Elgin il - what happened; what will happen? (Chicago, Rockford: real estate, crime)

[DADASGIRL]

Why is Elgin considered a bad move - bad real estate choice ?

I'm born/bred in Chicago - and know 1st hand how compartmentalized it is in regards to race/income/ethnicity etc. The burbs usually boast more diversity - but ultimately, money or lack thereof, determines an areas' makeup.

Elgin seemed to be on the right track with the addition of a Casino and folks from all economic backgrounds. They have subdivisions and old school homes - but the luster seems to have faded. When speaking to folks regarding real estate - Elgin is at the bottom of the list. Folks say the schools arent great but they are a huge step up from Chicago Public schools. The Hispanic population is large - but truthfully - folks live where they can afford and last I checked lower wage workers cannot afford to live in the neighboring affluent areas.

On the surface, it appears that white flight is at work - are too many Hispanics causing whites to leave? Or is there other elements at play I'm not aware of. Increased crime is an issue I know - but Elgin is a serioius far cry from Englewood. Sure there are pockets of n'er do wells - but that comes with any big city. I see Rockford's current state and I think Elgin is trying to avoid that fate - but I want to buy some property in Elgin and hope that mid point through a mortgage Elgin hasnt turned into Rockford Jr.

[chet everett]

In some ways Elgin is more 'challenged' than Rockford. Rockford has much more ability to "control its own fate". Its airport and still dominant manufacturing base are assets that Elgin does not have.

Elgin had some very unsophisticated people engineer the enormous u46 school district. I suppose at the time this was dreamed up as a way to spread out costs over a huge area, but now it is a recipe for ever deepening failure and manageability as competing interests will pretty much always cancel each other out and result in subpar performance...

The desirable area of Elgin are not part of the district and that speaks volumes as to the path the ought to be pursued to make more of the town desirable: increase success of the schools.
The reality, however, is that even the herculean task of getting so many students from challenging backgrounds to improve was accomplished the PACE of improvements in surrounding area would be faster.

It is almost without exception better to be SMALLER and more swift. A single "guided missle" can destroy a "battleship"...

[chitown85]

There's always articles in the newspapers about how Elgin has decreased crime considerably from the 1990s and improved employment prospects in the area. It does appear on the surface to be better than 10 or 20 years ago.

[missinggreen]

We have just signed contracts on a house in Wayne that will send our children to Kenyon Woods Middle and South Elgin High. The Elgin thread has raised some concerns. Any comments on these schools please. My child will not get to South Elgin High for three years, and I know a lot can happen before then

[sgresident]

the middle school and high school in south elgin are new. they are very nice. my son has played basketball at both. do not confuse elgin and south elgin. elgin is definitely not a good choice. it has not been a good choice for a long time. many people do send their kids to many of the catholic schools that are available for elementary school and there is st. edward and elgin academy for high school.

[Steve-o]

Elgin is slowly getting better over time. They have quite a ways to go, but I like what Ive seen in the last 5 years. Crime is an issue in spots, but overall the city is pretty safe considering.

[knitgirl]

Thank you, Steve-O. We haven't always agreed about Elgin, but I'm glad you can see that it's improving. Elgin has a good mayor, a city council that on the whole does good things (though I wish they would stop annexing everything in it's path) and very involved neighborhood organizations. The library is beautiful and very well used by all segments of the population. I live near downtown and have poor neighbors who are working hard, taking good care of their property, and in general, doing the best they can with what they have.

[icebergsyndrome]

"I'm a U-46 graduate and all I got was a few rep points on the city-data forum".

[cubssoxfan]

I'm not down on Elgin per se, I like to see all areas doing well and/or improving. I just really dis-like U-46 schools. Not that it's all bad or among the worst in the state, there just are many, many districts I would rather send my kids to.