wesmere subdivision in plainfield/joliet (Chicago, Aurora: transplants, foreclosures, rent)

[movingguy80]

Recently in the market to move and considering the Wesmere area in Plainfield/Joliet off Caton Farm just West of 59. I have heard that there are a lot of wanna be hispanic gang bangers hanging around the area, particularly the Wesmere Subdivision. I realize people's interpretations of a "bad neighborhood" varies by person to person, and I have personal friends who live just South and just West of Wesmere (in Brighton and Caton Ridge Subdivisions) who are very happy with their area and have no problems. Although another good friend has family in Wesmere and has stated they hate it and it does indeed have little shorties running around trying to be bangers. I know that some people will see one sketchy person and immediately consider it a "bad area." If anyone has any further info on this area I'd appreciate it and thank you in advance.

[mattywo85]

Wesmere is a nice subdivision. I am sure there are "gangbangers" that come through every now and then but I'm sure there is other neighborhoods like that too. Caton/59 is a nice area with a lot of amenities close by.

[movingguy80]

i have researched further and talked to neighbors, one of whom is on the association board over there. seems good to go from what ive seen. thanks.

[dlong1991]

I lived in Wesmere for 17 years. Here are some points for y'all:

-Has its own Elementary school. Loved it, made lifelong friends here.

-Has 4 ponds stocked with suprisingly great fishing. Caught a huge big mouth bass in 2002, so I imagine it's even better now.

-10 communties within the subdivision. Many of which have their own parks and tot lots.

3 of the 10 communities connect to the Wedgewood subdivision, our neighbor to the west. Furthermore, Wedgewood has some good side streets that lead into the shopping corridor on 59, so once you live here a while it is a great way for kids to walk to the stores and food places.

-Clubhouse and School share the same campus in the heart of the subdivision. Includes Ponds, Parks, Basketball/Volleyball courts, sidewalks to connect to other communities.

-Convenient, for an exurb. 20-30 minutes to Aurora/Naperville. 15-20 minutes to downtown Joliet for the train. Easy access to I-55, I-80. Ten minutes. Easy to get to the Cook County suburbs. 45 minutes to Chicago with good traffic flow. Commuting in the morning could be a pain in the ass, maybe 90 minutes to downtown with traffic, but if you leave before 6 am, you could avoid bad traffic 4 outta 5 days of the week. It isn't ideal, but plenty of people around here do it.

-Close to grocery shopping. We have a nice new Tony's for all you Cook county transplants. Jewel, Wal-Mart, Target, Dominick's. Dining options are straight up decent, but surprisingly lacking for such a populated area with good median income. Notable restaurants would be Matty's pancake house, Westfield Family Restaurant, Maciano's Pizza, Giorodano's Pizza, Lou Malnati's, Honey Baked Ham, Crispy Waffle, Friaco's, Pepes, Chili's (lol) and then you have your dime-a-dozen fast food (2 McD's, KFC, WhiteCastle, BK, Wendys, TacoBell, 2 subways, Panera, Culvers...I could go on and on with this category...you get the idear!) There are a couple bars that are frequented by the large crowd of early 20's to 40's people living in the area. Those spots would be The Crowd in Shorewood, Scooters in Shorewood, The Penalty Box in Plainfield, and McBrides Tavern on Caton farm. Couple good mom n pop type of liquor stores (indian mom n pop) Corner stores, Walgreens, CVS.

Unrelated note: Come out here and open a Mechanic shop, or a carwash. They are available, but lacking. There could be closer ones with the land available. You'll probably take your car to Tim at Tuffy...he does a good job.

-On the subject of "gangs", there was for a short period in the mid-late 2000's before the housing crisis that a small number of inner-city folks (no pun intended) were moving in. There were a few gang related crimes, but nothing to pack up and leave over. The funny thing is, there were so many foreclosures in this area around 2008 that many of the "gangbangers" have either settled into the community, or were forced out with foreclosure. The biggest crime issue in recent memory would have to be highschool aged kids car hopping, so lock your doors. This has since died down as well, but there are a ton of cars parked on the streets, and there are plenty of places to run. Basically just lock your car door and you'll be fine, it was rarely a smashed window, the people getting jacked left their doors unlocked.

-Streets and parkway are tree-lined and well maintained. There is a landscaping company that is contracted by the association, and there are here about 2 times a week to maintain common areas and streets. Now that the community is around 18-19 years old (Hard to believe) the trees are looking mature and some streets are even shaded now, so you don't have the sterile feel of many "cookie cutter" communities. I think Wesmere is one of the best places to live out of all the neighborhoods that feed into Plainfield South HS.

I could go on and on, but I wont. I really liked growing up in this area. I have seen it change from a small area that was considered a fringe that Joliet and Aurora people would move to, now it's a bustling area full of people from all over the state and country. It really is a melting pot. I used to complain about it when I was a teenager, but I think that mentality exists all over the country with many teens no matter where you go. Looking back I have met great people from diverse backgrounds here. PM me if you want more info on Wesmere or the greater Plainfield/Joliet/Shorewood area in general. I've been here my whole life until 6 months ago.

[skeach101]

some more info. i moved to Wesmere in 2010. Crime isn't an issue. i heard that it was prior to the crash, but the area has really gentrified. home values are going up, and the elementary school is great... not a big fan of The high school though.

[WesmereToo]

Dlong1991's post could have been written by me! I've lived in Wesmere for 16 years and all of the things said are right on the money! I commute to Naperville (where I grew up) for my job and I'm there in 35 minutes straight north. I think it's really beautiful, particularly in the spring and summer. Downtown Plainfield is adorable and my kids have REALLY loved growing up here. It's a real mix of small town and middle-income suburb. We are considered a "clubhouse" community because we are across Caton Farm Rd from the Wedgewood (public) Golf course. Our clubhouse has been recently remodeled and is really beautiful, you can have gatherings of various sizes in different sized rooms that you can rent in advance. The great room overlooks the biggest lake with a beautiful bridge and the view is gorgeous in any season! You will love it, seriously.