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Old 02-24-2007, 08:56 PM
 
Location: Okinawa, Japan
6 posts, read 29,046 times
Reputation: 10

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...and trying to find a community that is diverse, relativley liberal and boasts good schools. We are a racially mixed family with 15 & 10 yr. olds. I want my children to continue to see the positive race relations that the military can offer, but some communities lack. Looking for a place that has newer homes in the $200 - 250,000 range that's not a horrible commute to the base. (Though I don't know for sure what that means in a place with winters such as this area ~ most of my commuting life has been in Southern California where a commute time is typically the same every day.) Please help! We're overseas and this is a leap of faith!!
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Old 02-28-2007, 12:03 AM
 
331 posts, read 1,539,990 times
Reputation: 178
Will you be stationed at Great Lakes naval base? Great Lakes itself has some residential areas.

There are neighbourhoods that might fit your race realtions and budget criteria in Waukegan which begins about 5 miles north of the base. But keep in mind that Waukegan has many typical urban problems, so it's something you need to visit and see for yourselves.

North of Waukegan is Winthrop Harbor. You should be able to afford a home there. It doesn't have as many problems as Wakegan, but it doesn't have its diversity either.

About 10-12 miles to the northwest is Gurnee. It's much nicer than the previous two places. Not diverse, but you won't have a problem fitting in. You would be looking for an older home there though.

In terms of weather it's no SoCal and definitely not Okinawa. But with the exception of a handful of snowstorms(on some heavy snow days it might take twice the time) your commute shouldn't change throughout the year. If you want a preview of the local weather you can take your family on a quick weekend vacation to Wakkanai, Sapporo or Aomori

Good luck!
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Old 03-03-2007, 03:06 AM
 
Location: Okinawa, Japan
6 posts, read 29,046 times
Reputation: 10
Yes, we'll be at Great Lakes, but because we lack a marriage certificate, we are not authorized base housing. That's quite alright.
Thanks for your reply and help. I've been looking at Gurnee a bit. I'm actually from Ohio and have lived in the East Cleveland suburbs, so I understand the weather, but the rest of the family will be in total shock!
I'm hoping to take a trip next month and do some house-hunting so I can get a feel for things. There's some new construction I may check out in Kenosha, any idea what it's like up there? The city web page speaks of making attempts at diversity...must mean it's still pretty far from it. We're more concerned with good schools and good people. Somewhere that's open-minded works for us. Thanks for the information.
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Old 04-05-2007, 10:27 PM
 
10 posts, read 69,875 times
Reputation: 13
Waukegan is a very diverse community. You can find a great home in a wonderful neighborhood. Sure, there are some "bad" neigborhoods but that's why you stay away from them. The high school, I'll admit, is a bit lacking.. but it does have a College Studies Program. Your child will be in classes with many great children who won't be a distraction and the College Studies Program offers a wonderful curriculum with a prime goal of preparing your child for college. It's an internationally renown program, with graduates going to top ivy league schools. Again, Waukegan High School and Waukegan in general is very diverse and very affordable. The elementary schools are fantastic, with most passing NCLB standards. There are also magnet schools that overwhelmingly exceed standards and a highly regarded gifted program at the middle school level.

Waukegan's downtown and lakefront is currently going through a billion dollar renovation/development. Condos are supposed to break ground this summer. The Genesee Theatre opened a few years ago and the downtown is already starting to form up with new fine restaurants. Fountain Square is also a new development in the city's west side, with new restaurants opening up there as well.

Of course Waukegan does have some problems due to it being a bit urban, but there is a plan and there are a lot of dedicated citizens who are trying to help make Waukegan better.

I guess my main point is to not eliminate Waukegan automatically because of people simply telling you that it's not an option because of it's supposed "high crime" rate. I say visit Waukegan and go look at some of the nice neigborhoods and get a feel for the city.
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Old 04-07-2007, 06:08 PM
 
23 posts, read 153,206 times
Reputation: 23
Default North Chicago

How is North Chicago Ive never been that far north, is it a diverse area? or a good place to live?
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Old 05-03-2007, 04:30 AM
 
Location: Okinawa, Japan
6 posts, read 29,046 times
Reputation: 10
Default Waukegan

Wow. Thank you for your honest opinion. I have, in fact, heard very few good things about Waukegan, but have looked for houses there anyway. I'll have to research further. It's good to know that the community is working together to grow and rebuild.
It's so hard to look at a few pictures, a few pie charts and say, "Ahhhhh, that's home!" We were wanting to find a place where we could move right in but,we've decided to hold out and look for our selves. Thanks again for your input, I'll definatley take a more serious look at Waukegan.

Quote:
Originally Posted by misconceptions View Post
Waukegan is a very diverse community. You can find a great home in a wonderful neighborhood. Sure, there are some "bad" neigborhoods but that's why you stay away from them. The high school, I'll admit, is a bit lacking.. but it does have a College Studies Program. Your child will be in classes with many great children who won't be a distraction and the College Studies Program offers a wonderful curriculum with a prime goal of preparing your child for college. It's an internationally renown program, with graduates going to top ivy league schools. Again, Waukegan High School and Waukegan in general is very diverse and very affordable. The elementary schools are fantastic, with most passing NCLB standards. There are also magnet schools that overwhelmingly exceed standards and a highly regarded gifted program at the middle school level.

Waukegan's downtown and lakefront is currently going through a billion dollar renovation/development. Condos are supposed to break ground this summer. The Genesee Theatre opened a few years ago and the downtown is already starting to form up with new fine restaurants. Fountain Square is also a new development in the city's west side, with new restaurants opening up there as well.

Of course Waukegan does have some problems due to it being a bit urban, but there is a plan and there are a lot of dedicated citizens who are trying to help make Waukegan better.

I guess my main point is to not eliminate Waukegan automatically because of people simply telling you that it's not an option because of it's supposed "high crime" rate. I say visit Waukegan and go look at some of the nice neigborhoods and get a feel for the city.
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Old 05-03-2007, 07:43 AM
 
4,720 posts, read 15,551,957 times
Reputation: 4804
First of all,may I say Thank you for serving.You have been given great advice.Waukegan, there are still nice neighborhoods.I went to a wedding at St Anastasia Catholic church a few years ago and thought the homes and neighborhood was nice.The downtown looks like it will really be nice again..It was and could be a really nice lakefront community.To the poster who asked ,I would say a big NO to North Chicago.Is it Diverse?Well,there are many different gangs.
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Old 05-03-2007, 05:22 PM
 
38 posts, read 829,993 times
Reputation: 93
Gurlondamove I guess we are in the same boat practically with the exception we are not overseas. We are moving from Georgia however my husband nor I know nothing about IL. He is no longer active military but he is now civil service in which he too will be working on Great Lakes Navy Base. Since we don't know anything about the area we decided to rent first. Everyone kept telling me all the bad things of Waukegan as well. The main thing was Waukegan is a fairly nice place to live but you would have to put your kids into private school b/c the schools were severly lacking. We decided to check into the area anyway b/c we were just having a hard time finding something within our price range to rent.

We did decide on Grayslake. Everything I have heard and researched seems to be pretty good thus far. The only thing we don't know about is the travel time for him to get to work. He is used to a 30-40min ride to work but he is also used to going straight highway without the traffic.

Because I too heard that Chicago suburbs area was not very diverse that concerned us. Our biggest concern we did not want to move our children to a place in which they would have to experience the unpleasantancies life can bring. We teach them to love everyone inspite of so when I read many post (on this site) that said the suburbs areas were not diverse that made my search for a place to live more complicated. We want to be in an neighborhood that is friendly and safe for our children. We did not want to move to an area in which our neighbors were afraid of us visaversus or be in a constant quarrel over petty issues. We want our children to attend school and receive the same level of education benefits and practices as other ethnic groups.

You are welcome to email me and we can chat if you like.

Thanks
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Old 05-03-2007, 06:54 PM
 
4,720 posts, read 15,551,957 times
Reputation: 4804
SBJJ,I think Illinois will have much to offer you and your family.We are suburbs to a HUGE city,with all the wonderful and not so wonderful that goes along. There is much divirsity.I think the type of intolerant people you are describing are very much the exception,NOT the rule.I wish you much happiness on your move.I think your biggest problam may be getting used to our cold winters after Georgia. Good luck to you
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Old 05-03-2007, 08:02 PM
 
38 posts, read 829,993 times
Reputation: 93
"Getting used to our cold winters after Georgia" is an understatement to say the least, lol. You know to be honest, my husband and I were talking about how much we need to set aside to go winter shopping. Can you believe my children do not even own a coat, lol? We were wearing short pants on Christmas Eve and with the exception of the rain on Christmas Day it was hot that day too.

We all are looking forward to the new chapter that is opening in all of our lives. I was mainly concerned b/c we currently live in a military town and being around different cultures and ethnic groups is natural I suppose.
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