What's Going To Happen To Flossmoor?? (Chicago, Harvey: for sale, houses, employment)

[oldhousegirl]

It's a rainy afternoon here in the Southern U.S. where I now live. I am perusing through property for sale both here and in various other parts of the country where I have lived. I like to keep an eye on things! I am a native Chicagoan, with Flossmoor being the last location that I/we lived in.

I absolutely loved living in Flossmoor!! The awesome sense of community, the great houses, the walkability and on and on. When we sold our Flossmoor home, there were approximately 67 or so houses on the market - that was in 2004. Now there are 100+. Are so many people moving now due to the increase in property values or have the crazy high taxes finally taken their toll??

It piqued my interest because at the height of the whole housing "thing", there were 60 or so homes for sale now there are so many more.

What's going to happen to a great, well run village like Flossmoor??

[flamadiddle]

I imagine some of it is "white flight" in addition to people leaving due the crazy high property taxes. IMO, The outlook for the South suburbs is bleak. Flossmoor will not go completely ghetto due to the high cost housing, but the surrounding areas are becoming increasingly sketchy.

[oldhousegirl]

Originally Posted by flamadiddle

I imagine some of it is "white flight" in addition to people leaving due the crazy high property taxes. IMO, The outlook for the South suburbs is bleak.

The word "bleak" sounds so, well...bleak. The South suburbs do have their problems, but the HF area was a jewel in the midst of things.

[flamadiddle]

As were many areas of the South Side of Chicago, but look at them now.

You sound like me... searching through listings that bring back memories, wondering if a move back might bring back those simpler times? A time and place where the neighbors all knew each other and kids ran around playing without any worries, other than being called in for dinner from 2 blocks away.

I remember riding my bike all the way from Glenwood to Idelwild country club to caddie during Summer vacation. So many good times... I wish that area were the way it was 30ish years ago too. If it were, I'd move back in a heartbeat.

[chet everett]

No real evidence of racial mixes shifting any more than usual. Kind of silly to say there is any kind of "flight" at work...

The folks that have been underwater for 8 years are so are seeing some "daylight in the tunnel" and that explains a whole lot of the increase in current listings.

Flossmoor remains fairly desirable bit the taxes have been a huge negative.

Beyond that, the general trend in employment forthe whole region is a huge negative -- many people are essentially forced to relocate becuae of work. It is really hard for an "island" to stave off the pressure of flat / falling prices and job loss that surround the south / southwest burbs...

[urza216]

Nothing's going to happen to Flossmoor. Or at least, I don't think so. What's the question, exactly?

[flamadiddle]

C'mon urza, you can read between the lines.

Compare and contrast Riverdale, Dolton, Harvey, Hazel Crest, Glenwood, Lansing and Homewood from 1970 until now. I sometimes wonder if the insanely high property tax in Flossmoor is a last ditch effort to stem the tide. It may just be enough to keep Flossmoor from falling like the rest, but then you have the school issue. Do Flossmoor residents pay insanely hight property taxes in addition to private school tuition or just throw in the towel and hit the road? The biggest difference between Flossmoor and the rest is the higher cost housing, which tends to keep an area stable.

Don't get me wrong, I love the South burbs and have lived in Riverdale, Hegewisch, Glenwood, Hazel Crest and Steger, but each time I come back to visit, a little piece of my heart gets ripped out.

[Lookout Kid]

Flossmoor's fortunes are strongly tied to those of the entire south suburban area. So while it is likely to remain one of the more desirable suburbs in that area due to the stunning housing stock and "better than surrounding schools" school district, it's luster fades a bit as the luster of the south suburbs fades.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Flossmoor's fortunes are strongly tied to those of the entire south suburban area. So while it is likely to remain one of the more desirable suburbs in that area due to the stunning housing stock and "better than surrounding schools" school district, it's luster fades a bit as the luster of the south suburbs fades.

Honestly there are parts of the broad south reaches of the region that I might say conform to the "loss of luster" that have some background of changing, notably the rebirth of the south Loop as a viable option for residential development. That said the little "time capsule" of its once VERY "lustery" past, namely the Prairie Ave. historic district, has not in fact been the direction of the "redevelopment" but more a tiny little window into what was once a grand place to live. So to could the same thing be said of the little sliver of posh town houses near Whitney Young.

The problem with saying this is just about "luster" is that sort of paves over the glaring problems with trends that no one seems to be capable of honestly addressing -- Illinios has a MAJOR problem with JOBS! Folks that earn enough at downtown jobs are not going to repopulate southern suburbs. The once "activists" path worn between Flossmoor & UofC seems to make less sense as the tradiitonal "barriers" have fallen like dominoes. The very "success" embodied by our current president calls into the question the need to call attention to race.

Illinois needs JOBS! The policies and problems that prevent employers from locating in the region overwhelming hurt people on the more modest end of the earnings ladder whose skills are often not going to impress / attract employers.

The "infrastructure" for taking advantage of real growth in the souther suburbs is there -- HF send a sizeable number of kids off to college. If they could find a reason to work in the area after graduation that BY ITSELF would go a long way to improving the outlook. For folks that are not going right to college the south suburbs already are home to more vocational / labor partnerships for training than any other part of the region. The missions of the colleges in the southland was once well aligned with the needs of "adult learners" and "non traditonal students" but misguided "reforms" have weakened those missions while corrupt polticians a insiders have harmed the reputation of the colleges making it harder to attract qualified faculty.

If folks foolishly keep the "same old liars" in office the fate of areas that most need not just a little polishing but a whole lot of revitalization will be much worse than if new leadership is elected that can tackle this problems in an appropriate way...

[Lookout Kid]

You're taking the term "luster" too literally. Of course I'm sugar-coating some very serious problems that the area is facing, but I think most of us on this forum are aware of what has been going on in the South Suburbs over the past few decades. We may not all agree on the reasons for the decline, but it's not exactly a secret around here that the desirability of the "Southland" area has faded considerably for people with means to live elsewhere.