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Old 08-21-2009, 07:56 AM
 
Location: Lake Arlington Heights, IL
5,479 posts, read 12,259,148 times
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What I mean is, if you can afford it, choose Wilmette or Glenview over Skokie. If you can handle the extra commuting time, look at Park Ridge, Mt. Prospect, Arlington Heights over Skokie. These towns offer somewhat better to much better schools.
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Old 08-21-2009, 07:58 PM
 
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I must agree with cubssoxfan. Those are the places I would suggest over Skokie. We wish we had chosen Park Ridge over Skokie and are trying to make this our last year here.
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Old 09-21-2009, 10:31 PM
 
Location: Chicago
721 posts, read 1,793,417 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett View Post
I tend to agree that the areas nearest the most high density rentals (which are still pretty low density...) are the least desirable.

The other thing that ought to be a concern for anyone considering Skokie, even if they do not yet have high school age children, is that the performance of the high schools is no longer as impressive as it once was. I have some theories on why that is, but the data from both the reliable US News reports as well as the less rigorous Newsweeks ranks is indisputable:

America's Top Public High Schools 2008 | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com

Best High Schools Search - US News and World Report
The schools are fine. I actually loved District 219. The school days there are amazing, the education is great. I love remembering walking down those crowded hallways, bumping into people, talking to everyone. It was great. The ACT scores are above average, and nearly all of their graduates attend college afterward, mainly UIC. The only thing I could see going wrong is the increase in Section 8, but I'm sure they'll drop that pretty soon.
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Old 09-22-2009, 06:21 PM
 
Location: Barrington
63,919 posts, read 46,717,658 times
Reputation: 20674
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dncr View Post

The only thing I could see going wrong is the increase in Section 8, but I'm sure they'll drop that pretty soon.
Section 8 housing is increasing in all suburbs with any semblance of affordable housing.

Who is "they" and what makes you think it will be dropped?

Municipalites have no control over a federal program that is negotiated between landlord and tennat.
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Old 09-22-2009, 11:08 PM
 
Location: Brooklyn
2,314 posts, read 4,796,759 times
Reputation: 1946
Quote:
Originally Posted by wawben View Post
I must agree with cubssoxfan. Those are the places I would suggest over Skokie. We wish we had chosen Park Ridge over Skokie and are trying to make this our last year here.
I have lived in Skokie for much of my life, as my parents moved there from Chicago.

I would say it's definitely going down the drain. DO NOT LIVE HERE. Not in terms of crime so much (though crime is starting to increase around the Devonshire Park neighborhood where they live. Gangs and car burglaries have happened around my block which wouldn't have happened 10 years ago), but in terms of everything else.

The roads are neglected and crumbly (Dempster the "dumpster" was just repaved this summer after over 15 years of neglect), the downtown is nonexistant and there are no restaurants here or anything of interest. Sure, there's Old Orchard Mall (give me a break), where you can find a Nordstroms or a Macy's, or a Jimmy John's or two. There's even a "Culture Fest" where they try to claim Skokie as diverse (when in reality it's extremely segregated. Niles North High School is a perfect example).

Skokie has high property taxes, outrageous rental prices for apartments, and a corrupt Mayor who's trying to turn residential streets into commercial areas by selling foreclosed houses to industries! The city is also trying to charge people extra money for parking on the streets in front of your own house... I had to pay $60 to park in front of my house for the summer in a non permit zone! The traffic here sucks to, as everyone drives. Sure, there's the Skokie Swift (which stops running at 12 am) but other than that there's no access to Chicago other than the 94 or taking Clark to Lake Shore Drive. And don't get me started about how everything in Skokie's to far. Chicago's to far, the North Shore suburbs are too far (which are fantastic and offer much more anmeties than Skokie if you can afford it), and even Evanston's to far. Skokie's like a cult where people stay and don't leave.

The school's suck. Niles North (where I went for three years) has a supposedly good fine arts program, but nothing else that is notable. There is a lot of violence increasing at that school and I wouldn't want my kids to go there.

All in all, there are hundreds of suburbs in Chicagoland better than Skokie, ones that are cheaper too. Skokie has all the negatives of Chicago multiplied by ten without any of the positives. Seriously, avoid!!
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Old 09-22-2009, 11:10 PM
 
Location: Brooklyn
2,314 posts, read 4,796,759 times
Reputation: 1946
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dncr View Post
The schools are fine. I actually loved District 219. The school days there are amazing, the education is great. I love remembering walking down those crowded hallways, bumping into people, talking to everyone. It was great. The ACT scores are above average, and nearly all of their graduates attend college afterward, mainly UIC. The only thing I could see going wrong is the increase in Section 8, but I'm sure they'll drop that pretty soon.


District 219 sucks so much the teachers even hate it. I hate Skokie.
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Old 09-25-2009, 01:40 PM
 
Location: Glencoe, IL
313 posts, read 596,431 times
Reputation: 69
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett View Post
I tend to agree that the areas nearest the most high density rentals (which are still pretty low density...) are the least desirable.

The other thing that ought to be a concern for anyone considering Skokie, even if they do not yet have high school age children, is that the performance of the high schools is no longer as impressive as it once was. I have some theories on why that is, but the data from both the reliable US News reports as well as the less rigorous Newsweeks ranks is indisputable:

America's Top Public High Schools 2008 | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com

Best High Schools Search - US News and World Report
That's hilarious, US News says that New Trier is 2.8% minority (in reality it's more like 10%). Why does it say 2.8%? Only blacks and Hispanics count. Niles West, barely half white, would show up as 12% minority.

The other interesting thing about those rankings is that they give a huge amount of points for taking AP courses but much less credit for passing the test. Schools that "strongly encourage" all students to take AP classes will do very well and better than schools that had only students capable of AP work.
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Old 10-29-2009, 03:18 PM
 
7 posts, read 22,112 times
Reputation: 10
Check out Morton Grove instead. It's much better than Skokie.
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Old 11-19-2009, 07:01 PM
 
Location: Chicago
721 posts, read 1,793,417 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nafster View Post
There's even a "Culture Fest" where they try to claim Skokie as diverse (when in reality it's extremely segregated. Niles North High School is a perfect example).
This is kind of true. I have friends across the board of all races, but the foreign people tend to stick to their own. Everyone else, for the most part, mingles with everyone.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nafster View Post
District 219 sucks so much the teachers even hate it. I hate Skokie.
Whoa, I can't believe I just rediscovered this thread. I think Skokie is fine...the Southern and Northern parts of it are really nice, it just falls apart the further east you go. Maybe its just Niles North...I never had problems at West.



Great School


Downtown
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Old 11-19-2009, 10:05 PM
 
346 posts, read 709,036 times
Reputation: 274
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dncr View Post
This is kind of true. I have friends across the board of all races, but the foreign people tend to stick to their own. Everyone else, for the most part, mingles with everyone.

Whoa, I can't believe I just rediscovered this thread. I think Skokie is fine...the Southern and Northern parts of it are really nice, it just falls apart the further east you go. Maybe its just Niles North...I never had problems at West.

Great School

Downtown
Yeah, Niles West was a great school and very diverse. Although people from the same races/ethnicity tended to stick together outside of school, there was no real segregation. People talked with each other regardless of race. Popularity, on the other hand..

I am a former Niles West student. Did you go there yourself? Class of '04 here.
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