Upper middle class African American Seeking Diverse Housing in Chicago (Cicero: low income, crime)

[oakparkdude]

Perhaps economic diversity is decreasing due to gentrification. However, in terms of ethnic diversity, the minority population is (slowly) increasing.

[LakeShoreSoxGo]

I have heard that a good portion of white upper middle class parents send their kids to private schools, in that area.

[aragx6]

I would hazard to guess that in many many areas of this country the upper middle class send their kids to private school regardless of how good the public is. Often it's a status thing, like driving a Mercedes.

[Sailaway50]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I would hazard to guess that in many many areas of this country the upper middle class send their kids to private school regardless of how good the public is. Often it's a status thing, like driving a Mercedes.

I disagree. I know scores of people who send their kids to private sc hool. Very few thinking people want to pay between $7,000 to $25,000 for grade school to get "status" (you can get that out of a country club and enjoy yourself in the process, or go on vacations to 4 star hotels and brag about your trips.....). It's invariably an education decision, frequently centering around the amount of individualized (or even non-"individualized") attention your child will receive, safety issues (peers or neighborhood), educationn, curriculum, etc.

As a paying customer in a private school, the parent has access to administration, teachers, etc., which (no matter what's "marketed" or "official") is unheard of in public schools. There also is no "No Child Left Behind" to deal with, wildly fluctuating budgetary issues beyond parent's control, the lastest political favoritism or "plum"...which may leave YOUR child "behind", teacher strikes, etc.....this is a carefully weighed out (and often "no brainer"...as in, private school or MOVE) decision from all the parents I've known.

Parents are more responsible than is clearly visible to many.......

[aragx6]

I don't think either is true all of the time. Some people absolutely do it for status, many others do it for personal reasons. My uncle sends his kid to private school even though they live in the top-ranking district in Missouri. Why? Because all of his neighbors do.

[Humboldt1]

I don't try to keep up with the Jones'. If I did, I would up to my eyeballs in debt and facing foreclosure like many other Americans.

Private School really wasn't an option for us. One doctor sent his kid (55miles) to Indianapolis to Park Tudor, but everyone else went to public school. There is a Catholic School that went to 8th grade (6th grade now), but everyone else had to attend public school.

I would much rather send my kids to public schools in certain Chicago suburbs (New Trier, Yorkville, Stevenson, Naperville, etc.) than the country high school I went to in southern Indiana.

I also think some of the magnet schools have a lot to offer, but personally I would rather they go to a New Trier. They would get a great education and I wouldn't lose sleep worrying if they were going to get to school safely.

I would not send my kids to boarding school, regarding of my income or status it would imply to my neighbors. I spent the summers at Culver Military Academy in middle school and that was fine (Drum and Bugle Corps), but I would not have wanted to go to their winter term (boarding school) even if my parents had the funds.

[LakeShoreSoxGo]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I would hazard to guess that in many many areas of this country the upper middle class send their kids to private school regardless of how good the public is. Often it's a status thing, like driving a Mercedes.

Well thats true to an extent. But for the upper middle class(which is really just the 'middle' class with a bit more purchasing power) private schools tend to be a necessity when the public schools are not up to par. It just does not seem logical,to me, unless you are really affluent, to waste money on private schools when the public schools are "doing just fine". I would bet dollars to donuts that a majority of kids in barrington, lincolnshire, winnetka, and other upper middle class cities simply go to public schools because they are decent and adequate.

[rgpg_99]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

The presense of black or white is not relevant, but what type of people are moving in. If it is buppies such as yourself (I see this as a good thing) moving in, the area will only get better. If it is ghetto people, regardless of race, moving in, the area will get worse.

I couldn't agree more with that statement. I'm moving to another state, and as I was looking for areas / neighborhoods with a large Hispanic presence (so I would feel more "at home"), I realized that in a few cases those neighborhoods coincided with high crime / high gang activity areas. It was not the race, of course, but the type of people that lived there. It was a reminder that I shouldn't be looking for "racial peers", so to speak, but "good neighbors" (and if some of the good neighbors happened to have a Hispanic background, that would be a plus; but putting racial affiliation before people quality might not be to my advantage).

[Humboldt1]

What are the affluent black areas in chicago and what percent of the population is black?

I know Oak Park is often cited (25 percent black) though I have noticed (apologies Sukwoo) that it tends to be affluent and whiter as you approach River Forest to the east and poorer and more black as you approach Austin to the west.

Kenwood and Hyde Park are also very affluent with large black populations. Olympia Fields is also relatively affluent and Bronzeville is certainly well on its way to affluence. What are some other wealthy black areas?

[soxfan2005]

Estimated median household income in 2005: $64,000 (it was $60,073 in 2000)

Oak Forest $64,000Illinois: $50,260

Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $228,800 (it was $149,200 in 2000)

Oak Forest $228,800Illinois: $183,900





Races in Oak Forest:

• White Non-Hispanic (86.6%)
• Hispanic (5.9%)
• Black (3.6%)
• Other race (1.7%)
• Two or more races (1.5%)
• Asian Indian (1.3%)
• Filipino (0.8%)
• Estimated median household income in 2005: $50,700 (it was $47,579 in 2000)
  
  Park Forest $50,700Illinois: $50,260
  
  Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $129,400 (it was $84,400 in 2000)
  Park Forest $129,400Illinois: $183,900
  
  
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  Races in Park Forest:

  • White Non-Hispanic (52.9%)
  • Black (39.4%)
  • Hispanic (5.0%)
  • Two or more races (2.5%)
  • Other race (1.5%)
  • American Indian (0.8%)
  • Humboltd1, I think you have your getto areas mixed up buddy. Your wrong about Oak Forest it is still a nice community with one of the top high schools in the state.