Does Hampshire Illinois welcome diversity? (Chicago, Wheaton: how much, house, employment)

[Country dweller]

My husband and I are considering building a house in Hampshire Illinois. He works on the North Side of Chicago (by Ohare Airport) and I work in DeKalb Illinois. To share the commute between the two of us, we have targeted Hampshire. My concern is that the demographics show that Hampshire is not very diverse. My husband and I are (what society defines as) a Bi-racial couple. We really want to live in a "country setting" and are looking for a safe and comfortable community- we love small towns. I have lived in DeKalb county most of my life (30+ years) and have always been told that Hampshire Illinois is not very welcoming to minorities. Is this true? Are there other areas midway between Chicago and DeKalb that would meet our needs better. We are also thinking of raising a family. Can you tell me what the schools are like in Hampshire Illinois?

Thanks

[Paxtonian]

I don't have the specifics for Hampshire, but I have lived around the region in towns that have little minority presence. The key to getting along is to show the people you will be living among that you're not a low-life. The locals aren't interested in punks living amongst them, white or black. Employed, hard-working people who keep up their property and try to get along are always welcome. The town I'm in has a grand total of 7 black people, out of an overall population of 4600. We have a hundred or so Mexicans, and about a dozen Chinese too. Anyway, the prevailing thing here is the look the minorities get going about business in town, kind of a look like "What are you doing here?". Other than that, I'm not aware of anything overtly racist locally, though I can be sure that the older folks can be a bit much at times. I work with an elderly man who was heart-broken when his middle-aged daughter married a black man. He didn't seem to take it well when I told him that from what I could see, her new husband was an improvement on the old one (the ex was a drug addict and a constant drunk, quite violent too). I told him that as long as he treats her right, and keeps himself employed then I think he should welcome him as a son-in-law.

[lturner242]

I am not sure if they except diversity but it doesn't really matter to me.

My husband and I are moving into Hampshire next month into a great new community built by Lakewood Homes. We are also a "bi-racial" couple.

We have been out there several times and have not had any problems.

Hope to see you out there!

[Drover]

Hampshire is like just about every other small outer-suburban and exurban town in Illinois: diversity just isn't much of a priority. It's not something that they've ever really had to give much thought to because of the demographic realities of the exurbs and rural areas. That's not to say they're going to run you out of town on a rail, but neither should you expect them to rush over to you upon your arrival and try to prove to you how oh-so-open-minded they are. But given your criteria, I'd say Hampshire is probably your best bet.

How much potential roadblocks you face to being accepted may well depend on your bi-racial composition. Based on my observations and experience with "my people" if you will (white), white society don't much care about white/asian couples and also give fairly wide latitude to white/latino couples. White/black is, of course, still the most controversial interracial pairing. It's less so if you're black and he's white. But if he's black and you're white, Paxonian's right, he will probably have to show that he's not a ne'er-do-well. Not exactly fair, but that's how it is out there. The ability to buy into Hampshire (which isn't cheap) would go some way toward creating the presumption that he's a decent, responsible neighbor and human being.

One final piece of advice for living in a place like Hampshire: don't wear your bi-racialism as a status symbol. If people think you've got an agenda, whether you do or not you'll get push-back. Go with the flow, be decent neighbors, give your neighbors the same chance you hope they will give you, and you should be fine.

[HOWELL_STREET]

Today, the price of a barrel of crude oil hit $80 per barrel. Who controls the price of gasoline? If you believe as I do, then your answer will be those interested in commodities trading, drive up the prices. And of course, they want to constantly drive up the price of gasoline for their own profits, not yours.
So, what happens if / when we reach ten dollars per one gallon of gasoline? Maybe $15 per one gallon of gasoline? Is that possible? I don't know. However, consider how the commodities trading functions.
So as a suggestion to answer your question, at least have one member of your family living next to railroad passenger service. That's for the future in case gasoline becomes so expensive that nobody can hardly afford buy it.
Since you work in DeKalb, why not make your home in Elburn, Illinois? There is now METRA Union Pacific West Line railroad passenger service from Elburn, Illinois to downtown Chicago. That train terminates in Chicago's Olgivie Railroad station.
So from Elburn, you can drive to your employment in DeKalb - - a distance of basically 16.5 miles one way. Then, the other member of your family still has the railroad potential of Elburn To Chicago. Then a transfer to the CTA subway system and out to O'Hare. Time consuming? Perhaps - - but at least you would have publice transportation, somewhat, in case gasoline becomes terribly expensive.
Elburn homes are not cheap. However, it is a very nice community with its new subdivisions and older homes.

Best Regards,

Carter Glass,
Cortland, IL &
Wheaton, IL

[Drover]

Dude, if gas gets up to $15 a gallon, our economy will be so hosed that it won't matter where you live because nobody will have a job.

[HOWELL_STREET]

Hello Drover:

Yes, I agree with you, Drover. In fact that very thing happened during the 1929 Depression. Not that gasoline was $15 per gallon - - but the fact that nobody had a job and nobody had any money. People were on street corners trying to sell apples.
So consider this for a moment. IF our government admits that we are in dire shape, then everyone will stop spending their money and we will spiral downwards even faster. So business and government pretend that our economy is currently a bed of roses. And that is not true.
The U.S. economy is interwoven with the world wide economy. Something that never happened during the 1929 Great Depression. So with gasoline at a possible $15 per gallon in the future, you are right. But we are not there, yet. So it is imperative to steer new migrants wanting to move to Chicago - - into the safety zone. The safety zone is a home near a railroad system and a home out and away from the Chciago criminal aspects. Have a nice day, Drover.

Best Regards,

Carter Glass

[Bill-]

10-15 years ago I would have not suggested moving to Hampshire as they used to have a bit of a reputation for harrassing minorities with bogus traffic stops. With all of the growth and new subdivions in that area I don't think it's much of an issue anymore. I'd say go for it.