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It does not seem to work that way in Chicagoland ... another reason why I wanted to get out of that area.
Or maybe white Chicagoans just don't give it a try. The sad fact is that there's a long history of ethnic and racial segregation in the cities of the Great Lakes area, and that segregation continues somewhat into the present day, although younger people, especially transplants, are breaking those barriers. There have been a couple of studies that noted this phenomenon. Having lived in Buffalo, NY, for 20 years as well as in other cities, I'm also speaking from personal experience.
Just because people are Latinos or Blacks doesn't make them criminals or thugs. The OP didn't say anything about crime or vandalism or anything like that, only that her neighborhood was becoming Mexican. How is a hard-working Latino family significantly different from a hard-working white family of about the same income? How is a college educated Black middle class couple significantly different from a college educated white middle class couple? Trash be trash, and it comes in every ethnicity and race.
Gotta love these posts from people suggesting we befriend the very people who are ruining our neighborhoods and destroying our property values. I'll bet you all live in gated communities!
[quote=bungalowdweller;42928736]I love my 1920's brick bungalow located in an inner-ring suburb outside of Chicago. My husband and I paid off the house and will retire in less than five years. We have one child in college who will be finished next year. The problem is that our town has a poor reputation which is reflected in the property value. The house is worth less than $200,000.
I'm really torn about what to do. I don't pay anywhere near that now. I know that we have time as retirement won't be for a few years yet but this is troubling me.
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Any cities nearby with friends or relatives you really like? Many cities for 200K you can get a good home in a good area. Do some research. You may want to move more south if you dislike the cold. I don't rec my city because it is growing too fast and the property taxes are really high (to me). I know a bit about Cleveland, you could move to a burb there like Parma and get a nice home for less than 200k.
I don't know much about the details though of property taxes. I think the area is fine and there are shops, bakeries, etc. Cleveland is somewhat depressed so that is good and bad. Traffic is a breeze when I have been there because the population has reduced something like 30% in 30 years or something.
There are a bazillion books and now websites out there to help people decide on a retirement destination. Sell the house, rent for 6-12 months, enjoy the search... The hunt is half the fun!
Howdy neighbor. I think I have a pretty good idea of where you live as we are in the next outer ring and about 20 minutes from the loop. I understand how attached you are to your house, but that being said, if you can't walk your dog without feeling unsafe, then it's time to go.
Come here where I live and yes you will pay more in property taxes and more for a house, but there are a lot of bungalows here with those beautiful stained glass windows and Chicago style wood work. I walked my boys at midnight last night and never felt a twinge of danger.
I wouldn't take that kind of risk, as the suburb you're living in, the clock is ticking for it go south as well, only a matter of time! The prophecy has been around for some time: our suburbs are our future slums!
Think! The Bronx in NYC! A once middle class suburb for Jews, and what happened there? Think! San Bernardino, a once nice middle class suburb of L.A. now overrun with gangs and crime and the city even filed for bankruptcy!
Investor-owned rental homes are destroying neighborhoods from coast to coast, even upper middle class neighborhoods!
Being that you're going to retire before long, I would stay put, even if the price of the house falls to $150k, and even with $150k, and, say, you retire in Phoenix/Tucson, you'll find a fairly decent house/townhouse for that amount or less!
Quite a different story if you plan to retire in the Chicago area!
Gotta love these posts from people suggesting we befriend the very people who are ruining our neighborhoods and destroying our property values. I'll bet you all live in gated communities!
What a horribly racist post. And I certainly don't live in a gated community.
Gotta love these posts from people suggesting we befriend the very people who are ruining our neighborhoods and destroying our property values. I'll bet you all live in gated communities!
I live in a small city in Upstate New York that's 5% black and 10% Latino. There's a black family living at the end of my street and a Latino family about 5 houses down from me. Except for looks, and the Latino family's last name, they're indistinguishable from all the other middle class homeowners in this neighborhood.
Quote:
Originally Posted by otterhere
Who said anything about race? Only you! What a horribly racist assumption...
Bigots always show their true colors when they protest their innocence.
I wasn't referring to people - of ANY race or ethnicity - who are "middle-class and indistinguishable" from anyone else. I was referring to people who, as I said, are pulling down the property values and endangering a neighborhood's stability via behaviors; again, of ANY race or ethnicity. I suspect you wouldn't want to live next door to such folks, either, and in fact don't, or you wouldn't be making the useless suggestion to get friendly with them. Been there, done that, got out. Suspect you haven't.
Last edited by otterhere; 02-09-2016 at 11:27 AM..
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