Quote:
Originally Posted by MovingOutOfNJ
I've seen some of the apartment communities online for Waukegan that i'm interested in; they're fair prices, accommodate my dogs well, are in a decent distance to where im going to be working, and the city has a beach.
I have no idea about this community, or any for that matter as i'm currently 900 miles away.
Can someone provide some insight for me?
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I spent nearly all my life living near Waukegan, and at times I've worked or attended classes there. Anyway one big thing you'll hear about Waukegan is the Hispanic majority (mostly Mexican); many of the main streets in the town have signs in Spanish (sometimes ONLY in Spanish, sometimes bilingual) and have businesses that appeal primarily to this community. There are debates and problems sparked by illegal immigrants at times. Most work places are STRONGLY preferring their new employees to be bilingual. Hispanic immigrants have been in Waukegan for years so of course there are many Hispanic-Americans as well. Concluding the "racial/ethnic make-up" of the area, the rest of the population seems to be equally white and black. Immigrants other than Hispanic will come up once in a while (some South Asian business owners for example) but I can't recall a huge population of any particular immigrant group.
Waukegan used to be THE place when my mom was little (1960s), like the place where people went shopping, to the beach, to restaurants, maybe some entertainment, etc. A lot has changed; starting in the 80s the town went downhill, and businesses started leaving. These days for malls, big-box type stores, and movies you have to go a little west to Gurnee; even a lot of the young people who live in Waukegan work at the mall, restaurants, fast-food places and the rest in Gurnee. There are still a few of the businesses going in Waukegan but not like in the "old days." Around the time I went away to college (early 2000s) Waukegan has been gradually building itself up and promoting new apartments and new stores. Particularly the downtown area near the Genesee Theater has been improving and there are some unique stores and restaurants there. And of course the Genesee Theater has been attracting some famous comedians, bands, singers and the like. Also Fountain Square, the former location of Lakehurst Mall, has FINALLY been improving too, getting some big-box and smaller stores and restaurants (there was talk of someone wanting to open a movie theater showing international flicks there, but I don't know what ever came of that).
As for crime, I don't know a whole lot other than that gangs are probably the biggest problem for the PD; there are many different, mostly Hispanic gangs, and the gangs are of course trickling into Gurnee and other nearby towns. There are the "bad" parts of town, mostly towards the south and away from the lakefront.
The train station is right downtown by the lakefront, so it's easy to find and drive/walk to; it takes you to downtown Chicago and as far north as Kenosha, WI. Many bus routes run through the town if you want to get to nearby areas (although once you're out of Waukegan the buses get fewer and fewer). Of course as you probably know, Waukegan is the seat of Lake County government so the courts are also downtown. Another thing if you're wondering about a local newspaper, the News-Sun of Waukegan is the biggest local paper but it's rather mediocre in my opinion. I always read that and the Chicago Tribune.
Well those are the descriptions of a former Waukegan neighbor. Have a safe move and welcome.
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Waukegan?
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