Berwyn - biracial couples welcome? (Chicago, Oak Park: rentals, condos, crime)

[Amablay]

My husband and I are planning to move to the near West suburbs and have found a number of houses in Berwyn that we like. My husband and I are a biracial couple (I'm white, he's African) and I'm wondering is Berwyn is the right community for us. Would we be welcome and would our mixed children be welcome?

We were drawn to the Oak Park area for its noted diversity and have lived in Chicago for awhile. Naively, we assumed we could afford Oak Park or possibly Forest Park but have found that's not the case. Berwyn looks very appealling and it seems like its on an upswing.

However, we don't want to settle into a community that won't be welcoming to us and our family. I would love to get feedback from some residents on this issue. If Berwyn is a good fit, are there certain neighborhoods that would be more or less welcoming?

[BRU67]

I think it would be welcoming. There's a good mix of people, with many young professionals and artist types moving in, from the north side of the Chicago and Oak Park. We're friends with a mixed race couple (she's African American and he's white) who moved some time ago and they're happy with their choice. I think you'd be fine.

As to specific neighborhoods, it depends on what you want. The south side tends to feel a little more suburban, and has fewer rentals than the north side. And you have the Metra right there. The good thing about the north side though is you're close to Roosevelt Rd., which is really starting to see some good development (condos, businesses and the like). Oak Park and Forest Park are great but, yes, they've gotten quite expensive, which is partly why Berwyn's getting an overflow. You get the same benefits in terms of proximity and access to the City but much lower housing costs and taxes.

In any event, good luck!

[janetp]

We think Berwyn is a wonderful place to live! We have been here for 8 years now, and I can honestly say we feel we picked a good spot. We are white, and my son-in-law is black, and there has been no problems with this issue. He's a very likeable guy, and people here don't seem to notice his color neasrly as much as they notice that! Even some of the older neighbors, who I think at first were shocked to see him, have come to welcome him with open arms. There is, of course, always going to be some close minded people. Unfortunately, they live everywhere. You will love Berwyn. The schools are really good, and the park district always has fun things going on. The classes offered; and there are many; are very, very reasonable. Everything from martial arts to salsa and ballroom dancing is offered there. Berwyn does fun things for all the holidays that are very family oriented, and there are things like movies in the park that we enjoy very much during the summer. Berwyn is senior friendly as well as kid and family friendly. The pool passes in the summer are very reasonable, and you can use your pass at all the pools. One of them has a slide, which we love! There are lots of parks in Berwyn, and they are all well maintained. Think twice about moving here if you are a slob or into unsavory activities. Most of the people in this town watch very closely, and they will not think twice about reporting undesirable activity! Berwyn is also not shy about handing out warnings and fines for those who do not keep up with their property or have unnecessary debris lying about. I like that, because it makes our neighborhood look good and there is not a rodent problem like there is in Chicago. It is a diverse community, and we like that. We know most of the people on our street by thier first names, and it is a comfort to take the kids trick or treating on Halloween and knowing who is giving your child candy. I don't care where you go, there is good and bad everywhere. There is a family or 2 I've met since moving here that I wish would leave, but for the 99% of them, I'll stay right where I'm at, thank you! I wish our "downtown" was better, but you have the Riverside mall and Oak Park is a stone's throw. There is not a store you can name that is not within 20 minutes of here in the heaviest of traveling times. 290 and 55 are within minutes of Berwyn. It takes about 15 minutes to get into the downtown Chicagoland area from here. We used to live in the Ukranian Village in Chicago, and it took us that long to get downtown from there! Prices are cheaper, and the best part of living here is that there are left turning lane signals at almost every light, and they are significant in allowing traffic to flow much smoother than Chicago will ever be on it's best day! Not those 3 second turning signals either! If you are from Chicago, you know what a pain it is to wait to make a left hand turn there! I will never, EVER move back to Chicago!! There are a lot of good people here! Crime is pretty low, and our police commissioner is awesome. We love it here....I think you will, too!