Hometown IL (Chicago, Aurora, Oak Lawn: apartment, rentals, houses)

[subject2change]

A friend of mine recently bought a "paired home". They see to have gotten popular lately. Up until a few years ago, the only duplexes I knew of that weren't rentals were in Hometown. I always wondered how Hometown came to be. I don't believe there are any single family homes in the whole town, and I don't know of any other communities like this anywhere. Most of the homes seem to have been built in the 50's and 60's so I'm assuming they were meant for vets buying on the GI bill, but usually those communities were small single-family ranch homes. Anybody know where the idea for Hometown came from, or if there are any other towns like it? I'm just curious.

[rfr69]

I've never been to hometown though I know its somewhere in cook county.

Anyone know if the Hometown neighborhood in Aurora took its name from Hometown?

When you describe it as being all attached homes kinda sounds like how hometown in aurora is laid out.

[pvande55]

Hometown is a very small city, only half a square mile. "Blink and you miss it" pretty much describes it. Metra's South West service runs through it but does not stop there. The last time I saw it in the news was about its ban on garage sales. I don't know if it is still in effect.

[Rewind4]

Accd. to the city's website, it was created to be affordable housing for vets.

City of Hometown, IL

I have a buddy who is a firefighter for Hometown. It's quiet and pleasant.

[outlaw79]

It's all duplexs and seem a bit run down version of oak lawn I say I been there plenty don't like it..

[summer22]

You can drive 87th street and see it from the main street... its like the prior poster said, its probably less than one square mile. All the homes were built to the same template... 100% duplexes. Lots of mustard-yellow aluminum siding and such from the times. All frame construction.

I don't know what their codes/covenants are. It was ten years ago since I've been through that area. But at the time (1995-2000) the duplexes were basically symmetrical (if you had yellow siding, the other side of the duplex was identical) and this seemed to hold true even for the updated/renovated ones.

I think it would be hard having to share so much "personal space" with one other family. What if you bought the house, moved there, and then found out you didn't get along? I would think there would be a lot of disagreements, resentments, and conflicts.

Maybe one gets good at solving interpersonal conflicts if they live there, I don't know.

That suburb just doesn't appeal to me.

There's nothing wrong with the general area though. You're a stone's throw from Oak Lawn and some good parts of Chicago and Burbank.

[outlaw79]

I agree with everything the poster said. The town has lots of drinking and people drive fast on the side streets. It reminds me of a trailer park really no a put down but when you own half a house you own half.. Yard and if you paint the ext you must check with the person on the otherside.. Everything is half and you share everything with somebody the schools are ok.. I would say to loo some where else to say it nice to be real it's a dump.. Sorry to be like that it's really not nice.. Great location though share a house?? Up to you

[myrc60]

Taught hubby to drive through Hometown. It's a lazy suburb for the most part and yes they are all duplexes but the rumor when we lived there was that there was one sfh in town.

[lrn]

Yes, Hometown was built in the 1950's as affordable housing for returning veterans. The town is 1 square mile. The homes are all duplex residence - wood frame construction with a solid cinder block wall separating your home from the attached home. Taxes are very reasonable and the houses are ideal as a starter home for young people. The houses are also great for senior citizens - there are no stairs for them to climb. There are also 62 apartment buildings in town known as the Co-Ops...$250 a month rent for a 2 bedroom apartment! (there is a 5 Year waiting list to get into them). Living in a Hometown house is very affordable - gas,electric,Chicago water and taxes are low. There are 6 single family residence. Police, Fire and Public Works are all part-time but provide full-time service. Many residents are improving their property - additions,2 car garages,windows,siding,new kitchens and baths. Transportation and shopping is convenient. Improvements are being made but it's not a bad place to live!

[linicx]

I've never been in Hometown, but I have been in properties in Chicagoland and elsewhere. Chicago housing stock is not much different than any other old town in the Midwest. But there is a difference between single family home (sfh) and a duplex. The duplex concept is not terribly different than a unit in a "row" house in Brooklyn, or public housing. There was a great deal of this type of unit built in Illinois after WWII because it was less costly to build than a "stick" built sfh, but it was slightly more costly than the Pre-fab house. Not all duplexes built in Illinois look like a 1 bath Ranch house. Some units are two story with 1.5 ba. The duplex can be sold/leased each side individually, or sold as 1 unit. How it sells, I think, depends upon how the legal was originally written on a specific unit.