What's so bad about Bolingbrook IL? (Chicago, Rockford: low income, real estate, 2009)

[ManheimMadman]

Originally Posted by Incognito Mosquito

Like another poster said, it's all relative-- the worst parts of Bolingbrook are probably still better than the best parts of Maywood. So it's not terrible, it just ain't Naperville

That ought to be the tag-line for the suburban forum when considering places to live that are not the north-shore or Naperville.

It's not terrible, it just ain't Naperville.

That just about sums in up.

And hey, the Bolingbrook Jubilee and Romeofest aren't THAT bad. I was able to watch fireworks last night from our second story apartment here in Romeoville.

[Midrash]

Thanks to everyone for all the replies.

The school issue is really not on our radar too much, we have moved here from Australia and are looking to commit about another 8 to 10 years (we've almost been here for 2 years now) of our lives in Illinois for work purposes. As I've already mentioned, if we do have children, the elementary schools seem fine, and if we stay on for any longer, I guess a move in 10 years time to a better school district will be considered.

Well, anything could happen between now and then, I just know I'm getting sick of feeling confined and cramped up in apartment living.

Thanks again.

[Pebbs78]

As far as gangs/crime is concerned, you will find pockets of that in many Chicago suburbs. I lived in Palatine, which is considered a nice area, and we had a gang presence there. That sort of stuff happens, especially when you have the such an influx of people moving from Chicago to the burbs.

[cavewoman]

Bolingbrook is a great place to raise kids and get involved.
I spent 8 years there and love the Mayor who is still there. His daughter runs a program to help teenage kids.

Very integrated...in my eyes better planned and less gangs and crime than Naperville or Downersgrove.

[marmsy]

eh it is what it is. bolingbrook gets a bad rap like many places in this corridor but with the bad comes also a lot of good. the weber rd area of bolingbrook is decent (altho a tad cookie cutterish), the more western part of boughton is nice and the corridor running near i-355 is well enough.

coming from an area that borders on 'bad' myself, i find it laughable how outsiders label certain areas. if you like an area, feel comfortable with value for your home dollar you can not place too much stock in what outsiders tell you the value of something is. if you find something suitable for your family needs i say go for it. there is no point in outliving your income in naperville/geneva/barrington if you have a budget for bolingbrook/elgin.

[megs781]

I grew up in bolingbrook and I did just fine. The schools were good to me and my brother and my mother who was a teacher thought they were just fine and did a good job. It is not an upper class snobby community. People are generally friendly and it is very diverse. The park district is wonderful. I was involved in the Panther Sports Program from 3rd grade on and I made great friends through the program as did my parents. My brother was involved in the boys basketball program, which he enjoyed and learned a lot from. Many of the boys went on to play for the high school team. The so called "bad' part of Bolingbrook, RT.53 area is where I grew up. Right in the subdivision on 53 and Lee Lane and it is still many of the original homeowners that bought the homes 30 years ago, including my mother. I love Bolingbrook even more now that the new mall is there, lots of shopping and restaurants. I love the diversity of the community and the realness of the people. I don't know how much the schools have changed in the last 12 years since I graduated HS, but I went on to go to college and then obtain a masters degree and then post grad. education and my brother obtained a B.A and M.A in accounting from Bradley after graduating from BHS, and that was only 8 years ago. I currently live in Lemont and miss the diversity and wonderful park district of Bolingbrook. My husband and I are hoping to move out of Lemont and back to Bolingbrook. I would recommend it to anyone interested in living in a nice community with great shopping, park district and good priced housing for the money!

[bluemozez]

Most of the people who give Bolingbrook give a bad rep based on things they've heard from people who have heard from other people. I am a Bolingbrook resident and wouldn't live anywhere else in the immediate area. Bolingbrook reflects what the United States reflects.....a melting pot. I don't see a gang problem at all and feel safe even along the route 53 corridor. They are no longer building apartments in Bolingbrook....only homes for purchase. It's slowly becoming a more and more pricey place to live. If there are any rif-raff, the property taxes have got to be killing them and will eventually flush them out. I live on the western side of Bolingbrook west of Weber off of Hassert (111th St). If you want a nonbiased opinion....CNN Money Magazine placed Bolingbrook as the 32nd best small community to live in the Country. The ONLY city to place higher in the state was Naperville. Where does everybody else stay who thinks so negatively of Bolingbrook? Bolingbrook is on the move.....period. In years to come I'm going to laugh all the way to the bank as my value of my home goes up and up because I saw the vision of what this community has to offer now and for the future.

[At1WithNature]

the drop out rates and truancy problems are terrible for BHS. looks like 30% of hispanics drop out of high school and 26% of blacks drop out of BHS...geez, nice environment for the kids trying to learn.

[Chicagoland60426]

Originally Posted by noid_1985

lol Bolingbrook isn't bad but that's just my opinion. I equate bad to suburbs like Maywood, Cicero, Harvey, North Chicago. Those suburbs are bad economically as well as everything else. My brother and I visit my cousin often and joke about him living in Baldwin Hills ( a TV Show based on teens in an affluent black neighborhood of LA) but his family lives west of Weber Rd., not in the notouriously BAD part of Bolingbrook 53 & Lily Cache

Thank you for saying that. I find it laughable when some people on here consider Bolingbrook bad with gangs and crime. I from Harvey, and Bolingbrook is nowhere near economically bad as Harvey, Cicero, parts of Chicago Heights, Maywood, Ford Heights and other suburbs that got it worser than Bolingbrook. Bolingbrook don't know how lucky they are compare to other Chicago suburbs that have it worse. At least Bolingbrook have a mall/shopping area, while Harvey, Chicago Heights, Maywood, Cicero and other depressed suburbs don't have the things Bolingbrook have.

[TempesT68]

I've been searching also to locate a decent, affordable house, in a decent community myself and it has been a struggle. I've looked quite a bit into bolingbrook, mainly from the property prices and how much you get for the cost is really hard to overlook.
I get the same also everytime i mention bolingbrook "oh, yeah you don't what to live there" though i spoke for a while with a friend that lives in bolingbrook, and also did some driving around myself to get my own opinion.
From what i've been told and viewed myself bolingbrook is very diverse, and has a heavy black and hispanic presence there which may scare people away and/or give the impression it's a bad area, but people seem to interact well with eachother. I stopped by a couple bars late one night and everyone seemed to be mingling with everyone else, a more blue collar crowd but nothing "bad" by any means. I even drove around after the bars closed at about 2:30am and didn't feel unsafe at all. (i was around 355 and boughton, don't know if this is concetered the good or "bad" area)
Speaking to a realtor i got the same cringe and "ooo, yeah i don't know if you want to go there" to also tie in loosely with what bluemozez posted, from what i'm told the financial aspect the city is on a teetering point right now, with properties that are unbeatably priced, mainly from the huge foreclosure problem (thousands apparently) which may have pushed much of the "riff-raff" out, but now with how low the prices are it may bring more in. Also things like no train service, poor school district, and little downtown seem to be downsides also.
Apparently it's a coinflip right now if bolingbrook will become a much nicer city, or take a dive for the worse. Though the new promenade mall and new home construction is making things promising.
Pretty much to sum it up from what i've gathered IMO,
Positives:
Near unbeatable housing prices given the location - and that pretty much is the key (at least for me and most likely others looking into bolingbrook)
Good diversity
Many new and trendy shops
Promising future to give naperville a run for it's money

Negatives:
Uncertainty if the city will turn around for the better, or take a dive for the worse
The diversity may be a large deterrent to some buyers.
No metra train
Poor bolingbrook school district (mainly the highschool)
Property taxes high in comparison to the values of the houses.

Haha also to a few posts above my friend that lives in bolingbrook said the same thing that seems to sum up the city in one phrase, "Bolingbrook: It's not bad, but it ain't naperville"