African American family moving to Deerfield (Chicago, Evanston: house, transfer, school districts)

[Omega]

We are an African American family relocating to work in Deerfield. We have 2 elementary age kids. We are seeking an area close to Deerfield that has great schools and racial diversity. Any suggestions?

[reppin_the_847]

I'm living in unincorporated Libertyville right now with the folks (saving some money before I eventually move out). Just to give you a breakdown on the demographics of the Deerfield area, if you are going to work there your best bet would be to either live in Lake County or northern Cook County. The further north in Lake County you go, the more house and land you will get for your money. The quality of school districts and demographics will vary widely depending on which particular suburb you end up choosing. I will tell you right off the bat there are not a whole lot of African-Americans that reside in Deerfield. It is a heavily Jewish community (large Jewish population), with a very sizable Asian population as well (ie. Koreans, Chinese, etc.). Deerfield itself is situated very close to I-94 / 294 which makes it easy to commute from a wide variety of suburbs. The school districts surrounding the area are pretty superb (can't go wrong with Deerfield HS, Highland Park HS, Lake Forest HS, Libertyville HS, Stevenson HS, Glenbrook North, Glenbrook South, New Trier, etc.). However, some of these schools lack racial diversity, and do not have a very significant African-American presence for whatever reason. You will find large African-American populations at other mixed schools such as Warren HS in Gurnee, IL (you might want to consider Gurnee if you're going to live in in the far north), but Warren HS is not ranked as high as the high schools I mentioned earlier. If you are willing to give up some land and go to a pricier area closer to Chicago you might even want to consider Evanston (served by Evanston HS). Evanston has a very sizable African-American community, and is also quite diverse (you will also find many Whites, Jews, Asians, Latino's in addition to the large African-American population). I think their high school gets mixed reviews. Unfortunately the community itself CAN be somewhat segregated because the west side of Evanston is primarily comprised of low-income African-Americans and Latino's, while the northeastern & eastern sections are primarily white & Jewish and quite wealthy (these homes are very close to Lake Michigan). Downtown Evanston is very urban, and is almost like a mini downtown Chicago minus the nightlife. The town is also home to Northwestern University, which definitely adds some Ivy-esque flavor to the area. Your commute would end up being a "reverse" commute which is also kind of rough these days in Chicagoland, but the community would be far more urban, mixed, closer to the city, etc. You will most likely get a smaller house and less land for the same amount of money in Evanston, however.

P.S. Michael Jordan's family actually lives in unincorporated Deerfield (with a Highland Park address), and they send their sons to Loyola Academy in Wilmette, IL (closer to Chicago, near New Trier HS and Evanston). A lot of the Chicago Bears & Chicago Bulls players (who happen to be African-American) happen to live in the area as well since they practice nearby (Bulls practice in Deerfield, Bears practice in Lake Forest, etc.).

Originally Posted by Omega

We are an African American family relocating to work in Deerfield. We have 2 elementary age kids. We are seeking an area close to Deerfield that has great schools and racial diversity. Any suggestions?

[jettsetter]

I am a Black College Student that grew up in Wilmette. The guy who posted above is correct-there is not that much diversity outside of Evanston in the North Shore. My parents are still one of the only Black families in East Wilmette. I did not attend New Trier, I attended The Latin School of Chicago so I can't tell you specifics except that it is ranked the highest of all school districts in the state. There actually is a number of Blacks in Glencoe and Highland Park. Not large enough to be a visible population but there are some. You may want to also try neighborhing Northbrook or possibly even Lincolnshire. Like what was posted above all the school districts are superb so in terms of education you will not have a problem. Are you familiar with the organization called Jack and Jill of America? If not, it was an organization that I actually grew up in. The organization was founded in 1938 that brought together Black families in predominantly White areas. Kids start around the age of three or four and are in it until they graduate from high school. There are chapters all over the U.S.- one in the north suburbs called the North Shore Chapter of Jack and Jill. I grew up in this organization with Black kids from towns like Lake Forest, Bannockburn, and Highland Park just to name a few eventhough I went to elementary school in Wilmette and finally to the Latin School. We did many activities together such as horseback riding, golfing, skiing, took many trips, and participated in national conferences where all the Jack and Jill Chapters in the U.S. came together to participate in different forums, dances, and conventions. It is a great networking tool. The down side is that it is a very elite organization that is invite only, usually to families that make up the "Black Upper Class". The reason why I am telling you this is because if you are not from a pedigreed, well connected, or old money Black family there are still ways of getting your children in you just have to network and know the right people. Membership criteria has loosened so other Black families can participate, you just have to be able to pay the yearly dues. So when you move to Deerfield try to get to know the Blacks in the area and enquire about the organization. If you need more information you should visit the Jack and Jill of America national website. It made my experiece growing up in the predominantly White North Shore a little more pleasant. In terms of looking for a home Michael Jordan's wife Juanita Jordan is a realtor in Northbrook, contact her and she could give you a bit more info that you might need. Hope this helped!!

[Omega]

Thanks for the information. Our kids are in Jack and Jill in our current town. We would transfer our membership. My wife is also a member of the Link's Inc. and an AKA. I am an Omega. We would transfer our memberships to the local chapters. Thanks for pointing out the other communities. Jack and Jill is a wonderful organization, and we have enjoyed being members.

[Adoptme]

New to this forum. Not sure how to post anything, but I need help with my 13 year old biracial grandson. He needs some African American friends. He lives in Deerfield, IL where it is basically all white. I have no idea how to get him into Jack and Jill organization. Any help you can give me would be appreciated.

[BOBNCHI]

https://www.jackandjillinc.org/mid-western-region/