Monee for a "foreigner" - how to survive and thrive? (Chicago: rental car, transplants)

[LaFemmeBarbara]

Green Acres here: this city woman (formerly of the south suburbs but a Bostonian for the last several decades) is marrying a country boy through and through. It was a testiment to love that he agreed to meet me in New York City over Thanksgiving, as he truly hates crowds and noise and combustion that gives me a reason to live.

My present area is my dream: urban conveniences combined with a treasured arboretum on the other side of the street. I have ditched my car long ago, happily take public transportation nearly everywhere, and rarely rent a car for an hour or three for errands. When in Illinois I founded a fine art fair, and continued in Boston with volunteering to facilitate every kind of arts and musical events imaginable. In fact, I have already decided to host an in-house concert/potluck/fellowship monthly once I get my feet on the ground. Politics is in my blood and I have managed successful campaigns as well as volunteered on the revered (in Massachusetts) senior Senator's election bid. Why he has even invited me to his home a few times. I've been spoiled by opportunities inherent in city living to network and meet nearly all of my heros.

So basically, I will be considered a freak in Monee. I move too fast, wear black too much, multi-task beyond belief and still believe in community. Where/what/how can I go/create/nurture to keep my creative juices flowing? I want to make treasured relationships with people, but am afraid I will be judged. It would be a bad foot to start out a new marriage on if I am miserable.

Ideas please? Pretty please?

[Mamama Mia]

Monee is definitely a farm country, but the good news is that you are 40 miles directly south of Chicago and about 15 minutes from a Metra train that will take you there.
Until about the last 10 years, Monee was definitely Mayberry, but urban sprawl has changed that and there are now areas with mini-mansions, in addition to horse farms (think Southfork on Dallas) and small subdivisions. Many of the residents, like you, are transplants.
Governors State University has a concert series and a beautiful sculpture park and opportunities to volunteer. Iron Oaks in Flossmoor and Plum Creek, in Crete are both wonderful nature centers who would welcome additional volunteers and have classes that are well-run and informative. There is a very active Woman's Club, just north in Crete, with a Great Decisions Group (the Foreign Policy Association), Book Clubs, sponsor a Garden Walk, manage a food pantry, etc. One of their members (and a good friend of mine) was recently elected to the US Congress. And - don't tell anyone - I hear they wear black.

[soulful]

OP. You may want to consider posting this in the Chicago suburban forum. Most of us city folks aren't too Monee savvy. I think you will get good feedback in that forum.

[chet everett]

I would also add that in general the folks that donate time to things like hospitals and healthcare tend to be considered less a freak than folks than get involved in politics in Illinois, where the , dare I say it, "taint" of self interet is too often linked to actual crime (RE: our last governor and our current one as well...)

[IloveLoganSquare]

Wait is that near the Old Joliet Munitions Park?

Originally Posted by Mamama Mia

Monee is definitely a farm country, but the good news is that you are 40 miles directly south of Chicago and about 15 minutes from a Metra train that will take you there.
Until about the last 10 years, Monee was definitely Mayberry, but urban sprawl has changed that and there are now areas with mini-mansions, in addition to horse farms (think Southfork on Dallas) and small subdivisions. Many of the residents, like you, are transplants.
Governors State University has a concert series and a beautiful sculpture park and opportunities to volunteer. Iron Oaks in Flossmoor and Plum Creek, in Crete are both wonderful nature centers who would welcome additional volunteers and have classes that are well-run and informative. There is a very active Woman's Club, just north in Crete, with a Great Decisions Group (the Foreign Policy Association), Book Clubs, sponsor a Garden Walk, manage a food pantry, etc. One of their members (and a good friend of mine) was recently elected to the US Congress. And - don't tell anyone - I hear they wear black.

[Mamama Mia]

Originally Posted by IloveLoganSquare

Wait is that near the Old Joliet Munitions Park?

I'm not sure where that is located, but from Monee, you would pass through Manhattan if you travel west toward Joliet. Monee is south west of Crete, south east of Frankfort.

[chet everett]

Monee is further east, though Arsenal Rd does turn into Manhattant-Monee Road:
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=o...75502&t=h&z=12
Joliet Army Ammunition Plant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[meatpuff]

Originally Posted by LaFemmeBarbara

So basically, I will be considered a freak in Monee. I move too fast, wear black too much, multi-task beyond belief and still believe in community. Where/what/how can I go/create/nurture to keep my creative juices flowing? I want to make treasured relationships with people, but am afraid I will be judged. It would be a bad foot to start out a new marriage on if I am miserable.

Ideas please? Pretty please?

I pass through Monee somewhat regularly.

It definitely was a small town and/or truck stop town until ten years ago or so. Then some of the sprawl started to hit it and it's taken on a suburban/exurban character today.

It is still an outpost of the suburbs, it is only the tip of a finger of suburban area that has grown down I-57. So the surrounding area is largely farmland, with the only consistently and continuously built up area to the north (up I-57 and IL-50).

There's some minor commercial development along IL-50 that I think is the "downtown", but almost ten years ago the strip along Monee-Manhattan Road at the highway exit surpassed it as the main commercial area. Not that there's too much; a liquor store, a few fast foods, a few sit-down restaurants, a motel, some truckstops.

There is some actual tract, "subruban-style" housing around the highway exit and maybe some other places, but I think much of the population and most of the current growth is in exurban housing. That is to say big, fancy houses on big lots spread out thinly on country roads all around there. It is similar in this way to Frankfort to the northwest, while you have more traditional subrubs to the north and Crete to the east and north, and farmland in pretty much every other direction. There's no question it's mostly a commuter town which sprung up mostly because of I-57 access. The Metra in neighboring Manhattan is definitely a big plus added in the last few years (about 15 min away and I presume what mamama is referring to), although keep in mind that line runs only on weekdays and mainly during rush hour. A better bet is the Metra Electric line which is about 5 min away and runs seven days a week at all hours to the heart of the Loop.

You generally are not going to run into movers and shakers in Monee, just ordinary workers looking for more safety and space for their housing dollar. Mamama does a better job than I could describing the social groups/activities in neighboring towns, especially Crete. I concur that the Crete Women's Club is active and worth checking into. I suspect Mamama probably knew my grandmother when she was a part of it.

Be aware that the area will change completely when/if the third Chicago airport is built adjacent to Monee. Property values are already elevated by speculators anticipating the airport, but expect them to go up further if/when it becomes a sure thing. As I mentioned, this will cause the area to change completely, with all the new hotels, rental car places, highways and housing that will have to be built to support the thing. Whether this will be good for Monee is a matter of personal opinion, but there's no doubt it will bring new jobs and affluence to Monee and the much of the south suburbs.

[Lookout Kid]

Why not just live in a more urbanized area next door to a Forest Preserve or something? La Grange Park and Western Springs cradle a nice wooded preserve with walking trails, but have great train access to the city. As a person somewhat similar to how you described yourself, I would shoot myself if I lived in Monee.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Why not just live in a more urbanized area next door to a Forest Preserve or something? La Grange Park and Western Springs cradle a nice wooded preserve with walking trails, but have great train access to the city. As a person somewhat similar to how you described yourself, I would shoot myself if I lived in Monee.

You mean in a "deliberate attempt at suicide" sort of way and not in a "I have no idea why I'm actually going hunting but all the neighbors seem to be in to it" sort of way I presume