Raising children in Chicago - who has done it? (Norwood: condo, townhouse)

[Houseboo]

Here the deal...

My husband and I moved out to the 'burbs about 5 years ago and still find ourselves homesick. Even after all this time, I still feel like a fish out of water. We moved to the 'burbs because that's what you're supposed to do when you have children and we had children, you know -- safer environment, better schools etc. Thing is, I didn't fully research our suburb as much as I should have and as it turns out, the elementary is great, the middle school is great but the high school is similar to many Chicago schools and about as safe too. So, now that my older son is starting Jr. High/middle school next year, we are in the process of looking for a private school in this "great suburban utopia" that we've moved to. To make matters more ironic/frustrating, our younger son, age 6, is attending Montessori because he's a very high functioning Asperger Savant and the public schools in our town have pitiful gifted programs. Seriously, it's basically non-existant.

Sooooo...to make a long story even longer...my husband and I were talking about how ironic it is that we moved out to the 'burbs, we're both miserable here (he's a writer and fairly non-social as it is) and that we STILL have to pay for private schools.

In looking into schools with gifted programs another irony hit me, Chicago probably has the best magnet programs and gifted programs in Illinois. (Who knew?) Montessori in our area only goes up to grade 3, so we have decided to stay here 3 more years and then move back to the city. We will actually save money on education because the same programs that my son can get at a CPS magnet would likely cost me about 15k a year out here and my older son can go to a Catholic school in the city and when it comes to education, we'll still come our ahead.

The only sacrifice we'll have to make is drastically reducing our space. We realize that our house will only allow us to buy a duplex, condo or townhouse if we're lucky but we've also come to find out that both of us hate yard work, I hate gardening, he hates fixing house stuff. Bascially, we are low maintence people.

I know a lot of high school kids exist by looking at the size of Lane Tech, but you know what, all those years I lived down there, I never noticed high school kids. Do people still raise their children for their entire childhood in Chicago. Everyone I know has moved to the 'burbs when their kids started school. We are going to be the family of reverse flight.

Are we crazy or do people really raise children successfully in Chicago? And are we nuts for considering that post age 40???

[Venom]

Don't know about raising, but I was born and raised here.

[Avengerfire]

I went to CPS schools including a couple of magnet grammar schools and a couple of regular grammar schools as well as Lane Tech. I turned out fine.

[chicagocubs]

I also grew up in the city, attending James Monroe grammar school & Taft High school. I never (in my life) thought that I was deprived living in the city; had absolutely no desire to live in the suburbs. That is ironic because now I live in the suburbs of a medium-size city (my kids are now grown) and I miss the activity of the city!

Lane always was the premier school for the technologically advanced student; I assume that it still is. We didn't have fancy names back then, we just called them "smart"!

Good luck with your decision.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by chicagocubs

...Lane always was the premier school for the technologically advanced student; I assume that it still is. We didn't have fancy names back then, we just called them "smart"!

Good luck with your decision.

Lane has drifted away from the Tech in the last decade.

It is now considered a "college prep" that has more tech options than most or if not all CPS High Schools. The main focus is no longer the tech.

It is still better than 99% of the CPS High Schools in the city though.

[chicagocubs]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Lane has drifted away from the Tech in the last decade.

It is now considered a "college prep" that has more tech options than most or if not all CPS High Schools. The main focus is no longer the tech.

It is still better than 99% of the CPS High Schools in the city though.

Sounds like it took over Taft's place in college prep...(because I don't think that Taft is so much college prep anymore)

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by chicagocubs

Sounds like it took over Taft's place in college prep...(because I don't think that Taft is so much college prep anymore)

Taft... It is a shame a neighborhood school in one of the best parts of the city has been turned to garbage by the CPS.

I believe 75% of the kids that go there do not live in Norwood Park and the adjacent neighborhoods. It has been quite a mess for at least 20 years.

[Venom]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

I went to CPS schools including a couple of magnet grammar schools and a couple of regular grammar schools as well as Lane Tech. I turned out fine.

Nerd.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Venom

Nerd.

Thanks.

[anoroc]

My wife and I both went to Taft ('97), and we're doing quite well, post graduate degrees, kids, own home and we are both born and raised in the city.

In my personal opinion you can raise children in Chicago, just stay involve and set a curfew!