Population dropoff (Chicago, Oak Park, River Grove: private school tuition, quality of life, to live)

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by Basekamp

Speaking of which my fellow Chicagoans, take note: "Friends don't let friends move to the burbs." It is like letting someone you care about vote for Bush in 2004. An action you will live to regret.

Bah, you shouldn't be so presumptuous as to know what is best for other people. Chicago is great if you live in one of the nice neighborhoods, make decent money, and don't have kids. For most middle to upper income families, the impossibility of getting a decent education for their kids at a reasonable price, is a perfectly valid reason to leave the city for the suburbs. Its the number one or two problem (arguably crime reduction is more important) that needs to be addressed by the city. Otherwise middle class families will continue to leave the city, resulting in a continual drag on population growth.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by sukwoo

Bah, you shouldn't be so presumptuous as to know what is best for other people. Chicago is great if you live in one of the nice neighborhoods, make decent money, and don't have kids. For most middle to upper income families, the impossibility of getting a decent education for their kids at a reasonable price, is a perfectly valid reason to leave the city for the suburbs. Its the number one or two problem (arguably crime reduction is more important) that needs to be addressed by the city. Otherwise middle class families will continue to leave the city, resulting in a continual drag on population growth.

This is spot on, though I submit that reduced crime would flow from good schools because more and more middle and upper middle class people would choose areas closer to the city center if good public education was available. So they are tied together versus being #1 and #2.

If we're going to have a viable back to the city movement, education is going to have to be addressed, somehow. Whether that comes from the individual school districts, the State or Federal government, high fuel taxes, or all of the above, it doesn't matter. It has to happen. Otherwise, we will keep encouraging sprawl and reliance on foreign oil.

We can talk all day long about how great urban living is for the environment and the racial and cultural harmony of our society but if the schools aren't good and there are cheap alternatives available, then we're just talking out of our you-know-what. Desirable City neighborhoods and inner ring suburbs, with a few exceptions, are basically on a treadmill. They've got endless cycles of DINKs who, over a 5-7 year period or so, progress from idealistic first time home buyers, to young parents, to tract home dwelling soccer moms in Yorkville.

Of course, a few stay and send their kids to private schools and even use the public schools but that's not a high percentage. Eventually, we're going to have to build a monorail out to Des Moines and import all of our corn and soybeans from China if we don't do something soon.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by coldwine

... And zombies!

But do zombies count in the population count? Probably not, since they are mostly resting in cemetaries while the census workers are out and about doing their thang. If we were able to count all of the zombies, Chicago's population count would be much higher. Chicago is a much more significant zombie port-of-entry than Houston.

[Lookout Kid]

If I ever leave the city, schools will be the primary reason. Well, and the whole host of economic difficulties involved in raising a family in the city. I'm already sick of the $1400/month daycare, the waiting lists for everything under the sun, and the cost of a three-bedroom place in a reasonably safe neighborhood. But doubling our household income could solve ALL of these issues...

[crbcrbrgv]

People are leaving Chicago, but not the Chicago area. Once you start having children, schools become a big concern. Suburban schools are much better for the most part. Not everyone gets into magnet. And Mexicans are following the old Pilsen, Cicero, Berwyn pattern Czechs and Poles once did (just one immigrant population example).

Houston won't reach Chicago's population until at least 2050, but it will happen. There are many more reasons for outsiders to move to Houston as opposed to Chicago. I won't discuss them, lest I be called a troll.

Yee-haw!

[BRU67]

With all due respect to the Lone Star state, I don’t want to see the Chicagoland area come to resemble the Houston area, which consistantly ranks near the top for sprawl and lack of urban planning. I’d like to see us practice the concept of “Smart Growth” and reverse this trend.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by BRU67

With all due respect to the Lone Star state, I don’t want to see the Chicagoland area come to resemble the Houston area, which consistantly ranks near the top for sprawl and lack of urban planning. I’d like to see us practice the concept of “Smart Growth” and reverse this trend.

Well, we're already there. You can drive for over an hour in any direction and not even leave the "metro" area.

[Attrill]

As others have mentioned, the only numbers that are reliable are the numbers from actual census years. The 2007 numbers are meaningless.

That said, Chicago population is increasing. It dropped between 1950 and 1990 and began to rebound between 1990-2000 with a 4 to 5% increase. I was somewhat surprised there was a gain in the 90's. I lived in Ukrainian Village during that time and saw so many 3 flats with entire families on each floor converted to condos with 1 or 2 occupants/floor I thought there was going to be a citywide decrease. There was a significant decrease in the census block I lived in.

[Lookout Kid]

I think Houston's population growth will eventually cap out, and then decrease. And the industries that fueled Houston's growth will not continue to foster growth in coming decades. Heck, it's not exactly one of the nicer metro areas in the country right now.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I think Houston's population growth will eventually cap out, and then decrease. And the industries that fueled Houston's growth will not continue to foster growth in coming decades. Heck, it's not exactly one of the nicer metro areas in the country right now.

They've been saying that since the oil bust. And everyone always says "It's not a nice place to live" until they move here and find it's a nice place to live.