Democrats in La Grange, Oak Park, Riverside? (Chicago, Madison: hotel, university)

[Paxtonian]

Well, if you REALLY want to promote diversity I suggest moving to my Mother's old neighborhood- Englewood. Sixty-third and Honore Streets could stand a bit of diversity and I do believe you're ideal for the task. Remember- think globally and ACT locally!

[bzmatka]

We looked at a few houses in Western Springs a few years back, but found we could hear the highway from all of them. It seemed noisy to us, so we looked elsewhere. Are there areas that are quieter, where you can't hear the highway? If so, we'll take another look. Thanks.

[bicycleguy]

The tollway noise is audible (at some places, in my opinion, overwhelming) from some parts of Western Springs; b/c of that, I would not choose some places near the tollway. Though there are some very nice looking houses there. Some people apparently don't mind too much.

I assume that traffic noise is going to go down by necessity in the next decade, b/c of oil prices and the climate emergency. Not only will less vehicles be on the road, but noise = wasted energy. So more efficient vehicles mean less traffic noise.

Much of Western Springs is *very* quiet, even during rush hour. But there are a few roads--we're near some of them--that have a good bit of traffic during the day. But I don't think of WS as having any more traffic noise than La Grange. In fact, I would guess it has less.

I'm not sure if WS is more or less progressive than La Grange. I'm guessing La Grange is relatively more progressive/less conservative. Coming from an academically oriented lefty neighborhood, though, I find it odd how infrequently most people talk politics of any sort here and in La Grange. If I didn't work in a place where I got a lot of academic and political conversation, I would probably find WS and La Grange a bit bland for my taste. Given my work, I actually appreciate coming home to the quiet streets and relaxed atmosphere of my neighborhood.

[bzmatka]

Thanks for the info, bicycleguy. We are focusing on La Grange, but will take another look at Western Springs. BTW, how do you find the schools in WS? Diversity aside, are the schools interested in encouraging creative thinkers, or more interested (as ours are) in "teaching to the test"? Are there good private schools in that area?

[bzmatka]

bicycleguy, did you look at La Grange Park? I looked on the web, and the houses were less expensive than in La Grange, but I don't know anything about the schools.

[bicycleguy]

We have yet to begin the school year here, so we're relying on our visits to (and interviews at) the schools. We found many public schools in WS and La Grange that we deemed more than acceptable. (You know that WS and La Grange both feed to LTHS.) We were impressed with a number of them. I would recommend visits to the schools to get your own impression of what counts as teaching to the test and what counts as creativity. Our own take: while the instructional philosophies weren't all that creative, the kids really seemed to be learning--and enjoying it--and we observed little obsession about testing. We did observe some wonderful Socratic-style dialog happening in some classrooms, even in the lower elementary levels.

We looked briefly in La Grange Park, but everything we saw was too far from the train. The lovely Salt Creek Bike path runs through parts of La Grange Park. We didn't visit the schools in La Grange Park, but have met a number of people who went through the schools and they are pleased.

We haven't looked at private schools. Our thought: if we were going to send the kids to private schools, we'd buy in a less expensive neighborhood. I.e. one of the big draws of WS/La Grange is the school district.

[oakparkV]

Originally Posted by bzmatka

We are looking for a suburb with older (pre 1940) homes, good schools and lefty Democrats.

Oak Park interests us, but it seems very divided rich vs poor areas, and it seems unsafe in parts.

River Forest has nice houses, but is it too conservative for us and not diverse racially?

Safety and schools are our first priorities, followed by political mix. (We lived in Barrington years ago, but were unhappy there because we were the only liberals in town. We loved the country feel of Barrington, but people thought we were freaks because we had no TV and voted for Democrats.)

Any comments on the political and social makeup of La Grange, Riverside, Oak Park and River Forest most appreciated. Thanks.

I really can't speak for Riverside and LaGrange, but (as my screenname says) I live in Oak Park and LOVE it!

It's not an unsafe community by any stretch. There are parts of it that border the westside, near Austin, that should be avoided, but there's plenty of other areas that are gorgeous, and perfect for liberal-minded families!

The ethnic makeup is very diverse. My downstairs neighbors are a 30-something, bi-racial couple who met while the wife was doing Peace Corp work in western Africa (where the husband is from). They are now looking to buy a condo in Oak Park because they want to raise their son there.

The public schools are very good. Many of my friends are graduates of OPRF, and a few of them now teach for the district. I've heard nothing but good things.

There are lots of things to do, and the village sponsors tons of community events. If you're looking for a more modest house, the Harrison Arts District on the southeast side has lots of nice fixer-upper bungalows that would be perfect for small families.

I'm a raging leftist myself, and feel right at home. You regularly see "Obama 2008" signs in yards, anti-war protests in the parks, GLBT couples with adopted kids, environment-centered community projects, etc. It's awesome.

As for River Forest, my boyfriend's family lives there, and it's pretty much the exact opposite - ethnically and politically - from Oak Park. My boyf and his parents are left-of-center progressives, and equate River Forest to Hell. His grandparents (who own the house they all share) are quite at home, what with their Fox News-worshipping, country club-going, old-wealth mentality. It's a pretty community, yes, but I'd avoid it personally.

Don't be afraid of Oak Park, though. The good far outweighs the bad, and you'll feel right at home!!!

[mickey laurie]

Originally posted by bzmatka:

"We're active in politics, but not monomaniacal. We would like to live where people think about politics, and where our views are accepted. When we lived in Barrington, we were afraid to put a political sign on our front yard! Hostility to Democrats was frightening there!

Does anyone know anything about LaGrange? It's close to the city, and we like the houses.

Re: Oak Park, we have not ruled it out, but we're fearful of the crime spilling in from nearby neighborhoods. And yes, we've been told we'd fit in there fine, politically. And the houses are beautiful too.

Johnm68: When you say Riverside is conservative, do you mean everyone supports McCain and Bush? Or do you mean that people live conventional lives? Our lives are pretty conventional, and I'd bet we share a lot with Christian conservatives in terms of the way we raise our children, although our politics are diametrically opposed.[/quote]

Reply from mickey laurie:

My wife and I lived in Oak Park for 10 years but are born and raised in Chicago and some of the other suburbs before so we were there most of our lives. What I can tell you is that you would be very comfortable in Oak Park as it votes 70% Democratic there. We were heavily involved in local and national Democratic politics there and it was a relief for us to be in a place where we felt comfortable talking about politics. You might want to check out the Wednesday Journal Online newspaper to get a feel for the town. Oak Parkers are involved in politics at all levels and all the neighbors know each other. The Village even has block parties for every block every year; it's great. As far as the crime issue goes, we never had any problems and as long as you stay west of Ridgeland avenue everything is fine although all the friends we knew in that area never had any problems either and they had lived there for some 30 - 40 years. We made a lot of friends in Oak Park, and the place is incredibly focused on education and kids. The high school Oak Park and River Forest High School has beaten out New Trier High School a few times in the last few years as the top school in the Chicago area.

There are lots of cool old houses in Oak Park; we lived in one a two-story stucco that is on the market. We moved to LA because of my work.

La Grange and Riverside tend to be more conservative from our experience having spent much time in both places and known many good people from both towns over the years although being in Illinois they vote Democratic.

Oak Park also has a great sense of history, Frank Lloyd Wright built his studio and many of his house s there; and Ernest Hemingway was born and raised there too. The new public library is huge and is a great facility. It's a unique town; and probably the most liberal in the state of Illinois so you won't feel like a freak.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by mickey laurie

and Ernest Hemingway was born and raised there too.

Except he hated Oak Park..lol

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by via chicago

Except he hated Oak Park..lol

True, but the Oak Park of his time (WASP, Republican, wealthy elite) is not the Oak Park of today.