Are there any Chicago Suburbs losing their white population that are improving? (Aurora: crime, neighborhoods)

[Humboldt1]

This should be interesting.

Overwhelmingly when there is white flight, suburbs and Chicago neighborhoods go downhill.

Conversely, are there any suburbs that have gotten worse as their white population has increased?

[chet everett]

Whatda mean "gotten worse"? I would be hard to argue that the booming population of towns in the fringes have not seen congestion, expenses and generally quality of life decline as the population increased, and towns that have seen population increases from their "white population" but also a more massive inflow of minorities exist too -- Aurora immediately comes to mind, though in fairness the literal fact that West Aurora High School is an entirely separate DISTRICT than East Aurora High School goes to just how segregated even the burbs can be...

If you are looking for a town that has seen the percentage of minorities shrink AND the economic / crime stats get worse I think you will find those downstate. As small towns around a rural hub like Kankakee contract even the migrant workers leave and the folks left behind are all poorer and drink / abuse substances more. Crystal meth is not a "happy town" kind of drug...

[pvande55]

It seems to me that when people leave a community that means it is going downhill. It doesn't matter what color they are. Yes, there are "growing pains" in some newer suburbs, but I would rather live there than someplace where out-migration is occurring.

[Lookout Kid]

In California there are towns like Cupertino where the Asian population is growing while the white population is declining. The schools have never been more competitive. But I guess Asians don't count as "minorities" in your world view Humboldt?

The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition (http://wsjclassroom.com/teen/teencenter/05nov_whiteflight.htm - broken link)

[mas23]

great another one of these!

mas23

[meatpuff]

Hmmm. Maybe Olympia Fields?

It is certainly majority black now. And it is definitely pretty nice, with reasonable crime, a nice high school and household income in 2000 of $94K, which is among the highest in the south suburbs. Quite possibly the highest, except maybe if you count newcomer fringe towns like Frankfort.

I don't have the inclination right now to dig up historical census data, but definitely it wasn't always majority black. It is an old town, and the south suburbs generally, and all of its older neighbors specifically, were all white at one time. The question is whether it was just as nice 25 or 50 years ago when there weren't many blacks there, or if it has improved as the black population grew? Certainly going black hasn't hurt Olympia Fields.

[US-Traveller]

I think Asians can be considered minorities. When I lived in California I noticed that as Asians moved into and took over communities like San Marino they became less desirable to whites.

[mrjimmy92]

No

[urza216]

Arguably, Matteson. Because it's mostly just black people moving into the new and more expensive subdivisions.

This is why the median income is higher than it used to be - not because of already existing neighorhoods.

[urza216]

If the town is improving, why are white people leaving?

This question is kinda screwed up. And it's ironic because Humboldt1 seems to agree with the premise of those with the extreme opposite viewpoint as him. White people leave town because black people show up. And nothing ever happens in between these two evetnts..