Is Kankakee really that bad???? (Chicago, DeKalb: section 8, apartment, movers)

[jimazz]

does anyone remember the Roundhouse Bar in Kankankee at the corner of Merchant & Schyler downtown? What was the name of the hotel there? It's been gone many years but that's where I met my wife, back in '76.

[GivMeABreak]

The Roundhouse was on the first floor of the "Kankakee Hotel".

I don't know if it ever went by any other name, but it was refered to as the Kankakee Hotel while the Roundhouse was there. It's hard to even imagine that it was there looking at that block today.

[RWA]

Originally Posted by JerichoHW

To be quite honest, KHS seems rather low on the charts, and I would probably have done Catholic school.

Well, to a devoted student, the school attended would not matter. I could attend Bishop McNamara Highschool, the closest Catholic high school in the area, and still get the same good grades. To me, the only difference between those two schools are the social situations. Personally, I would say that Catholic schools were created to separate certain peoples from other peoples of the the community, although they hide behind the front of providing a religious education. But, come on, who is actually willing to spend a high school tuition similar to a low cost college other than the high class?

Now, one could say that in KHS there would probably be more distractions in class which would deter a student from a good education. This depends on the class taken. You see, the higher level classes do a successful job in separating the serious students from the carefree students.

Let me also note that the teachers at KHS are extremely wonderful and are definitely qualified for their jobs, as much as any teacher at McNamara would be. There is also a much wider selection of classes that could possibly be taken at KHS.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by RWA

Personally, I would say that Catholic schools were created to separate certain peoples from other peoples of the the community, although they hide behind the front of providing a religious education. But, come on, who is actually willing to spend a high school tuition similar to a low cost college other than the high class?

People who want to keep their kids out of a crappy school system, that's who. Not to mention a good part of the costs are subsidized by the parish and/or diocese, tuition is often based on the family's ability to pay, and per-student tuition is often lower the more siblings you have in the same parish.

I'm not sure when's the last time you took a look at your average urban Catholic school student body, but "high class" it isn't. Urban Catholic schools have long been a solid blue-collar/middle-class institution.

[yomama234]

its really not that ad i live there

[Mamama Mia]

We used to frequent a restaurant called "Yesteryear" in a Frank Lloyd Wright home in Kankakee, does anyone know if it is still there? Also, there are some beautiful homes along the river. I'm not certain that it deserves such a bad rap, there are many small towns in Illinois that are struggling.

[xcoastie]

I am an implant here in kankakee (skankakee) county, and I would not recommend people moving here. There is not allot to do for outdoors type people. The state park has some great small mouth fishing but you have to "time" the river level just right and do some combat fishing for the good fishing holes. Some public bow hunting for deer there also.
The weather is nasty hot/humid in the summer and brutally cold in the winter with a very short spring and summer. Some years we go from using our heater to A/C in the same week. I have lived in Colorado, New Mexico, Buffalo New york, Alaska, North Carolina, Mississippi, and New Jersey and this is worst combination of weather I have seen. Usually if there is an extreme weather season summer/winter the other season is nice.
If you drive around downtown Kankakee neighborhoods there will be at least one house boarded up or condemned per block. There is allot of crime around, but you could walk/drive through most parts of Kankakee and be safe (you may not feel safe though.)
The main street going through Bradley/Bourbonnais (hy 50) looks like a ghost town, almost all of the big businesses have moved to the north side of town or went out of business. There are empty stores and parking lots every where.
There are not many jobs here either, health care, truck driving, and some factory work seem to drive the economy.
I live in Limestone which is pretty nice compared to the surrounding areas. The crime is low and I feel safe. The housing is not too expensive but the taxes are the highest I have ever seen ( I have lived in 7 states so far.) The schools are supposedly very good here (probably why we have high taxes.)
My biggest concern about raising kids here is there is nothing for them to do that will keep them out of trouble. I have never done drugs in my life but if I grew up here I am sure I would have. I can't say that I blame all of the druggies that live here.
If you have to live here stay out of Kankakee City and get a few indoor hobbies that will keep you happy.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by xcoastie

I have lived in Buffalo New york, Alaska, Mississippi, and this is worst combination of weather I have seen

You simply cannot be serious.

[b4ugo]

First you have to get past all of the corruption in the Kankakee County area. It stems from the schools, the courts, you name it. That house needs to be thoroughly cleansed. There is a buddy system, a bubba club as some call it. Get rid of the bubba's then things may get done for the betterment of the area. Until they are gone, the area in general will remain crap.

[xcoastie]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

You simply cannot be serious.

Let me explain, last week we were using our air conditioning 24/7, this week my kids can't go outside without their hoodies and long pants, and still the mosquitoes are killer. Every where else I have lived, there has been a part of the year that was not too hot or too cold. Here in Kankakee there is no fall or spring to speak of.
This site is all about personal opinion and that is mine. There are allot of people here that absolutely love the weather, I am not one, I don't hate the weather either.