Moving From the UK to Chicago (Naperville, Orland Park: crime rates, townhomes, luxury)

[At1WithNature]

Originally Posted by sbd78

Yes, there was one horrible incident there last Feb. Nothing had happened there in years before that and nothing has happened since, I would say it was an isolated incident. I guess Palatine is a horrible place to live because of the Browns Chicken murders, which was also an isolated incident. I just heard on the news there is a hostage situation in Wheaton right now, I guess Wheaton is dangerous, right? The reason the Lane Bryant murders got so much attention is because Tinley Park is a safe place, the kind of place you think nothing like that can happen. It can happen anywhere, including the North and West suburbs.

And it has, Palatine! but the point remains that Tinley Park borders poor suburbs, to the East (where all the crime is), whose influence continues to spread their tentacles into the ever growing Tinley Park.

[At1WithNature]

Originally Posted by skyeINIL

I'm fortunate enough to live in a home that we own, drive a car, have food, and be able to live in a safe town. That's all I need. I post on here for fun and to learn things about my hometown and occasionally have healthy debates, not be "owned" or argue with narrow-minded people.

Oh that's right, Crete is mostly white, so in your book that makes it A-OK.

Race is in the mind of the racist.

i gave hard stats that you can't deny so you revert to personal attacks...obviously I have won this argument but it was easily won in the first place.

[skyeINIL]

I gave "hard stats" as well. You take them one way, I take them another. That makes both of us people with opinions.

I will be the first to admit that I have problems with prejudice against both whites and blacks. I don't hide behind code words and trite phrases to say what I mean. I believe the reason that all of the southeastern suburbs are viewed as unlivable is because of race.

Why is Crete such a "fine place to live" when its surrounded by "poor suburbs" like University Park, Chicago Heights, and Sauk Village?

Oh, and nice one slipping Maywood into those crime rates. That's in the western suburbs.

[Lookout Kid]

Mokena and Crete are barely suburbs. Of course a cow-town with a few new subdivisions is going to have a low crime rate! Those towns are in the middle of nowhere, whereas Sky's suburbs are part of a continuous urbanized area.

I'm with Sky in this argument. I'm tired of people just writing off towns because of demographics, especially when the statistics show these towns to be safe. As a comparison, these mostly white towns aren't that far off in terms of crime indices:

Skokie: 187
Oak Brook: 314
Schauburg: 240

[At1WithNature]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Mokena and Crete are barely suburbs. Of course a cow-town with a few new subdivisions is going to have a low crime rate! Those towns are in the middle of nowhere, whereas Sky's suburbs are part of a continuous urbanized area.

I'm with Sky in this argument. I'm tired of people just writing off towns because of demographics, especially when the statistics show these towns to be safe. As a comparison, these mostly white towns aren't that far off in terms of crime indices:

You obviously haven't seen Mokena lately. It is bustling with businesses including hot clubs that B96 goes to called "The Colosseum" and "Capone's." Not to mention Triple Threat Sports that has commercials during White Sox games. 191st and LaGrange is Mokena and that area is bustling! It is directly south of Orland Park, how could it not be??? Also, the area of Mokena at Rt. 30 and Wolf Rd. is bustling as well with tons of big box retailers moving in. This area of Mokena borders New Lenox and Frankfort.

The fact that Chicago radio stations and official White Sox sponsors have direct ties to Mokena, IL proves that it is more than a "cow town." It's Orland Park's neighbor, and Tinley Park's too...that's all you need to know. It has a Metra station for Goodness sake!

CHECK IT OUT:

http://www.colosseumcomplex.com/colo...x/default.aspx

[skyeINIL]

OMG! You've got me convinced. B96 goes to Mokena! Let me put my "for sale" sign up now.


Wow. 500 posts. Congratulations to me.

[skyeINIL]

Originally Posted by At1WithNature

You obviously haven't seen Mokena lately. It is bustling with businesses including hot clubs that B96 goes to called "The Coliseum" and "Capone's." Not to mention Triple Threat Sports that has commercials during White Sox games. 191st and LaGrange is Mokena and that area is bustling! It is directly south of Orland Park, how could it not be??? Also, the area of Mokena at Rt. 30 and Wolf Rd. is bustling as well with tons of big box retailers moving. This area of Mokena borders New Lenox and Frankfort.

Can I ask, where do you live?

[At1WithNature]

Congrats on 500 posts!

[pjani]

Hi. I'm planning to spend a year in St Charles (also from the UK) and have a daughter aged 6. How are the local schools there and does anyone have pointers around difficulties with admissions halfway through the school year.

Any information you have would be really appreciated.

Cheers.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by At1WithNature

You obviously haven't seen Mokena lately.

Hah! Why would anyone who didn't live there go there on purpose? My last visit to Mokena was to look at some concrete on a construction site, and it was a real blast.

As a rule, suburban crime lags new-home construction by a couple of decades. Many upper and middle-class Americans refuse to live in anything that isn't new construction, so, like parasites, they infest a new cornfield, build ugly ticky-tacky houses, and move on to another cornfield before it's time to replace the carpet. Younger people and lower-wage earners then move in, and the once pristine suburb gets swallowed by the sprawl blob. Now the once distant and pristine suburb is part of the larger suburban milieu, and traffic increases, along with outsiders from all surrounding towns. The new big box stores also draw people in from all around. Cheaper housing (relative to new homes) and urbanization help the crime rates increase, but if the schools are decent they level off somwhere in the 200-300 index range.