Can someone name me safe RACIALLY MIXED neighborhoods in the Chicago metro area?

Question

I am taking a new job near East Cermak Road and I am moving my family out in 5 months; I will be there alone starting next week thru the end of May 2008. I am looking for a temporary place to stay then in May I am looking to move my family out and would like to know a good, diverse neighborhood with good public middle school or private schools....does any one have any suggestions as to where I should start looking while I am there setting up camp?

Answer 1

Oak Brook, Oak Park, Downers Grove, Orland Park, Elmhurst, they are all racially mixed, and there are safe areas, close to Cermak. Good luck!

Answer 2

You are getting a lot of mixed answers here and not a lot of them are accurate. (Bridgeport, for example, is NOT "racially mixed" and has a terrible history of racial discrimination and intolerance against African-Americans.) The reality is that Chicago is still very segregated racially. So there aren't a lot of "racially mixed" neighborhoods -- "safe" or otherwise. As has been previously mentioned, Hyde Park is a great neighborhood and maintains some semblance of racial diversity because of the University, but it is predominantly black, mostly middle/upper middle-class. Ray School is a great public school and the University of Chicago Lab School is the best private school in the neighborhood. I live in the Printer's Row/South Loop area and it is a GREAT neighborhood, but I can tell you first hand that it is not "racially mixed." It is predominantly white. The nice thing about it, though, is that there is a good cross section of people who work in the area, and there are several colleges and universities in the area so you see some diversity in the students. South Loop would be a good option for you b/c it is close to your job on Cermak Road and it is close enough to downtown and also other diverse neighborhoods with great parks and other attractions, like Hyde Park. Good luck.

Answer 3

What kind of commute are you looking for? Go south and you'll deal with the Dan Ryan and all the construction, go north and you'll deal with the Edens or Kennedy (also construction). I agree with another person about Oak Park and a few of the suburbs west. Elmhurst is nice, same with Berkley, Brookfield, LaGrange area. However, the root of the answer to your question ultimately lies in what you can afford to purchase and the commute you desire (don't forget winter) and or public transportation (which if your job is close to public transportation, then your search on cities can expand).

Answer 4

Stacy is right. Any talk of race,sex, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age when it comes to equal housing is against the law and any professional can lose their license by talking upon the subject. And unfortunately the answers that you receive on this site will be completely opinionated and what that person would like. Looking for a safe area to live in absoutely understandable. If you are truly interested in finding you somewhere to safely move to you can go to my website www.Thomas2sell.com and get my contact information and I will be more than happy to help you.

Answer 5

The North Side would be a good place for you to start for a VERY diverse mix of neighbors. Hopefully you have a very open mind. You'll get white, black, chinese, gay, straight, and a complete mix of cultures. The Wrigleyville area is a good place to look and as of now the rent haven't been priced out of this world. Welcome soon to Chicago.

Answer 6

There are several neighborhoods and suburbs that are mixed demographically. There is a huge range of housing options here though. You need to figure out how much house you can afford first, and then start narrowing it down to someplace to live.

Check out this website. You can see what homes have recently sold for in a particular area.

http://chicagotribune.public-record.com/realestate/

Answer 7

There really aren't that many racially mixed areas in the Chicago area in general. The supposed racially mixed areas tend to be areas in transition. Evanston is not racially integrated. All the blacks and hispanics live in one area and whites tend to live in another.

Answer 8

Depending on how far you are willing to commute, Hyde Park also fits the description of what you are looking at. Racially diverse, safe, not far from the "EL" and close to the lakeshore and its varied attractions.

(That's where POTUS candidate Barack Obama and family reside.)

Answer 9

Evanston

Answer 10

FYI, it’s illegal to discuss race in relation to housing. It violates the Civil Rights act of 1964. If you say something like that to a real estate agent, anyone who wants to keep their license will refuse to work with you.