Diverse neighboor Chicago-please suggest (Evanston, Oak Park: apartment, for rent, daycares)

[WADECAMPBELL]

I have been searching: single mom of 1, daughter 3 years-old time to go to preschool and then Kindergarten. I would like for me daughter to attend a diversified school with acceptable yearly scores (75-80). ((sorry to say but most schools on the Southside with acceptable yearly scores are tuition based ((($500 and + and I can not afford that))) I would like to live in a well diverse neighborhood. Affordable living ($750?) 2 bedroom (times are hard) street parking but not North side parking. I'm a black woman if that helps.

P.S. Tears roll to my eyes every time, I think of where can I move to on my salary in a safe environment where I know my daughter will learn and fall short of using the update school materials that. Most schools located on the Southside are utilizing out of date books compared to the other areas of Chicago. Help me please!

[Humboldt1]

Wade Campbell,

I read your post and honestly my heart goes out to you. Here is a thought for the posters on this forum. Some of us have money, some do not. Clearly, this poster is someone who is in need ($500 tuition is what some of us make in a day). Perhaps we could pull our resources and help her and her 3 year old out.

Please tell us more about yourself and what you do for work. I have made it clear on this forum I am not looking for charity cases but if you are truly someone in need who is looking to make a better life for yourself maybe those on the board can help you out, whether that be monetarily or assist you with education or potential job placement.

[jessiegirl_98]

Have you considered living in a nearby suburb or do you really want to live in the city?

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by jessiegirl_98

Have you considered living in a nearby suburb or do you really want to live in the city?

I have to concur... There are many suburbs with sizeable African-American populations and good schools. Everyone has their own definition of diverse, but I saw a study recently that even though African-Americans make up about 12% of the population nationally, many of them are uncomfortable in a community when they make up less than 40-50% of the population. If you could tolerate living in a town where African-Americans are 24% of the population, you could rent an apartment in Oak Park and send your kids to some pretty good schools for free. And of course, most suburbs have African-American residents these days--though they may not be as diverse as you would like.

[Tanya1521]

Hello single mom, I am also a single mother of a little girl she is now seven years old, I've gone through two daycares and two schools in the city so far. I live on the northwest side of chicao\go, and i originally had the idea that i needed to have my daughter in a magnet school so she could recieve the best education, well it turned out to be the worst, mind you they had lots of supplies brand new books all the resources you could imagine-------why you ask? It is an upperclass neighborhood prodominatly white,---my daughter is black, (I am white) there were about three of four other balck children in her class, and that is because according to the city they have to accept a small percentage of minorities in the school, this is how my daughter got in because we live eight miles away from the school, and trust me eight miles in the city is not easy on public transportation, you have to do what you got to do right? I didn't put her in the neighborhood school because they have no supplies, no nothing, hardly a playground, but the people in my neighborhood embrace what we have we are hard working poor people, all races are represented in this neighborhood, after kindergarden I transferred my daughter to the school in our nieghborhood, she loves it, she loves the diversity, she is no longer being treated like a nobbody and a 'lucky' to get in the magnet school, the upperclass children who are subjects of their parents aren't hurting her anymore. We are leaving chicago in a couple months, hard working people never get ahead, rent is too high, gas is four dollars today, the city is segregated, (few diverse neighborhoods made up), lots of things to do, but I personally want to get away from this greedy, corupt, segregated, poor people aren't allowed to eat vegatables and fruits (because we can't afford them) buses and trains barely come anymore, before I transferred my daughter I travelled five hours aday to go to school, work and my daughter's school. If you have any 'real' culture questions representing the majority in this city (poor, minorities).
Good day,
happy spring winter was cruel this year/

[aragx6]

Tanya,
I absolutely agree that Chicago and other expensive cities are probably not the best places for working class families to live because they are so expensive. There are far cheaper cities with plenty of job opportunities throughout the Midwest, where a modest wage goes a lot farther.

Where are you moving to? I wish you all the best!

[harrisclw]

Help military family needs help finding....great diverse 10 to 50 % minority High School with good accademics and a decent track team or a good summer track team. I have been trying to look for houses for rent in Homewood (report orders) and surronding area with not much luck. I do notice a substantial increase in housing cost ( 500-1000 rent increase).
I am a Science teacher and I just gave notice of relocation to my principal and will be looking for work . We do not know military increase in pay yet, but are scheduled to move June 2 and report July 28. Thank God it is during the summer.
I am originally from Kansas City Missouri and my husband is from Chicago. He is excited about moving close to relatives as he approaches military retirement. After Iraq my husband was given AGR and he was relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee. My son was a senior and my daughter was in the eighth grade. So, I decided to wait for them to graduate. The two years of seperation where difficult especially the Iraq year. Sons........without dad suddenly not around can be a big change. Anyway we love Knoxville for our daughter(and our son moved to Memphis..doing ok). Great weather , great schools and a great summer track team. Yesterday our daughter took first place ahead of the new Tn Vol basketball player Gloria Johnson and is ranked number one in the hundred meter with a time of 11.92. Her school won the meet and she placed 1st in four events.

Please give information about track teams, schools and neighborhoods recommended.
Bless you!




Question

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by WADECAMPBELL

I have been searching: single mom of 1, daughter 3 years-old time to go to preschool and then Kindergarten. I would like for me daughter to attend a diversified school with acceptable yearly scores (75-80). ((sorry to say but most schools on the Southside with acceptable yearly scores are tuition based ((($500 and + and I can not afford that))) I would like to live in a well diverse neighborhood. Affordable living ($750?) 2 bedroom (times are hard) street parking but not North side parking. I'm a black woman if that helps.

P.S. Tears roll to my eyes every time, I think of where can I move to on my salary in a safe environment where I know my daughter will learn and fall short of using the update school materials that. Most schools located on the Southside are utilizing out of date books compared to the other areas of Chicago. Help me please!

The ex-burbs may be just what the doctor ordered for you. By "ex-burb" we're talking about places like Lockport and New Lenox to the south and communities like Sycamore to the west. Housing costs (and many other things) are generally much much lower than they are near the City and, while they're not yet diverse, I think they soon will be, and I'm sure the residents there would welcome that. What makes us different makes us great and all that. I'd give that some thought in your situation.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by harrisclw

Help military family needs help finding....great diverse 10 to 50 % minority High School with good accademics and a decent track team or a good summer track team. I have been trying to look for houses for rent in Homewood (report orders) and surronding area with not much luck. I do notice a substantial increase in housing cost ( 500-1000 rent increase).
I am a Science teacher and I just gave notice of relocation to my principal and will be looking for work . We do not know military increase in pay yet, but are scheduled to move June 2 and report July 28. Thank God it is during the summer.
I am originally from Kansas City Missouri and my husband is from Chicago. He is excited about moving close to relatives as he approaches military retirement. After Iraq my husband was given AGR and he was relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee. My son was a senior and my daughter was in the eighth grade. So, I decided to wait for them to graduate. The two years of seperation where difficult especially the Iraq year. Sons........without dad suddenly not around can be a big change. Anyway we love Knoxville for our daughter(and our son moved to Memphis..doing ok). Great weather , great schools and a great summer track team. Yesterday our daughter took first place ahead of the new Tn Vol basketball player Gloria Johnson and is ranked number one in the hundred meter with a time of 11.92. Her school won the meet and she placed 1st in four events.

Please give information about track teams, schools and neighborhoods recommended.
Bless you!

See there is not much argument that the Girls Track team at Evanston is a very dominant force: IHSA Girls Track & Field Team Champions and Runners-Up

BUT the there are a lot of reasons NOT to recommend ETHS -- the cost of housing tends to be quite high except in the areas of town that are quite run down. Further there is a rather unpleasant disperity in the academic success of the minority students vs the kids from the better areas.

I guess this is one of those cases where you have to really way your daughter's chances of getting a scholarship for athletics vs the odds that they might have an overall better experience elsewhere.

You know, the other thing that is crummy about track in Illinois is that unless your kids is just a super gifted athelete the training season is terribly short and she just won't get as much quality outdoor training as she would in a better climate.

I know that on the boys track side schools like York go to insane lenghts to have quality outdoor training time, but I don't know how other schools ( or even boys vs girls) do this...

I also seem to recall an unusually large number of individual champions from East St. Louis -- but that is not area that I would consider moving to.