The future of Mount Greenwood ? (Chicago, Detroit: rental, houses, employment)

[flamadiddle]

Was wondering what you think the future of Mount Greenwod will look like? Will its demographics remain consistent going forward or will it eventually become diverse like its neigbors?

[rparz]

Since I don't have a crystal ball, we could check with the Magic 8 Ball:

Spike's 8-Ball

[chet everett]

Magic 8 ball is fun but some of the trends that have accelerated by things like reduced City Of Chicago workforce, chaos in CPS , more exposure of how connected politicians pressure even "independent boards" to favor their pals are likely to hurt the prospects of old-school insiders. There are bigger houses and such down that way but without clout heavy pay rolls the ability to preserve such enclaves is seriously threatened ...

[rparz]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Magic 8 ball is fun but some of the trends that have accelerated by things like reduced City Of Chicago workforce, chaos in CPS , more exposure of how connected politicians pressure even "independent boards" to favor their pals are likely to hurt the prospects of old-school insiders. There are bigger houses and such down that way but without clout heavy pay rolls the ability to preserve such enclaves is seriously threatened ...

Not only is the City heading to hell in a handbasket, but Cook County is as well.. Talk to Chet, he'll set you up with an agent to get you settled in the safety of DuPage county...

[jonnynonos]

I've only been there once but from what I saw it just looked like an old inner ring suburb. (Realize it's well within the city--just saying, that's what it looks like.)

[chet everett]

Illinois will sink as a unified wreck, there is no "escape pod".

Moving out of Cook Co. won't really help in the long term. There have been periods when the trajectory of CPS has been upwards, this clearly is NOT the case now.

I have relatives that work for the City and live in Garfield Ridge. They are not getting any younger and their neighbors might have like one or two kids not the 4 or 6 of previous generations.

I hope that folks connect the craziness of our kleptocratic political class with the financial ruin they have laid on the state and vote for new leaders but I have my doubts that will work...

[jonnynonos]

Are you talking about our debt problem?

Yes that does resemble a rather large iceberg.

Full stream ahead!

[rparz]

I suspect people won't allow Chicago go the way of Detroit anytime soon. The city isn't dependent on a single industry that has run into rough times.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by rparz

I suspect people won't allow Chicago go the way of Detroit anytime soon. The city isn't dependent on a single industry that has run into rough times.

Folks that don't understand the auto business assume it is like having a single mine or mill in town and nothing could be further from the truth. The Big Three had some "integrated operations" but they have always depended on an intricate and complex web of suppliers, advanced technology for design / operations / logistics, massive finance operations that made possible the huge capital investments for new products / commitments to suppliers / tremendous consumer time-payments. The close ties between automakers and fleet buyers also feeds investments in rental companies and fleet management firms.

These all point to the diverse range of talent that STILL make the Big 3 economic powerhouses, every bit as globally significant as Chicago financial futures / commodities platforms...

The reality is that Detroit has long had poltical leaders that were strongly supported by "big labor" which should come as no surprise given the once labor intensive nature of automakers and the dominance of the UAW. A big side effect of that labor oriented mindset was a out size municipal workforce that predictably was also highly unionized. As the automakers trimmed their workforce to take advantage of greater productivity from knowledge systems they cut jobs like draftsmen and replaced them with folks skilled in CAD. Instead Detroit still has a dysfunctional mindset that government employment means no cuts. They still have ferrier on the payroll despite the fact that firewagons pulled by horses were replaced with diesel trucks decades ago ...

The madness of Illinois corrupt politicians promoting "their pals" that are already drawing pensions from do-nothing jobs to get sweeter gigs on boards has been illustrated by the recent scandal at Metra and goes to the core problem of pensions that are run not for the good of the deserving cops, firefighters, teachers , emergency road crews, sewer maintencance people and even dedicated white-collar state/municipal workers but the craven kleptocrats.

Keep voting for those out to stick it to you and eventually Detroit's fate will befall Chicago...

[North Side Brandon]

I would bet on Mount Greenwood going forward. Where else other than the Western parts of Clearing and Garfield Ridge do city workers have to live on that side of town? Remember Edison Park, Oriole Park, Schorsch Forest view, Edgebrook and Sauganash on the Northwest Side are all much more expensive. Ditto with Beverly to the East of Mount Greenwood.