Elmwood park , What is happing to it? (Chicago, Oak Park: real estate, crime rates)

[Irishtom29]

The old criminals in Elmwood Park did their lawbreaking elsewhere.

[Humboldt1]

The poster who said Elmwood Park will be Berwyn in 10-20 years was spot on. I see more Hispanics than Blacks moving into that area.

It is like the joke that I know many of you have heard in different forms:

"What did the one cicada say to the other cicada?

Where did all these (fill in the blank) come from?"

As cicadas only come out every 17 years (maybe less time) you get the point.

It will be like that in any area that is changing. I was told this joke by a lady in reference to Melrose Park. She lives in Elmwood Park.

I don't care if those moving in are hispanic or black, so long as they are good people who respect their neighbors and are not into gangs. Unfortunately, many of those moving in are being pushed out of the city and are often Sec 8 recipients. Not a whole lot of good comes from a high concentration of Sec 8 tenants. Sorry if this is not PC, it is true.

Elmwood Park and River Grove are certainly better than Melrose Park and will remain so, but Elmwood Park will not be able to maintain its affluence such as its neighbors to the south River Forest and Oak Park as the housing stock just isn't there to price out the riff raff.

Instead, I see what was once a great suburb becoming a marginal suburb, like Berwyn. Sorry to those in Berywn, but I am not a fan of your town, though you are certainly much better than your neighbor Cicero.

[concerned resident]

According to Chicago Suntimes data, Elmwood Park has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the state. This is also another reason why the town will change for the worse. When a home that was purchased for $400,000 3 years ago sells for $250,000 in a short sale, this can easily result in lower income families moving in. If you look at the Elmwood Leaves that comes out weekly, they list the foreclosures in the back. 9 out of every 10 foreclosures listed in our area are Polish and Spanish names that I cannot even pronounce. So is diversity and change always really the best thing for us?

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

Instead, I see what was once a great suburb becoming a marginal suburb, like Berwyn. Sorry to those in Berywn, but I am not a fan of your town, though you are certainly much better than your neighbor Cicero.

So I guess you won't be coming back to Serenata again anytime soon, our annexed territory to the east FWIW, I wouldn't call Elmwood Park "great." We looked at houses there and thought Berwyn was a better choice even in Elmwood's apparent salad days of '02-03. As you point out, it's housing stock is nothing special and we felt Berwyn was better located in terms of City access. I guess time will tell what direction both of these suburbs will take.

[BJT83]

Originally Posted by concerned resident

So is diversity and change always really the best thing for us?

Who is "us"? White people? Homeowners? I'd love for you to clarify.

[concerned resident]

"US" refers to the homeowners of Elmwood Park who haved lived here for years-raising generation after generation of families there. US is the residents who have payed their mortgages and taxes on time every month, who keep our properties meticulous, who truly care what direction this town is headed.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

The poster who said Elmwood Park will be Berwyn in 10-20 years was spot on...

I think it will be more like Cicero or Humboldt Park.

[ndfmnlf]

"US" refers to the homeowners of Elmwood Park who haved lived here for years-raising generation after generation of families there. US is the residents who have payed their mortgages and taxes on time every month, who keep our properties meticulous, who truly care what direction this town is headed.

You have a static view of homeownership and social mobility. Today's renters may become tomorrow's homeowners. That has been the typical trajectory not only in Elmwood Park, but in the US in general. In more ways than one, that has been the American Dream.

Did you always own your home outright? You said you paid for your mortgage. That means you didn't own your home outright. Did you not benefit from the mortgage interest and property tax deduction, which is really nothing more than a subsidy given to you by the government you despise? How different is this subsidy from the subsidy the government gives to section 8 residents?

Your argument would only be valid if you paid for your house in cash from the get go. If you took out a mortgage, you are no different from everyone else who benefits from a government subsidy. So much for "conservatism".

Here's a thought experiment for you: what if some wealthy foreigners (Arabs, Chinese, Russians, Nigerians, take your pick) came to Elmwood Park and bought houses in cash? This is not totally impossible, given how low the US dollar has sunk and how flush with cash some emerging markets have become. These foreigners erect structures in Elmwood Park that reflect their ethnicities (they build mosques, open Chinese restaurants, whatever). They bring diversity to Elmwood Park. They are law-abiding people who pay taxes, own their homes outright, start businesses, and create jobs. Would you stay put in Elmwood Park? Or would you flee it anyway?

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

I think it will be more like Cicero or Humboldt Park.

That's ridiculous.

[Humboldt1]

I think Elmwood Park in the future will more closely resemble Berwyn, not a bad area, but certainly not one of the better areas.

NDF,

Just curious do you know anyone in Elmwood Park or are you just spouting off liberal ideals? We have people on here who just spout ideals to start arguments with no facts or life experience to back them up and they are called trolls. Regardless of my opinions, I am not a troll as I actually live on the west side of Chicago and have lived it, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Some of my former renters, who grew up in the projects of Chicago, will always stay renters. Their credit is crap because they don't pay their bills and even at 50 years old have not accepted responsibility for their actions, always blaming others. People like this will never become homeowners.

If foreigners move into Elmwood Park, you will not see white flight. It doesn't happen like that. There are different kinds of diversity. In my experience white flight generally happens when blacks move into a neighborhood, and to a lessor degree when hispanics move in. In Chicago, white and hispanics coexist much better than whites and blacks. If you don't believe me just look at the ethnic satellite maps and you can clearly see that hispanics serve as a buffer between black neighborhoods and white neighborhoods, with some exceptions such as Oak Park and perhaps Hyde Park. As I noted before, I have never heard of white flight due to an influx of Asians.