Searching for a conservative suburb (Chicago, Wheaton: section 8, crime, neighborhoods)

[adele115]

Originally Posted by NearWestSider

If you can afford it, Hinsdale is the most Republican place I know of, and when you see the cars and homes it stands to reason. But be forewarned: we're talking the big money variety of Republican. If, for example, you are a NASCAR Republican, people are going to think you are a chump.

If Hinsdale is over your head, you also might want to look into Lemont. It used to be extremely redneck, but has been overrun by Lithuanians in recent years (Lithuanians HATE Commies), so it might be a place to consider if you are looking for something more affordable.

Not that the OP is seeking out Republicans (though Ican understand the correlation), but you'd be surprised at how generally tolerant Hinsdale is. It certainly has fiscal conservatism, but one can insinuate from the original poster's request that she/he is seeking to be secluded from "liberals". Hinsdale has a very active Unitarian Church that is progressive and socially liberal. There are many (very wealthy) professionals in Hinsdale who are fiscally conservative but socially open - more along the libertarian strand of live and let live. So, I disagree about Hinsdale. Actually, the corridoor that includes LaGrange, Western Springs, and Hinsdale/Oak Brook, while very wealthy and certainly has it's share of conversative types, is quite inclusive of moderates and liberals - people don't really care as long as you keep your property looking good and contribute to the community. Again, however one can interpret the meaning of "conservative" (social? Religious? Fiscal? Political?), I think that the farther out burbs in dupage co might fit the bill. Though the "city feel" will be tough to find in such a shelter.

[NearWestSider]

Originally Posted by adele115

Not that the OP is seeking out Republicans (though Ican understand the correlation), but you'd be surprised at how generally tolerant Hinsdale is. It certainly has fiscal conservatism, but one can insinuate from the original poster's request that she/he is seeking to be secluded from "liberals". Hinsdale has a very active Unitarian Church that is progressive and socially liberal. There are many (very wealthy) professionals in Hinsdale who are fiscally conservative but socially open - more along the libertarian strand of live and let live. So, I disagree about Hinsdale. Actually, the corridoor that includes LaGrange, Western Springs, and Hinsdale/Oak Brook, while very wealthy and certainly has it's share of conversative types, is quite inclusive of moderates and liberals - people don't really care as long as you keep your property looking good and contribute to the community. Again, however one can interpret the meaning of "conservative" (social? Religious? Fiscal? Political?), I think that the farther out burbs in dupage co might fit the bill. Though the "city feel" will be tough to find in such a shelter.

Hinsdale is the home turf of Kirk Dillard, for Christ's sake! PUH-LEASE.

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by adele115

Not that the OP is seeking out Republicans (though Ican understand the correlation), but you'd be surprised at how generally tolerant Hinsdale is. It certainly has fiscal conservatism, but one can insinuate from the original poster's request that she/he is seeking to be secluded from "liberals". Hinsdale has a very active Unitarian Church that is progressive and socially liberal. There are many (very wealthy) professionals in Hinsdale who are fiscally conservative but socially open - more along the libertarian strand of live and let live. So, I disagree about Hinsdale. Actually, the corridoor that includes LaGrange, Western Springs, and Hinsdale/Oak Brook, while very wealthy and certainly has it's share of conversative types, is quite inclusive of moderates and liberals - people don't really care as long as you keep your property looking good and contribute to the community. Again, however one can interpret the meaning of "conservative" (social? Religious? Fiscal? Political?), I think that the farther out burbs in dupage co might fit the bill. Though the "city feel" will be tough to find in such a shelter.

20 years ago you could call DuPage County and much of Lake County wholesale conservative, but that's just not true today. They still are very Republican at the county/town level, but they have become very split at the state and federal levels (as shown by how a number of congressional races in the north and west suburbs are considered to be the most competitive in the country for this election). Also, I think it's an extremely valid point by those who have questioned what one means by "conservative". The suburbs are generally fiscally conservative (as mentioned by someone earlier, if you're a NASCAR Republican, you'll look like a "chump" even in areas that vote heavily Republican around the Chicago area) and are moderate on social issues. That's not to say that there isn't a noticeable segment of the suburban population that is socially conservative, but I think it's fair to say that portion is the minority (at least in terms of the hot button issues such as abortion and gay rights). As you get further out to the exurbs, you find more social conservatives and populists. I found this post that I put up over a year ago and I still find it to be mostly true for the Chicago area other that DuPage and the Northwest Cook County suburbs have probably reached the point where there are more Libertarians than Conservatives:

"I believe that political stripes really ought to be divided into 4 major groups to get a more accurate reading: Conservative (fiscally and socially conservative), Liberal (fiscally and socially liberal), Libertarian (fiscally conservative and socially liberal), and Populist (fiscally liberal and socially conservative). This is to reflect that there are large differences within the two major parties, which is particularly true in the Chicago area. For instance, even though the city of Chicago is almost completely Democratic territory, much of the South Side is largely made up of Populist blue collar union workers that are concerned with workers' rights but could care less about abortion rights while the North Side has white collar professionals that seem to be either on the Liberal or Libertarian side.

Here's my very general view of the political climate in the Chicago area - there are certainly exceptions within each area (personal disclosure - I consider myself to be a libertarian Republican, live in Naperville, grew up in the south suburbs, and have lived previously in the north suburbs, the north side of the city, and the south side of the city):

(1) North Side of the City, North Shore Suburbs, and West Cook County Suburbs: Liberals are the solid majority with a sizable number of Libertarians. Very few Conservatives and Populists.

(2) South Side of the City, West Side of the City, and South Cook County Suburbs: Mostly Populists and a sizable number of Liberals. Very few Conservatives and Libertarians.

(3) DuPage County and Northwest Cook County Suburbs: Conservatives are the slight majority with Libertarians close behind them. The changes in the political climate here are similar to what has been happening in Orange County, California, where the trend is that the area is becoming more liberal on social issues, meaning that it's not nearly the solid Conservative base that it used to be. Very few Liberals and Populists.

(4) Lake County: Mostly Conservatives and Libertarians with a decent number of Liberals. As with DuPage County, the trend of the county is going more to the left on social issues. Very few Populists.

(5) Southwest Cook County Suburbs, Will County, Kane County, and McHenry County: Majority Conservative with a sizable number of Populists. Very few Libertarians and Liberals. These fast-growing exurbs are becoming more of a reliable base for the Republican Party in Illinois than the suburbs located closer to the city.

Once again, these are just very general overviews. I know that there are certain exceptions to these generalizations, but these are just my overall impressions."

[linicx]

Ya gotta love Chicago politics. There isn't anything else in the world like it. :-)

I miss Royko.

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by linicx

Ya gotta love Chicago politics. There isn't anything else in the world like it. :-)

I miss Royko.

Ahh Mike, no one else has filled his shoes.

[j33]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

(resistance to the Cook County Stroger regime isn't conservative, it's just intelligent).

Truer words have never been spoken, and I'm an unapologetic liberal (who did not vote for him or his ilk).

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid
(resistance to the Cook County Stroger regime isn't conservative, it's just intelligent).


yep kid, you got that right.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by vandre

A suburb that comes to my mind is Riverside. It is conservative (Judy Baar Topinka's hometown)...

You know Judy Baar used to be a Democrat right?

[rxnasi]

I think Dupage is the most conservative count in the state but i think we all vote for the best candidate unlike Chicago(stroger) other than the candidate that is are political party

[Alter123]

Having lived in both conservative and liberal areas, I'd say it's a lot more stimulating to be in the latter than in the former. But to each his own.