Where does the upper middle class reside? (Naperville, Evanston: middle-class, real estate)

[serpent_of_old]

whether it be in the city or burbs, i would like to know

i am asking this to those who are able to see beyond the surface of my posts and are able to respond to the content, not to those who are sensitive to the surface of what i ask and react like animals

more times that not, i find when people talk about different classes on city data, they are way off. i.e. the idea that the upper middle class is defined by income. nothing could be further from the truth. that said, i will clarify on the upper middle class, only for the purpose of aiding the discovery of the information i seek

-education is a high priority, whereas parents take a highly active role starting early on in aiding their children to reach peak performance
-children are procreated upon casual review and selection of prolonging good genetics, not based upon "getting knocked up" nor being ok with the idea of "the stork". also having children is planned, whereas its decided when it will happen
-european cars are owned NOT for the purpose of status, but for both the likelyhood of being able to protect ones family at the most optimum from a crash and for a feeling of deservingness of good things
-when one thinks grocery shopping, only trader joes and whole foods comes to mind, and living near them important
-competitiveness when it comes to a career and preparing for one via high end education is highly valued
-high end results in life are valued, as opposed to the belief that we all must stick together, have hard times, struggle, and get average results as our identity
-more of a lean towards the arts, doing things that are constructive, expansive, and intellectual, as opposed to inherently destructive and careless
-an openness to others, change, and things different from ourselves
-religion and other fear based institutions take a back seat to reason, understanding, and a high praise for leisure and getting the most out of an experience, especially interpersonal
-getting the desired results always wins over excuses
-private day schools and boarding prep being what is typical for ones lifetime

i could go on and on
my understanding is that chicago is known for its working class, and thats cool
i plan on moving there and i need to know where my people are at
where does the the upper middle class live in chicago and the surrounding burbs?
thanks
i am very invested in learning as much as i can about your beautiful city

[marothisu]

You could apply your list to a lot of areas on the north/northwest side and some on the south side, income aside. I would say it applies a lot to areas such as Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Lincoln Square, Irving park, Hyde Park, Beverly, etc...but the thing is that I feel as if you're missing the point most of us made about religion in your other thread. The most important part for you (and being as I'm an agnostic/atheist too and understand exactly) is the not "in your face" attitude. You won't find that a lot on the north side, as we've said in your other thread. I'm sure there's many religious people around me, but I barely ever see it. They keep it to themselves. Most people don't give a ****.

You will find it in the parts of the city closer to some of the burbs though (i.e. Beverly for example). There are other suburbs which fit this of course such as Wilmette, Deerfield, Hinsdale, Naperville, Evanston, etc but I'd say the ones like Wilmette, Deerfield, Hinsdale, and Naperville are far more conservative than the city and you'll find more of this. Evanston and Skokie and maybe some around there are more like the city usually. The burbs though? If you are looking to get away from people talking to you about religion, then most of the suburbs are not for you.

[Lookout Kid]

You really might as well drop the word "middle" from your description. The New York Times put out a collection of articles on the concept of class a few years back, and one finding about the term "middle class" was that everyone thinks it applies to themselves and people like themselves. Both the poor and rich believe they are "middle class", unless they are on the extreme ends of poverty or wealth.

But as far as your description above is concerned, you'll find some of them sprinkled throughout the city's desirable North Side neighborhoods, but they will be mixed in with young 20-somethings from all walks of life. They may be concentrated in small enclaves throughout the North Side, but they do not dominate the culture in large enough numbers in any particular neighborhood. The dominant culture in North Side neighborhoods like Lincoln Park is post-college party hangout have fun get drunk. The people who contribute to this culture live in apartments and condos. The people who live in single-family houses and rowhouses tend to be older and more wealthy, so any block with a concentration of houses like this will be more upper-middle or upper class.

People in the wealthier suburbs have been through a bit more of an upper class sieve, since the housing options are really limited for people of lesser means. Culturally, the North Shore fits your description above quite well, as do western suburbs like Hinsdale, Western Springs, La Grange, Oak Park, River Forest, and perhaps Riverside. But out west you're probably more likely to find an options trader or president of a trucking company who is doing quite well financially, but who identifies with more of a working class ethos.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by marothisu

The burbs though? If you are looking to get away from people talking to you about religion, then most of the suburbs are not for you.

I don't really see this. Maybe in Wheaton.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I don't really see this. Maybe in Wheaton.

Well, not all suburbs obviously. You can see it in parts of Naperville, Hinsdale, Deerfield, etc too.

[chet everett]

The OP is perhaps unaware that despite the general impression of chaos that the mass media portrays regarding decisions about famiky structure / consumerism / stratification of income the reality is that most every part of the city and suburbs has a wide range of people of different background / aspirations that live where they do for a whole host of reasons.

The simple fact is that is someone is wise / fortunate enough to live somewhere that affords them good access to employment, is mostly safe, and has at least a smattering of good qualities they rarely look for someplace else to move. Over time the places that are more attractive to others of the ability to pay more do grow more affluent and the places that have more negatives become less desirable. The exception is rare periods of rapid new development which temporarily create boom towns. Even rarer are rapid periods of decline, the likely impetus for that has been shifts in employment and racial migration, neither of which has been much of a force in the region for some time.

There is really nothing that would tie either postive or negative shifts to religion in the region -- large fundamentalist congregations are really not a factor at all in the region. Even the rare generic protestant church that has "auditorium" sized facilities in the region tends to be more about convenience than any kind of ferverent / activist movement... Even once dedicated church going pooulations have been severely splintered over the years. Whether you are taking about once bustling Jewish Synogouges, active Catholic parish, thriving souther Baptist communities or the immigrant churches of folks from every part of the globe it is foolish to say that any other than declining in the suburbs or city. The handful of worship spaces that appear "new" are almost certainly just taking advantage of cheap real estate with the idea of some "rebound" more a figment of their dreams than any trend...

Originally Posted by marothisu

You could apply your list to a lot of areas on the north/northwest side and some on the south side, income aside. I would say it applies a lot to areas such as Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Lincoln Square, Irving park, Hyde Park, Beverly, etc...but the thing is that I feel as if you're missing the point most of us made about religion in your other thread. The most important part for you (and being as I'm an agnostic/atheist too and understand exactly) is the not "in your face" attitude. You won't find that a lot on the north side, as we've said in your other thread. I'm sure there's many religious people around me, but I barely ever see it. They keep it to themselves. Most people don't give a ****.

You will find it in the parts of the city closer to some of the burbs though (i.e. Beverly for example). There are other suburbs which fit this of course such as Wilmette, Deerfield, Hinsdale, Naperville, Evanston, etc but I'd say the ones like Wilmette, Deerfield, Hinsdale, and Naperville are far more conservative than the city and you'll find more of this. Evanston and Skokie and maybe some around there are more like the city usually. The burbs though? If you are looking to get away from people talking to you about religion, then most of the suburbs are not for you.

[serpent_of_old]

to all
my post here was NOT about religion nor stratification nor cost of living
it was about values, which almost exclusively define the upper middle class. not only am i of such culture, but i spent about 6 years studying it. the upper class i.e. are not those living in nicer houses per se, they are more identified as people who are truely isolated from everyone. what i described was upper middle. it is what the upper class of the 80's has evolved into...not assumptions i make based upon whatever, but actual measurable qualities
out of everything i said, i would like to think religion was a small fraction...thus i made a new thread with a different purpose. so why so much feedback about religion in my post thats not ABOUT religion

thank you for the area suggestions, but i need answers from someone who understands the classes, not black and white assumptions regarding haves and have nots
lookout kid, i generally find all of your posts among many threads very useful and practical. good lookin out
thank you

[emathias]

Originally Posted by serpent_of_old

whether it be in the city or burbs, i would like to know
...
i could go on and on
my understanding is that chicago is known for its working class, and thats cool
i plan on moving there and i need to know where my people are at
where does the the upper middle class live in chicago and the surrounding burbs?
thanks
i am very invested in learning as much as i can about your beautiful city

Ugh. I live in a building of professionals, including doctors, lawyers, the owner of a successful public relations firm, private wealth managers and the retired former COO of an Asian stock exchange, at least one person who bought his place with stock option gains, a professional concert pianist, among others. We are all solidly "upper-middle class" in income, emphasis on education and culture. My home is in River North aka the Near North Side (yes, my profile currently says Cambridge, Mass, but that's because I'm finishing my masters here at the moment).

That said, I almost laughed out loud to see "-an openness to others, change, and things different from ourselves" listed among the rest of your pretentious, obnoxious list because it's contradictory to at least half of your other things. You can't believe half of what you wrote and at the same time believe that you're actually open things and others different from yourself. The thing I like best about my particular condo association is that everyone in it is genuinely open to things and people different from themselves. Some of them own luxury imports because they like them, others own domestic cars because they know many of them are just as safe, they cost a lot better (real upper-middle-class ethos is to not waste money, not to always have to have the best). Of course they all recognize there is an ideal, but they also realize that culture, sophistication and grace are what having class is about, not prattling on about ideals in a self-congratulatory manner that implies failure to attain those ideals is always and only a personal failing that precludes one from having value.

In order to be upper-(middle)-class, one must first have class.

[serpent_of_old]

Originally Posted by emathias

Ugh. I live in a building of professionals, including doctors, lawyers, the owner of a successful public relations firm, private wealth managers and the retired former COO of an Asian stock exchange, at least one person who bought his place with stock option gains, a professional concert pianist, among others. We are all solidly "upper-middle class" in income, emphasis on education and culture. My home is in River North aka the Near North Side (yes, my profile currently says Cambridge, Mass, but that's because I'm finishing my masters here at the moment).

That said, I almost laughed out loud to see "-an openness to others, change, and things different from ourselves" listed among the rest of your pretentious, obnoxious list because it's contradictory to at least half of your other things. You can't believe half of what you wrote and at the same time believe that you're actually open things and others different from yourself. The thing I like best about my particular condo association is that everyone in it is genuinely open to things and people different from themselves. Some of them own luxury imports because they like them, others own domestic cars because they know many of them are just as safe, they cost a lot better (real upper-middle-class ethos is to not waste money, not to always have to have the best). Of course they all recognize there is an ideal, but they also realize that culture, sophistication and grace are what having class is about, not prattling on about ideals in a self-congratulatory manner that implies failure to attain those ideals is always and only a personal failing that precludes one from having value.

In order to be upper-(middle)-class, one must first have class.

"In order to be upper-(middle)-class, one must first have class." correction, you must be born that way, not be a try-hard (mistaking income for for the values that class is dependent upon) with a long list of trendy neighbors. values are put into our cereal and very being (who we and our families are for generations), NOT something we suddenly achieve in adulthood, nor pretentious affiliations, nor self-stroking. you are clearly NOT upper middle class, but i am sure the competition in boston has you stroking as fast as you possibly can. good luck with chasing a nonexistent tail that others have convinced you exists

your post is without genuine use and purpose. if youre threatened by my post, as your post indicates, then i would not suggest acquiring more intimacy by replying. my goal was to find my peers, not overcompensation as you have. you clearly know nothing about upper middle class, so what you said is not founded

back to the topic
thanks to all who can contribute as requested instead of trolling

[glass_of_merlot]

I thought upper middle class was based on income. Like a family making 250 grand a year or so. I guess I clearly know nothing either.

But I do know that you can find plenty of "low class" people even among the richest.