to Metra. You may want to factor that in along with gas prices.

[chet everett]

Tough choices. I would say that while "on paper" a long drive to Olympia Fields Metra station is possible the practical hassles of doing it day-to-day would be really unpleasant. There are no direct "traffic free" routes, lights and traffic could make you miss an express train and make the day unbearable.

If you like Flossmoor seem like it makes more sense to focus on living there -- the commute is much more manageable, schools should be similar in most ways. You want to see the 4 kids for a little bit of the day at least, don't you?

[Manigault]

I have a friend who is a tenured professor at the UofC. One of his kids graduated from UC Lab and one from H-F. He lives way out in Flossmoor, as do a number of the UofC employees. He ain't black by a long shot, either.

My question is what's wrong with a high school becoming blacker, everything else being equal? You may wanna ask yourself if you are ready to work in Hyde Park because that attitude will get you some odd looks.

[vester72]

If you are concerned about "white flight", Flossmoor is not the place for you - it transitioned very, very quickly to an almost majority black area. Test scores at H-F have been falling (factual) and based on second-hand knowledge, it is not what it was 10 years ago and is not making big strides back.

I would consider Frankfort - very, very quick drive to the Metra Electric - homes in Prestwick and along Laraway Road by 80th Ave are very nice and relatively speaking, affordable ($400k-$1mm+) with very good schools. Orland or even Mokena are also great areas.

And regarding Frankfort schools - the reason there has been less $$ allocated to teachers than other areas is due to construction of new schools and expansion of current schools. The schools are excellent - yes, I moved to Frankfort recently from the city for the schools and housing stock and commute to the city - easy commute to the Loop and even easier to Hyde Park.

[rongoe]

Originally Posted by Manigault

I have a friend who is a tenured professor at the UofC. One of his kids graduated from UC Lab and one from H-F. He lives way out in Flossmoor, as do a number of the UofC employees. He ain't black by a long shot, either.

My question is what's wrong with a high school becoming blacker, everything else being equal? You may wanna ask yourself if you are ready to work in Hyde Park because that attitude will get you some odd looks.

In essence, my question is "Is all else equal?" and can one expect all else (i.e., crime, school quality and safety, home appreciation) to stay equal over the next 5-10 years.

My interest in finding out whether Flossmoor differs from the typical white flight scenario indicates that race alone isn't an issue for me. Why would that attitude get me odd looks in HP?

[NYrules]

This is why I pretty much dropped out of this board. Too much of this "you're a racist crap" the second you mention that you want either a white area or black one. God WHO CARES! The OP wants to raise their kids in a white neighborhood. FINE! Good for them. God Bless. Heck I imagine that there are a heck of a lot of African Americans out there that would do the same thing and want to live with other African Americans. Its no big deal folks, calm down. Some people just feel more comfortable being with their own.

Ok, now onto the question at hand. If you want to surrounded by whites because of personal reasons of which I really don't care what they are, then NO, do not move into Floosmoor. Flossmoor is fine by all means and a great town, but is more and more becoming a little white island over there. Areas that surround the town have gone down hill badly over the past 20 years for one reason or another with the exception of Homewood.

Now, to get to Olympia Fields from "The OP" (nicknamed that after Fox's hit TV show "The OC" about a bunch of rich kids in Orange County much the way kids in Orland are) then you take Harlem down to 159th Street or down to I-80, shoot east to I-57 and then take that down to Rte 30, go east on 30 over to the train station. (I think thats the one you are wanting. The one up on the platform over 30 right?) To do this you are looking at a 30 min drive MAX!

My advice is scratch this whole idea of taking the train, bite the bullet and just drive over to U of C. Take 143rd/Midlo Turnpike or 159th east over to I-57, go north to either 63rd or 55th and you are there! To do this would take 40 min-50 min MAX. So ask yourself, which way is better? 30 min to drive to the train, pay to park use nearly the same in fuel to get over there (Olympia Fields), then you have another 30 min on the train.... or just walk out into your garage, get in your car, drive to U of C, park and within the hour you are there? Hmmmmmm I would have to go with the second on that one.

[rongoe]

Thanks for all the info.

I actually prefer a mixed racial setting, but a stable one. It's the trend that has me concerned about Flossmoor, not the current mix itself. Perhaps I should look at Oak Park/ River Forest, though my recollection is that crime is more of an issue there, being close to the city itself. Oak Park also doesn't seem to have an easy commute to U of C since the metra goes into the loop (and U of C is south), and the green El drops leaves you with a rather dangerous walk to the university.

I prefer to take the train so that my commute time isn't "dead time". I can read, even work, on the train, if I get a seat.

So, with good schools, easy commute, and affordable housing in an area with stable demographics being the priorities, I guess Frankfort is moving up the list. The inventory of homes in the 500-600's is huge there.

I think I may start another thread to get more details/opinions about Frankfort schools.