Moving to Joliet (Naperville, Harvey, New Lenox: crime, new home, neighborhoods)

[Gunnygirl]

I would like some feedback on an area of Joliet, in which I have located some new construction and am considering buying.

The area in question is in the northeast part, on E Ada with surrounding streets E Woodruff, E Wisconsin, N Clark St, Gould Ave. The neighborhood seemed quiet and clean, some older homes mixed in with the new construction.

I realize all areas have various issues, but not being from that area, I wouldn't want to make a mistake buying in a part of town that is heavily crime-ridden.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thank you

[mogrl]

Hi, I read your post because I wondered the same thing. We are not from illinois but will be here for a while for work. I put a simallar posting on about Joliet and got no responses. We are planning on going to Joliet next weekend and just check things out. So good luck I hope you get some replies.

[xray328]

We live in Shorewood, one town west. When it comes to Joliet, stay as far west as you can afford. Totally avoid the east side (anything across the river). If you have to live actually "in" Joliet, stay west of Essington. Anything by the mall is also fine (Rt 30/I-55 Area). The Joliet schools have a bad reputation, especially the high schools. West high school is better than central though if you have to choose. Plainfield would be an ideal area to live in, although the area has experienced a major population boom and the schools are getting crowded even though they are building them like crazy. Home prices for Plainfield start in the $300K range. Thats where we'd be if we could afford it as it borders Naperville, recently ranked the #1 place to live in the country. We like the Shorewood/Minooka area because the prices of homes and taxes are still low and the Minooka schools are great! Not sure on what price range you are looking for, but theres alot of new developments off Ridge road in far west Joliet/Minooka/Shorewood area that are still decently priced (mid $200's). Shorewood is good, but stay west because the "Troy" (old shorewood) school children go to Joliet High Schools. Crest Hill could be another option if you are trying to stay under $200k as the schools are decent and they go to Lockport High School, which is excellent. However, the Crest Hill area can be a little questionable in regards to crime, its a little too close to the east side of Joliet in some areas. New Lenox is another good option because the new I-355 extension is coming through there and property values are sky rocketing. Frankfort, Manhattan, and Mokena are also good options, but expect to pay $300-400k, and taxes are outrageous.

Generally though, avoid living "in" Joliet.

If you guys need ANY help moving to this area, I'd be happy to help.

[taylor400]

I live in Morris and spend a lot of time in Joliet, mainly for shopping/dining. I would agree that it's better to stay west if you are staying in Joliet. My kids aren't old enough for school, so I can't really say too much about them. I know Minooka has grown like crazy over the past couple of years, with beautiful houses going up there. It takes us 20-30 minutes to get the the mall in Joliet, which isn't too bad. We like living in Morris as it's a little smaller and quieter, yet close enough to everything that Joliet and Shorewood has to offer. We are relocating to Dallas and will miss watching this area grow! As a side note, I don't know what price range you are looking at, I did see the above about housing prices. I would say Morris is similar, you can get decent houses anywhere from 200K up, depending on what you are looking for. Our house is listed at 235k and is pretty much in the middle of the pricing range around us. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have, if I can! Hope this helps.

[preppyboyofIL]

I'm sure you have your reasons, but when the rubber meets the road so to say, do you have to live in Joliet? Joliet is a city that is going in the same direction of Harvey, IL. It's like a big ship destined for a great location, but there just doesn't seem to be anyone worth a damn behind the wheel to steer it in the right direction.

My suggestion would be to consider the town of Lockport which borders Joliet. If you do look in Lockport look around Cedar Road or Gougar Road and Bruce Road. This area is pretty much all new, all white white collar workers and it puts you at a stone's throw from the 355 extension which will skyrocket property values in years to come, plus it also puts you in Lockport's excellent school districts.

Taxes are a little high in Lockport, but overall the community is excellent to live in and has BIG plans that are ALREADY in the works. In Lockport a super Wal Mart is already under way and expected to open by Christmas on Farrell Road and 159th Street, there are also plans now for a super Home Depot and Target Greatland at the 355 and 159th Street interchange.

At the very least take a look at this gem of a town as it is only minutes from Joliet, which by the way is pronounced Joe-Lee-Et not jolly-et because remember, the people in Joe-lee-et are not so jolly

Have fun!
Check it out Welcome to the official web site of the City of Lockport, Illinois

[mystic88]

The only thing I agree with about Joliet is that the schools leave alot to be desired. I have often said that if Joliet wasn't so busy supporting Plainfield, JCA, Providence, etal with their school systems from River Boat funds, Joliet schools would be much better. I disagree that West is any better than Central, they both could use soem work, however, the West campus has a larger white population whereas Central is primarily Hispanic.

Now, about living as far West as possible, that is the newer section of time so if you're looking for new homes, that's your best bet. However, I defy anyone to find more beautiful homes than those that can be found on Western Avenue in all of Will county.

I think people have a bad perception about crime in Joliet because compared to Lockport, Plainfield, New Lenox, Naperville, etc, it has a larger minority population. So if diversity is what you're trying to avoid, by all means, stay west or avoid Joliet totally. It always amuses me to hear people say, avoid somewhere because of crime. These are the same people you see on television saying "You hear about this kind of thing happening other places, but not here. This is a nice, quiet community." Crime can happen anywhere because it's usually perpetrated by someone you know, so you kind of take it with you. Even if it is Channahon (family mudered), Elwood (young girl murdered),Naperville, (woman killed her kids), Plainfield (wife and mother still missing), Lockport (last Nazi found in IL residing in Lockport), the list goes on. So Joliet has its share of B&Es, I'll take my chances on losing some wordly goods as opposed to my life where people think it could never happen here!

[Kalysa19]

Originally Posted by mystic88

Crime can happen anywhere because it's usually perpetrated by someone you know, so you kind of take it with you. Even if it is Channahon (family mudered), Elwood (young girl murdered),Naperville, (woman killed her kids), Plainfield (wife and mother still missing), Lockport (last Nazi found in IL residing in Lockport), the list goes on. So Joliet has its share of B&Es, I'll take my chances on losing some wordly goods as opposed to my life where people think it could never happen here!

Crime doesn't only happen by people you know. Joliet had 11 murders last year (which was slightly above the state average per capita). All other acts of violence/breaking and entering/vandalism in Joliet were at the state average. As far as living in Joliet though, let's face it, there are certain areas where I wouldn't feel safe. Living near Silver Cross Hospital, probably not the best area. Living near St. Joe's Hospital, I would feel a bit safer. I grew up in Joliet and now live elsewhere, but have friends still in the area. The crime in their neighborhoods has risen. Sure I'd take a B&E over a murder, but I still wouldn't feel safe! Oh sure, someone is breaking into my house...well, hell, at least they're not murdering me! I don't think so! If I had my choice I'd take the area where I thought "it'll never happen here." Because chances are if it does happen there, it's one person that did it. But if I'm in an area where stuff is constantly happening, it's many people doing it. I'll take my chances with the one person.

[joliet_grad]

Hi -- there are a LOT of really negative things about my high school being posted here, so I really feel the need to defend it!

I grew up in Shorewood, and I graduated from Troy and then Joliet West. Both have prepared me well for life. I was challenged in honors classes at both Troy and Joliet West, went to one of the top engineering schools in the country with over $100k in scholarships, graduated there with a 4.0, and am now pursuing my master's degree. Obviously, going to Joliet West didn't provide a bad education. I could name SEVERAL students (from both Troy and Joliet grade schools) I know from Joliet West have gone on to top schools, including U of IL, Harvard, Northwestern, Yale, Butler, Loyola, etc. Several are now also pursuing higher degrees.

That being said, these are all honors-track kids. If your kid is driven and bright, they will succeed greatly in Joliet schools in the honors programs. If you are a parent concerned enough about education to post here, and have been providing a good home environment in which children learn, I would venture to guess they'd do great in the Joliet school system. In fact, I feel that since I went through Joliet West, it gave me a better understanding of life and others that has helped and will continue to help me in "the real world."

Joliet schools have a bad rap, but honestly, if a student wants to succeed there, there is NOTHING stopping him or her from doing so.

[pandabear]

Avoid the town if you can afford it.

[petunia13]

I am new to this site, but I am a long-time Joliet resident. We moved away and then back to the area 5 years ago. There is a saying around here: No one ever really leaves Joliet. I've found this to be pretty true.
Our (white) kids went to Joliet Public Schools, including Forest Park (a magnet school where we voluntarily sent our kids), Hufford (where that magnet program continued), Joliet Central H.S., and JJC. Our kids did great in all of them, took gifted and honors classes, had dedicated teachers, friends in many cultures, and no problems with their safety or crime.(They all went on from there, graduated college, and have wonderful careers, for which they were well-prepared.) We lived in, and then near, the Cathedral Area, which I totally recommend. Houses hold their value, neighborhoods turn over from retirees to young families, nice neighborhood feel to that whole area. Crime can happen ANYWHERE. Anyone who doesn't know that has his/her head in the sand. When we moved back from another state, we settled in Plainfield--nice place, except the taxes are crazy-high, Rte 59 is crazy-busy with traffic, and we still consider returning to Joliet. It's a great place to live. Always consider listening to someone who actually LIVED THERE!!!!!!!!