Population dropoff (Chicago, Harvey, Paris: low income, apartments, rent)

[EugeneBKLYN]

It seems as though the population of Chicago has dropped off by 50,000 according to Census estimates from 2000-2005.

Why is that?

The crime is going down gradually year-by-year

The local economy is nothing short of booming

The professional sports teams look promising..

Whats the reason behind this population decline?

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by EugeneBKLYN

It seems as though the population of Chicago has dropped off by 50,000 according to Census estimates from 2000-2005.

Why is that?

The crime is going down gradually year-by-year

The local economy is nothing short of booming

The professional sports teams look promising..

Whats the reason behind this population decline?

Its major buckos ($$$) to live in the city. They can move to the ever-expanding suburbs and get 3 Xs the house for less price. Theyd rather deal with the horrible commute than live in the city proper it seems. However, downtown seems to be growing, as the skyline is constantly dotted with cranes putting up new residences. I wouldnt be surprised if the majority of the folks who moved were at the poverty level and couldnt afford the city anymore.

[andrew61]

I'd venture a guess that part of it might be due to smaller household sizes. Gentrification tends to bring in yuppies, DINKs ("Dual Income, No Kids") and empty-nesters who traded in the huge suburban house they no longer need for a smaller condo right where the action is. Larger families tend to be pushed out, as they can get more house for their money in the suburbs and, in any case, want better schools for their kids -- they don't like Chicago Public Schools but can't afford private schools. And as the cost of city housing continues to skyrocket, many new immigrant arrivals are bypassing the city altogether these days and heading straight for the suburbs.

[bigjersey]

Yes BUT The downtown population is booming. When you consider the population growth in Chicago you need to distinguish between the urban core/lakefront hoods and the western hoods. Furthermore, many of the cities lower income residents have been displaced to the suburbs, which may account for some loss. There's been a demographic shift for sure, but it still feels like the city's population is booming downtown. Also, private schools are scarce and expensive, and public schools are inconsistent. Beautiful suburbs lure many of the young families away. Finally, and prehaps most importantly, Chicago has many transient residents living in the city for two to four years. I don't know how these people are counted in a census, but they make up a huge part of the 18-27 crowd in the city and may not establish permanent residency here.

[EugeneBKLYN]

Low income residents moving to the suburbs?

...What?

What kind of suburbs line around Chicago? Are they like smaller cities?
Because New York's suburbs are just houses lined up for blocks on end, which are more expensive than buying a home in the city proper because of taxes, I think. BUT more bang for the buck.

Over here the low-income residents have no choice but to live in the city. They can't afford to live in the suburbs. lol...

I don't see why Chicago isn't affordable for most anybody. I checked out a few apartment listings which have some nice furnished studio apartments for around 450/m. Are the rents climbing that fast?

[domergurl]

A lot of the low income residents who were displaced because of their housing being torn down, are now in NW Indiana (Gary, East Chicago, Hammond). The crime rates, which were bad anyway, are now skyrocketing and the Chicago police are actually helping out the local police departments in trying to fight off what will be a very violent summer.

[j33]

The lower income residents of chicago are moving a lot to the south suburbs and nw indiana, where it is cheaper to buy a house or rent a house than it is in the city. If you look at housing prices in places like Cal. City, Harvey, etc. You'd see that. That being said, these are not necessarily nice places to live ... and to address Eugene - yes, there are studios for 450 a month in certain parts of town, but if you've got a family, and you can get housing with more than one room right on the train line for not much more money (a lot of the southern burbs are on the Metra Electric line that runs through the south side ... I'm very familiar with this train line, I rode it throughout my teenage years), in a neighborhood that is just as marginal, why live in the studio? Growing up I knew many families that left the city looking for cheaper housing and better neighborhoods. Unfortunately, a lot of the problems that plagued their rough south-side neighborhoods followed them.

[bigjersey]

I don't see why Chicago isn't affordable for most anybody. I checked out a few apartment listings which have some nice furnished studio apartments for around 450/m. Are the rents climbing that fast?[/quote]

Yes and No. A mother and five children can't live in a studio, but it certainly more affordable than New York for singles and small families. Chicago is developing more like Paris or London than New York, with a wealthy urban core, poorer inner suburbs, followed by more affluent satellite suburbs/cities. The subsidized housing in Chicago was developed in the 1950's and 60's during the great migration of blacks from the south. They developed on huge city blocks in the heart of the city (Sort of like Alphabet City). But unlike Alphabet City, they never made the switch to middle class. These projects created huge ghettos of urban poverty directly next to some of the finest neighborhoods in town. They were a utopian vision gone wrong. They became so dilapidated and crime ridden that over the last eight years or so Chicago has knocked them all down. Instead the Chicago Housing Authority is following the modern trend of setting aside a certain percentage of new developments for low income residents. Still, I hear rumors of an exodus of the city's urban poor to some inner suburbs/cities (from the suburban residents). I've heard on NPR that the transition out of the blighted ghetto has enabled some former CHA residents to break the cycle of poverty. Maybe when poverty is less "dense", crime goes down, violence goes down, and families are no longer bogged down by a ghetto mindset. BUT maybe it just stays the same: "out of sight, out of mind". Only time will tell. BTW, ever been to parts White Plains, NY or parts of Newark, NJ. Those suburbs/satellite cities are poor and cheap too.

[Steve-o]

$450 a month will net you a crap studio in a not-so-desirable area. The ones I checked out, close as I could get to downtown, were about a grand for a studio. One bedrooms in downtown usually averaged about 1,100-1,500 a month, sometimes alot more, depending on the building. Heck, I saw a one bedroom condo on Michigan Ave selling for 550K! Unbelievable!!!! IN the burbs, 550K will net you a 4-5 BR with 4-5 BA and a 3 car garage!

[j33]

Steve-O that is what I was talking about, the relocation of low income residents in chicago, yes, there are 450 a month studios and yes, there are houses that can still be bought for under 100k, there is a whole economy and existence here that is not often acknowledged or even known about by those who have enough time, technical prowess, and income to write on message boards.