Why Should I NOT Buy a House in Beverly? (Chicago: racist, Walmart)

[beverlybrat60643]

What are dinks? And I mentioned something about Bronzeville in a Bev thread? Huh? I'm a little confuseddd.

[ajolotl]

DINK: double-income no kids. Humboldt is correct that Beverly mostly attracts couples with kids, or who plan to have kids soon after arriving.

[beverlybrat60643]

Nowww that makes sense! I mean, one bad high school shouldn't destroy the neighborhood. And in all honesty, at least 2/3 of the people here go catholic/private for high school anyway, and atleast half for k-8!
And I wasn't saying that CVS = great commerce, I was just saying that the 111th intersection and 95th intersection are really popular here. Idk about 103rd though. there is the Bev. Bank, but thats it.

[Lookout Kid]

I like Beverly. I completely agree with ajolotl's assessment that it offers a lot for the money, i.e. beautiful homes on large lots, proximity to downtown compared to the suburbs, Metra service, Top Notch Beefburgers, etc. I don't know much about the K-8 CPS schools there, but it's not too hard to imagine people using the real estate savings in Beverly to send their kids to private schools. It's the same thing BRU67 is doing in Berwyn. And if you're inclined to send your kids to a private school anyway and can afford it, why not live in Beverly? It sounds to me like ajolotl has a nice little life carved out for his family there.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I like Beverly. I completely agree with ajolotl's assessment that it offers a lot for the money, i.e. beautiful homes on large lots, proximity to downtown compared to the suburbs, Metra service, Top Notch Beefburgers, etc. I don't know much about the K-8 CPS schools there, but it's not too hard to imagine people using the real estate savings in Beverly to send their kids to private schools. It's the same thing BRU67 is doing in Berwyn. And if you're inclined to send your kids to a private school anyway and can afford it, why not live in Beverly? It sounds to me like ajolotl has a nice little life carved out for his family there.

There is a pretty substantial real estate and real estate tax savings, especially compared to neighboring Oak Park and Riverside. But whether you care about schools personally or not, you always want the community to have good public schools. They tie into quality of life in too many ways, and too many prospective homebuyers care about this, particularly those looking at suburbs. You can argue that too much weight is probably put on this (parental involvement is really the key) but it's a reality that you cannot ignore if you want your community to have any kind of viable long term future.

I've noticed that city neighborhoods can, to some degree, get away with less than stellar schools. For example, a DINK couple will buy into a Logan Square neighborhood served by an elementary school that scored 3% meets or exceeds on the ISAT without even blinking, whereas most 'burbs, even inner ring suburbs, can't get away with that. In Beverly, Morgan Park High is simply ignored, whereas in Berwyn, Morton West is viewed much more negatively.

This is why we are striving to improve education! If that ultimately increases my taxes, I'll hardly care. Right now, our public grade school, and even middle school, are viable options. The HS, unfortunately, isn't, but I hope for change in that area.

[Irishtom29]

Do schools have bad reputations because they do a poor job or because they have lousy students? If a good student goes to school with a bad reputation because it has lousy students can that good student not get a proper education?

Just wondering.

[ajolotl]

It's not really lousy students that is the problem; it's ghetto thugs that disrupt the learning environment. I went to a school that had plenty of lousy students. We also had some great ones. The great ones took AP classes. The lousy ones didn't and admired us from afar. Those aren't the type of lousy students that one finds on the south side.

The system has an overly permissive attitude toward antisocial behavior because the alternative is to put them on the street.

Obviously, it all starts and ends with the family. As far as I'm concerned at this level the quality of the teacher doesn't come into play. That's an issue way down the line once the very basic social mechanisms are in place.

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

Do schools have bad reputations because they do a poor job or because they have lousy students? If a goyod student goes to school with a bad reputation because it has lousy students can that good student not get a proper education?

Just wondering.

[Chiguy1957]

Originally Posted by ajolotl

Beverly is actually one of the more progressive and stably racially integrated areas in Chicago. It has blue collar roots and maybe some very isolated remnants of 30-year-old racial attitudes, but the modern reality is a mix of everyone including doctors, traders, CEOs, judges, teachers, firemen, contractors, etc. both black and white (not a strong latino presence). I have three inter-racial couples on my block, all of who moved here exactly so they could blend in and not feel uncomfortable. The thing to remember is that Beverly was supposed to have "turned" (all black) in the 70s. Now it is considered somewhat of a model of urban integration. The future looks extremely good in my view. I think of it as undervalued.

There is no hidden reason not to buy a house in beverly. The advantages/disadvantages are clear. It depends on what is of the most value to you:

advantages: incredible historic homes on large lots at reasonable prices; hills, tree-lined streets; proximity to loop compared to almost all suburbs (except Oak Park, Berwyn, Cicero, etc); great metra access; extremely strong sense of community/neighborhood; racial integration/tolerance, a ton of character; good public k-8s and very good private schools (morgan park academy, st. barnabas, etc); not overrun by yuppies.

disadvantages: close to some rough areas; not nearly the number or quality of amenities vs. north side; far from loop compared to most city neighborhoods; bad public high school; not overrun by yuppies.

I agree with this post except for the "blue collar roots" comment.

Beverly's roots are distinctly upper crust. The older homes, particularly along Longwood Drive, rival anything on the North Shore. It resisted the white flight pressures of the 70s and has preserved itself quite nicely. The Rock Island will get communters downtown in about 30 minutes. Shopping can be hit/miss and you'll likely be going to the 'burbs, but overall Beverly will provide a very nice QOL, even though it sometimes seems like the ghetto is knocking at the door.

Unless you have the prevailing "South Side is bad" mentality, there is no reason not to buy in Beverly.

[kayjay2010]

"Virtually no ghetto white people in Chicago"? You've got to be kidding me. Go to Walmart and then tell me that.

Jeesh - what a racist statement.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by kayjay2010

"Virtually no ghetto white people in Chicago"? You've got to be kidding me. Go to Walmart and then tell me that.

Jeesh - what a racist statement.

LOL! I believe the correct term as I'm talking about on another thread is "White trash" of which I'm the biggest fan of, especially guys in dirty Nascar shirts, holey jeans, some sort of dirty sweaty ball cap, of course topped off with a side of Mullet! NOT!