Which suburbs are really "own little world" (Chicago: hotel, homes)

[purplesky]

Completely agree with Golf-it might as well be another country! I drive down Golf Rd to Skokie on my way to work, and I'm always tempted to turn left on one of the streets that runs throught Golf, but I heard (or it's an urban legend), that if you don't live in Golf the police will stop you.

I also never seem to meet anyone that lives in Golf, even though I work at Skokie Hospital, which is the nearest hospital to Golf.

[Tex?Il?]

I thought I would resurrect this interesting thread.

According to a great book by Ann Durkin Keating, "Chicagoland: City and suburbs in the railroad age"

In 1850, a couple years before the very first railroad would come through Chicago, there were a total of 16 other incorporate platted towns in the region. While Chicago was certainly the largest of them, it was believed at the time, that the regions would end up having multiple trade centers.

Just about all of these other 16 were on rivers. These towns incoporated as towns before the railroads were:

Elgin, Aurora, St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, Dundee, and Oswego, on the Fox.

Lemont (called Athens at the time), Lockport, and Joliet, on the lower Des Plaines

Naperville and Plainfield on the DuPage river.

Blue Island on the portage between the Des Plaines and the Calumet

Thornton, which became one of the largest quarriers of stone even back in the 1840s. It is totally surrounded by quarry on one side, forest preserve on the other.

Waukegan, a port town,

and Woodstock. (its the only town in the six county area that has a true historic square, like you find in the south or New England).

I would agree that all of these suburban towns truly feel like they could be completely independent of Chicago. Obviously Aurora, Elgin, Joliet, and Waukegan are like separate small midwest industrial cities, that happend to be close to Chicago, many of those others, are true historic river towns, in a valley, (with sprawl around them). Although really only Naperville, and a lesser extent the ones on the Fox) have truly lived up to their potential.

(Not to say the don't benefit form being by the city, they certainly do) but the point of the book by Keating, is that the region, really evolved to be a region of multiple centers.

I've read it a couple times. its great because it really takes a very different look at the region. Whereas most books on Chicago view the area as one truly unique, almost mythical city surrounded by anonymous suburbs, her book looks at how city neighborhoods (which were mostly independent over 100 years ago) and suburbs as a network of towns woven together.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

...that happend to be close to Chicago, many of those others, are true historic river towns, in a valley, (with sprawl around them). Although really only Naperville, and a lesser extent the ones on the Fox) have truly lived up to their potential...

Speaking of sprawl...Naperville defines sprawl. What a waste of space-literally.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by edsg25

Park Forest: our best example of the post-WWII, welcome back the troops, baby boom, organization man, planned community that, along with others of ilk (Levittowns) created a model for the rise of suburbia.

Awesome. Park Forest got shouts out from someone who isn't even a southsider.

That said, Park Forest isn't its own little world.. Maybe from a historical perspective, you could ague it is but not in the past ten, twenty or thirty years.

Growing up in Park Forest, I found myself attending public schools in nearby towns. Recently, I bagged groceries at Orchard Fresh Market from day one till the day the business went under. I'm talking about the grocery store that opened up in Park Forest. After years of having no grocery store, I worked at the only one in town. It went out of business. Residents don't buy groceries locally. They go to other towns. Park Forest is the epitome of a bedroom community with a damn-near empty downtown and no one even cares because they live right next to many shopping options on Lincoln Highway..

Own little world? Not at all. Park Forest would be a better town if a was a little bit more of a SELF-SUSTAINING world. But that ain't gonna happen.

[chitown85]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Speaking of sprawl...Naperville defines sprawl. What a waste of space-literally.

I've seen plenty of places far more sprawled than Naperville. Naperville is obviously not well planned as a city, but there are shopping centers by nearly every residential neighborhood. Schools are close by to neighborhoods. Naperville is a regional center of employment.

[Chicagoland60426]

South Holland- Formerly Dutch but now is predomitely African-American. Stable middle class with a 90% homeownership. Its a true Christian conservative town. There are no liquor stores and just about every business are close on Sundays including gas stations. So make sure you're tank is not near E on Sundays passing by.

Ford Heights- One of America's forgotten towns. Named the poorest suburb in the country with half of its population lives in poverty and over 60% of children are in poverty. There are no polices patrolling this town because its so poor.

Robbins- Another unfortunate one. Its quite country looking despite it being a near SW suburb. Some of its blocks remind me of the rural south. Robbins always been a predominantly black village, so it never experienced white flight. There is one house there that is worth a million dollars(or at least it was).

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by chitown85

I've seen plenty of places far more sprawled than Naperville. Naperville is obviously not well planned as a city, but there are shopping centers by nearly every residential neighborhood. Schools are close by to neighborhoods. Naperville is a regional center of employment.

Naperville=totally dependent on the car.

It ain't easy (many times it is not even possible) to bike or walk from subdivision to subdivision.

That equals sprawl at it's worst.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Chicagoland60426

...Robbins- Another unfortunate one. Its quite country looking despite it being a near SW suburb. Some of its blocks remind me of the rural south. Robbins always been a predominantly black village, so it never experienced white flight...

Not entirely true. While it has been a overwhelmingly black town in most of its history the area did not start out black. But blacks were involved within a decade or two.

[Chicagoland60426]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Not entirely true. While it has been a overwhelmingly black town in most of its history the area did not start out black. But blacks were involved within a decade or two.

According to Chicago encyclopedia, Robbins is named after two white real estate agents, Henry and Eugene Robbins. Robbins was farmland until 1910 when the first subdivisions were marketed towards African Americans.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Chicagoland60426

According to Chicago encyclopedia, Robbins is named after two white real estate agents, Henry and Eugene Robbins. Robbins was farmland until 1910 when the first subdivisions were marketed towards African Americans.

Partially true.

There were residents and subdivisions far before 1910 and they were white at first. (20-30 years before 1910.)

Dig deeper.

==============================

I do not deny the importance of Robbins to the black community however. I learned some things about the town I did not know until you mentioned the town and I went looking for information.