some positives about Kankakee area? (Chicago, Bourbonnais: rental, home builders, employment)

[partly_cloudy_skies]

I have accepted a postion in Kankakee at a hospital and will be moving from Plainfield with two elementary school aged children. When I did a search on Kankakee at citydata, I saw mostly older threads in which Kankakee was considered kind of dumpy, Bradley a bit better, and Bourbonais higher tier. Schools I'm assuming follow suit.

Are there some positives about the area? I will likely rent first and then buy later, but on my starting salary I don't think I can afford the nicer areas. It would be nice if I could get close enough to the hospital to bike there, but it's near the river and I don't know if those are afordable areas.

So far, I've noticed that they have a nice YMCA, a busy Saturday Farmers Market (at least it looked busy when I drove past), and it seemed like the Bourbonais-Bradley park district had many activities and a museum. (I haven't checked out the Kankakee park district yet.) The libarary in Kankakee looked HUGE, but I didn't go in to see if they have kids programs or a nice collection.

Has the area changed in the last few years at all? Those other threads make it sound like my kids will be shot in school and I will be mugged all the time. I'd love to be able to live in the more 'Plainfield-like' areas, but I had to snap up the first job offer to come along since I've been out of work for a long while. When I drove around, it didn't seem as horrid as that, though parts did seem run down.

[linicx]

When I looked at the stats I noticed the white population 51% followed by black, latino, chinese and other. It is south Chicago bedroom community.

There is a lovely split river. Power boating on upper river and canoeing on the lower river. And a river walk. Kankakee is not far from shopping in Chicago. I would think Cosco on S. Harlem would be closest - but I could be wrong. .

Kankakee is home to 50's actor Fred McMurray. There are some attractions like the old milk barn. Google Kankakee, Il and pull up the city website. and also Kankakee on Wikipedia.

[GolfLover2]

partly_cloudy_skies: Congratulations on finding employment in the Kankakee hospital! With two young children of school age, I would recommend looking in the Bourbonnais area for housing, especially if you wish to stay closer to your work. There is a sampling of every size and price range of home in that community, and the elementary and high schools will offer you a good educational experience for your children.
I would suggest speaking and working with a realtor in that area to find a rental that will fit your budget. When the time comes, you will have already forged a good working relationship with them to find a home to purchase. Some realtors also work with some new home builders in the area that may have options for renting and/buying/building in the future. Without knowing your financial situation it is hard to make more exact suggestions regarding housing.
If you don't mind driving a bit, the towns of Manteno and Peotone to the north (approx. 5 to 15 minute drives) offer some beautiful older homes in varying sizes, plus new homes as well. Both are safe communities with good schools, elementary through high school. They offer a good mix of older rural with new contemporary living. Each of the communities mentioned (Bourbonnais, Manteno, and Peotone) are located on I-57, which allows for quick access to Chicago and the suburbs through hook-ups with other major highways. The realtors of the Bourbonnais area will be familiar and equipped to assist you with the more northern villages ... as a realtor located in Manteno and Peotone would be able to assist with the Bourbonnais/Bradley/Kankakee area. If I can help in any way, please write or contact me. Best of luck to you in your new job!

[outlaw79]

Momence is a great place to good schools river town cheap taxes!!

and a festival Momence Gladiolus Festival

[bulldawg1594]

the schools in kankakee aren't that bad. and if it was me, i wouldn't move to manteno or peotone because they are real country.

[Jons99]

To me, the best thing would be to move to the part of Kankakee(Limestone Township) thats in the Herscher school district, might have a hard time finding a rental since its mostly single family homes, but coming from Plainfield you will find the housing a bit cheaper. The schools are perhaps the best in the county and your commute will be less than 5 minutes.. Contact a realtor about Indian Meadows, its a muilti-family development thats just starting, they may work you a deal and its probably a 60 second drive to Riverside a bit more to St. Mary's. Those places new start at $189K..