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Old 10-05-2007, 07:40 AM
 
13,337 posts, read 39,794,788 times
Reputation: 10769

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Quote:
Originally Posted by feelnpurdy View Post
Yeah crime here is bad...We are ranked #2 for Homicides in Illinois...per capita...28 homicides just this year!....And the reason I am working two jobs (and not on welfare), is because the job market here is just this...if you are not working for CATAPILLAR, you are not working...We have every kind of place to go eat here, so as far as working in a fast food place there are plenty of jobs like that...Most places to go have fun(bowling, movies and thats it) close at 10...The City bus stops running at 11 and only runs till 10 on Sat and only then every hour..We had a skating rink the kids could go to but they closed it down because of a shooting...The town is being over ran with gang bangers that come to the Work Release center. In the "bad" neiborhoods there is and overflow of crack cocain and in the "good" neiborhoods meth is a problem. Yes i know that anywhere you go there is going to be crime, but for me and my family can't go to the only Mall we have without dodging bullets, than it's time to go!
My gosh, that sounds horrible! If it's as bad as you described, I can see why you want to move your family.

You might want to check out Knoxville. I'm not sure you can find a 5 bedroom house in your price range, but if your kids are willing to share bedrooms, you could probably pull it off. There are certainly plenty of jobs here for people willing to work. And it sounds like you're a good worker. While nowhere is free of crime, Knoxville isn't nearly as bad as you described.

Best of luck to you!
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Old 10-05-2007, 07:54 AM
 
13 posts, read 39,183 times
Reputation: 14
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robbied View Post
You dont need to move to prevent them from getting into trouble. You need to spend time with them, know where they are, be their parent and not their friend, and get them involved in activities.

There is plenty of crime and drugs everywhere you go. I grew up in Chicago and didnt get into trouble ,neither did any of my three sisters or my nieces and nephews for that matter.

Where is your family? It takes a village to raise a child, friends, neighbors, and family to assist you especially since you are working two jobs. If you alienate the kids from all they know, there is a good chance they will rebell.

Look for resources where you are.

My two cents... ( I AM a mother of four)

I was also raised in Chicago, in Cabrini Green..no longer there now because of the crime. My mother was a single Mother, and I graduated from high school with all A's. My Mother moved me to Peoria because at the time this place was perfect to raise kids. That was 30 years ago. And who said that my children are in trouble?? I have a 19 year old that is in the Army, my 16 year old daughter is a a&b student and is a mentor for her school, and she works.. my 14 year old son is also a a&b student is on the football team, and in Jr. Army Team....And yes I do agree that it takes a Village to raise a child, but that is not happening...You can not make a parent be a parent, I can not control how other people raise their kids...And where is it said that because a woman has 2 jobs that her kids must be off somewhere killing someone? It's the kids that (parents are not working, on walfare, on crack, and sitting around waiting on their next ssi check and have all the time in the world to spend time with their kids) are the ones always in trouble. You said also neighbors...well these same "neighbors" and the community has to be united and come together to solve problems..Example, after the last Homicide the town called a meeting on how to stop the violence..guess how many "neighbors" showed up?? 22!!! 22!! My self included, and I don't live inthe area where the killing took place..You can not really speak on what goes on here unless you have live here..You spoke on resources.. We have 1 Boys and Girls club that the kids can go to and it closes at 6pm before it gets dark because it is in a bad area. They have renamed Peoria as LIL' CHICAGO, not because of Chicago's diverse culture, banging night life, nice shops, lovely homes and great place all around, they have renamed this because as small as this town is it has the crime rate as if it was Chicago...So forgive me if I don't stick around and wait to see if that "village" will help me raise my kids!
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Old 10-05-2007, 08:06 AM
 
Location: The Conterminous United States
22,584 posts, read 54,128,589 times
Reputation: 13614
Quote:
Originally Posted by feelnpurdy View Post
I was also raised in Chicago, in Cabrini Green..no longer there now because of the crime. My mother was a single Mother, and I graduated from high school with all A's. My Mother moved me to Peoria because at the time this place was perfect to raise kids. That was 30 years ago. And who said that my children are in trouble?? I have a 19 year old that is in the Army, my 16 year old daughter is a a&b student and is a mentor for her school, and she works.. my 14 year old son is also a a&b student is on the football team, and in Jr. Army Team....And yes I do agree that it takes a Village to raise a child, but that is not happening...You can not make a parent be a parent, I can not control how other people raise their kids...And where is it said that because a woman has 2 jobs that her kids must be off somewhere killing someone? It's the kids that (parents are not working, on walfare, on crack, and sitting around waiting on their next ssi check and have all the time in the world to spend time with their kids) are the ones always in trouble. You said also neighbors...well these same "neighbors" and the community has to be united and come together to solve problems..Example, after the last Homicide the town called a meeting on how to stop thw violence..guess how many "neighbors" showed up?? 22!!! 22!! My self included, and I don't live inthe area where the killing took place..You can not really speak on what goes on here unless you leave here..
Great points. It sound like you are an awesome mom!

My husband lived in Chicago the first 12 years of his life. Cabrini Green? My husband told me about that place. Yikes! Yet, it sounds like you turned out fine.

There is no way that you will find any kind of five bedroom rental for $700 in a safe area. But, I reread your post. You can get phone, internet and cable for about $115, with tax. Electric and water cost me about $145, on average, some month are much less, a couple of months are a bit more.

That's going to give you some extra money, right there.

Looks like it is doable.

About the best pay you're going to get for customer service is $10 an hour. If you are a great server, as you know, you can make good money. Restaurants are hopping around here.

That looks doable, too.

Knoxville is nothing like Chicago. Sounds like it is nothing like Peoria, either. I think Knoxville is a great place to raise children. We moved here from Florida for exactly that reason. We have a seven-year-old girl.

If you have any questions, just ask!
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Old 10-05-2007, 08:43 AM
 
13 posts, read 39,183 times
Reputation: 14
Wink Single Mother

Quote:
Originally Posted by bls5555 View Post
Being from Illinois and thinking of moving to TN, I must say Peoria has a high crime rate? I never knew that.

The times I have been up there it has seemed like such a nice city.

Also, what do you mean nothing to do? Peoria is going to have just as much to do as Knoxville or Chattanooga or other cities those size in TN.

Also, if you look at personal crime incidents and property crime incidents it appears Peoria has less than the avg. best places to live. I will state they are below Knoxville's also.

Maybe it isn't just Peoria, but (not to be rude, though it will come off as such) the fact that you are a single mother working 2 jobs?

I think there is a misconseption that because I have 2 jobs that I am laking in raising them, First, I only work 40 hours a week between the 2. No more than what most work. And secondly, I did not say MY kids are getting into trouble, in fact my 19year old son is in the Army and has been since 17, my 16 year old girl is an A&B student, on the Honor roll, writes for the high school paper and is taking early classes for Bradly University. My 14 year old is also an A&B student, on the football team and is a mentor for his school...and I have been blessed to say my children have not giving me on day of problems in my life. But by society standards, because I am African American, single mother with these four kids I should be off somewhere smoking crack, on walfare, my boys should be gang bangers somewhere, my daughter should already be working on her 2nd child and we should all be living "in da hood" on Section 8, right? I am not the norm, here.. sadly,75% of our African American community,friends, family and neighbors fit this stereo type. This is my "village". And before you say just move out of the area into a better neighborhood, I am in what Peoria calls a "better" neighborhood. But instead of crack cocaine in the African American community(the so called "bad" part), Meth is taking over the "good" neighborhoods. I truely believe that it does take a village to raise a child but when I was being raised,( in the worst part of Chicago, Cabrini Green) if you did something you was not supose to do, and was caught by another Mother, before you even made it home, you had your tail hit by darn there every other mother on the block and then when you made it home, got it from your Mother. Now a days if you even LOOK at another child the wrong way if he did something wrong, the police will be called and you will have abuse charges brought up on you! I want my children to know more than just home as entertainment..Because that is what we do is stay home, play games and movies, have friends over, ect.. In the summer we drive 3 hours to Chicago to go to the fairs, great America, and the zoo..We don't have any of that here. We have a bowling alley that close at 10, movies too. The zoo here is struggling to stay open and the county fair has went down from being open when it's here, from 2 weeks to 4 days because of attendance. The job market is that if you don't work for CAT you don't work, and they start off with just 8 dollars an hour. So please forgive me if I don't stick around and wait to see if this "village" will raise my kids....
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Old 10-05-2007, 09:09 AM
 
Location: Beautiful Lakes & Mountains of East TN
3,454 posts, read 7,393,652 times
Reputation: 882
Ah, your last post offers a ton more insight. Thanks and best of luck to you!
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Old 10-22-2007, 06:30 PM
 
3 posts, read 6,628 times
Reputation: 10
Wow! I live in West Peoria and I had no idea Peoria was that bad!( West Peoria and Peoria are seperated by a 4 lane road) In Peoria we do have a zoo it is very small, but a zoo none the less. We have many colleges right at our fingertips and there is always something going on by the river front either an art fair, the indie fest, october fest, or the Taste of Peoria. Every year there is the rock island trails story teller fest that brings storytellers in from around the country to tell stories at the local libraries. We have been able to see rodin sculputures and grandma moses paintings at the local musuem, there are many public pools most outdoor but some are indoor. There is always a program of one sort ar another and almost all of the activities under $10 per person if not free. We also have been given the promise that all children who attend the local public school from k-12 will recieve 2 years at a community college free starting with the kids that started kindergarten this year.
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