Turnaround for South Chicagoland (Chicago Heights, Harvey: new home, buyers, public schools)

[Opkl]

Originally Posted by Opkl

If I was by myself, maybe. Those new homes between Cicero/I-57/183rd/Flossmore Rd are nice. Then again if I was by myself I wouldn't need so much space. The rest of the Hillz (CCH) is too old.(70's homes) I hate areas with a lot of trees. So my answer is no.

I would move to Matteson though.

[deechee]

Maybe I should just give up and stop defending this town no one likes.

I thought maybe I could spread some cheer to this forum and help attract people to S Chicagoland....oh well.

[Opkl]

Originally Posted by deechee

Maybe I should just give up and stop defending this town no one likes.

I thought maybe I could spread some cheer to this forum and help attract people to S Chicagoland....oh well.

Me, Chicagoland60426, SkyeINIL, and a few others have been doing that for months. It didn't work - been there, done that and moved on.

[prairiestate]

Honestly, I have always loved the far south suburbs. Homewood feels more like a small town downstate then a suburb. Matteson is a very pleasant community with far less congestion then most suburbs that have a major shopping center. Downtown Chicago Heights is kind of scary, but has some beautiful architecture that harks back to it's glory days as a city largely independent from Chicago. There's tons of open space throughout the area.

However, the problems in the south suburbs are rather overwhelming. High crime in several communities like Harvey, Chicago Heights and Riverdale. CCH, Matteson and other towns are not exactly dangerous, but have noticeably more violent crime then the typical suburb.

There are a staggering number of vacant storefronts throughout the south 'burbs. Some have been vacant for 20 years. It's impossible to envision that most of them will ever be occupied. Lincoln Mall is almost gone. They really blew it with their redevelopment. They should have torn down the mall, built the Target and Penney's closer to Lincoln Hwy and used the back of the property for condos or townhomes. The mall will certainly end up closing before long, and they will be left with a giant hole in the middle of the property with no demand at all for new retail development. Maybe you could still put up condos there, but but it would have been more desirable in the back of the property.

It is more expensive to live down there in several aspects. Property taxes are very high. There are $150,000 townhomes in Matteson with a $4000 property tax bill! I could afford the townhome, but not the taxes. Water rates in Matteson, CCH and other towns are among the highest in the area. Gas prices are higher. Head north on Cicero to Oak Forest and gas is at least 20 cents cheaper per gallon then in Matteson.

Schools are not great. Not necessarily terrible, but you could certainly do better, and I'm not talking about moving to the North Shore or even Orland Park. You can get an affordable home in Worth or Alsip have better schools.

It's a long commute downtown, but at least you can take the train. As for commuting to the suburbs (Oak Brook and other major employment centers) it's an absolutely miserable commute, which can easily take two hours each way. Working locally probably isn't an option since there are really no jobs available.

I had been interested in living in South Cook County, and had been optimistic for quite a while. I just don't see any signs for hope anymore.

[deechee]

My taxes on my home are only $1500. My grandparents, who have lived here for 20+ years, have never had a tax bill over $1900.

I guess I'm not familiar with the areas that have the tax problem...and I have noticed the storefront problem. I don't understand why no one is demanding that there is more retail out here. Can we at least get more restaurants?!!

I don't know. I believe I'll hang on here until the last thread. Until then, I'm gonna enjoy my south suburban life. I'm fortunate enough to be able to live wherever I want. So, when it's time to go, I'll leave.

BUT, I'm afraid of what will happen where I go next: I'll be black, more than likely moving to an "whiter" area, and then those folks will wonder if their suburb is next

RIP MJ

[deechee]

Originally Posted by Opkl

Me, Chicagoland60426, SkyeINIL, and a few others have been doing that for months. It didn't work - been there, done that and moved on.

Hmm. Well at least there was an attempt.

[deechee]

http://www.southtownstar.com/news/1638812,062509section8.article

I posted this in another forum too, just wanted to make sure enough people see.

I hope this a step in the right direction to reclaiming some of the south suburbs...

[LIS123]

Originally Posted by prairiestate

I had been interested in living in South Cook County, and had been optimistic for quite a while. I just don't see any signs for hope anymore.

I agree with this post and also do not see this area rebounding anytime soon. Besides more desirable areas elsewhere in Illinois, Northwest Indiana has been draining people from this area for quite some time. For similar costs, one can move to a much nicer community in NWI (and have easier access to the lower costs associated with that: taxes, cigarettes, groceries, etc.) Having lived in NWI for quite a while, I've noticed Southern Cook Country deteriorate as a whole over the years. The decline has been quite steep in some parts.

[Opkl]

Originally Posted by deechee

http://www.southtownstar.com/news/1638812,062509section8.article

I posted this in another forum too, just wanted to make sure enough people see.

I hope this a step in the right direction to reclaiming some of the south suburbs...

I hope it's approved. Here in Lynwood we have the no sagging pants law. Hell, that alone would stop 50% of the ghetto section 8'ers. Then there's a curb appeal ordinance which means if you let your property look run-down, (yard full of weeds, tall grass, etc.) you get a $25 fine until you correct the problem. That would stop 25%. Then with Lynwood being close to Ford Heights/Chicago Heights (which doesn't have all these rules and has more section 8 for them to be around) would take 15%. The 10% left are usually pretty decent so they can stay. My neighbor is section 8 and she is as nice as she can be.

[prairiestate]

The problem, of course, is that you will have a whole lot of people screaming racism. A smaller number will be screaming that you hate the poor for a bill like the section 8 one. The reality, of course, is that large concentrations of poverty aren't good for anyone. That's why the highrise housing projects were torn down in the first place!