When we were talking about white flight it reminded me of my family and my old house in Chicago. Until I was 7 years old we lived on 61st and Kedzie in Chicago, which at that time was a predominantly white neighborhood. We rode our bikes... or our power wheels (HaHa - I'm sure most of you remember those!) EVERYWHERE , we had friends in almost every house on our block, I walked to school with my best friend, we knew all the familes who lived on our block and even had 4th of July parties, birthday parties, and cookouts with them. We honestly had a lot of fun, and even today my parents tell us stories about the good times they had there with everyone. The reason we moved out was because there was a stabbing on the corner of our block, graffiti was constantly written on our garage door, and the BIGGEST reason was because the private schools were closing and the ones that stayed open had a lot of crime. My parents were worried about us playing in the yard, infact they stopped letting us ride our bikes down the street. My White friends started moving away, and new families who were African American and Latino were moving in. A few years later we found out that 3 Latino families were living in our old house. When my sister and I drove by our old house just a year ago, there was only ONE White lady who was still living on that block.
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After reading your blogg and really considering what it was saying i began thinking about a neighborhood not too far mine, on the south side of chicago as well. It's mostly a white community and has had plenty of activity involving KKK over the years. I have had a few friends within this neighborhood over the years (none of which were affiliated with the KKK) and on several occasions they have told me about minority families who have tried to move in and have been forced out. I realize it's not the same situation because white families are scared of what could be sometimes before anything really happens, where as these minority families that move in are being forced out by actual discrimination brought on by their fellow community members. I guess all and all it's just a really sticky situation no matter how you look at it. But then you have places like Hyde Park and Beverly that have diversity and living without fear of one another. That's the only real way to live i think, not in a place where it's all people of the same background and ethnicity fearful of the unknown.
I wanted to add a few things about my original blogg. During the time we were leaving Chicago, I didn't know what "White Flight" was. I really had no idea why my parents decided to move out of the Chicago neighborhood. My family wasn't invloved in the KKK or anything of that sort. I honestly think they wanted a better education for me. My experience as a first-grader in a private school in Chicago was NOT a good one. In that way, I think moving to the suburbs was good for me... for my education... and for my sibling's education as well.
I'm not sure what would have happened if we stayed. I may have turned out to be a different person. I guess I'll never really know... Although I was sad that my family and I were leaving at the time, I'm happy now that we moved when we did. I ended up getting a good education, I made new friends and have kept some of those same friends, I've grown to love the area I live in... it's peaceful and quiet, but there's still places to go and things to see. I think the city could have been a great place to grow up, but the suburbs was good too.
I have lived in the same home for the last 17 years. I moved from a suburb of Chicago when I was 4 to a place where taxes were not as high. My mom looked at a number of homes and the reason she chose the one I grew up in was because I would be able to walk to any of the schools I would be attending. I grew up in a nice neighborhood where my mom had little or no fear of me being safe when I walked down the block to my friend’s house. This has changed over the years. We have talked about how neighborhoods change due to who is living in them. Some people are lucky not to have to watch their neighborhood go from being a safe place to somewhere that you fear. This does not just happen to be something that is going on just where I live but across the whole town. Neighborhood shifts do happen due to race, but I believe that is also due to the type of people who live in a particular neighborhood. There are a number of the same people living where I grew up. However there have been changes and one of the main changes is the level of violence that has escalated. Neighborhoods change it is just the way it goes. A neighborhood may start out wealthy and than decline, but hopefully something will happen to cause a positive shift to happen.
I will admit that my family moved from our Town house in my northwestern suburb was more than just because the house was too small. The neighborhood that we were living in was declining and fast. However, it wasn't entirely because of the "White Flight" but there was still a reason. Basically, not the 'greatest' of people were moving in. More of the "white trailer trash" but also because of a sudden increase in minorities moving in. When I found out who was moving in to our house I was actually surprised. An older African American woman was moving in, but that was not what surprised me, she had told us that she wanted the house for her and her under house arrest son. It just seemed to be the icing on the cake for my parents and they were ready to leave. Granted we just moved a few streets away. But it's still interesting how neighborhoods can change and sometimes its not all based on races.
While I would not characterize what I have seen happen in my Grandma’s neighborhood as “white flight”, I have definitely seen a decline in the area that I honestly believe correlates with a rise in minority population. My Grandma has lived in Whiting, Indiana for her entire life. I’m sure most of you are unfamiliar- but Whiting is a little city by the lake. When my Grandma was a little girl, most of Whiting was predominantly Czechoslovakian and Polish families. Since Whiting was on the lake, it was a great home to Amaco and Standard Inland Steel Co. A lot of the town worked in the mills, and were able to provide for their relatives coming across seas due to the great pay (well great at the time) they received working in the mill jobs, which not a lot of people wanted to do. Most families have lived in Whiting for years; Grandparents grew up there, had children who grew up there, and those children had children who grew up there. Since many generations were born in this town, almost everyone knows each other. It is a very friendly town; my Grandma and I can’t go any where without seeing at least someone who we know, and that friendliness makes it a great place to be.
However, in recent years, Whiting has begun to change. About 10 years ago, many of the eldest members of the Czechoslovakian and Polish families began to pass away; most of whom passed at the same time. This left a lot of houses on the market, causing the prices of those houses to drop significantly below their value because there were just so many on the market. Since prices were so low, a lot of people began moving in; mostly minorities. Now, a once peaceful, small city on the lake has levels of crime that have risen astronomically. No longer do the senior citizens leave their doors unlocked at night; nor leave the house after dark. These fears are not unfounded; or solely because their community is no longer completely Slovak, Polish, or “white”. It is because the rate of crime has started to rise; is occurring to these older people; and the people being charged with the crimes are their new minority neighbors. Of course, I recognize that there was crime in Whiting before the neighborhood “changed”, and of course, it was by the Slovaks and Polish people who grew up in the community. But now, it is different. Whiting is no longer the safe, little city on the lake, and that saddens me. It’s a shame to see a neighborhood change, and people go from friendly on the street, to only leaving their house when needed.
So even though the white community isn’t moving away because the minorities are moving in, I’m sure that if the community wasn’t so old, they would. I understand that white flight is caused by people’s insecurities and worries, however, in this case, if I was a citizen of Whiting I feel that I would move (if I had the resources that is). I think that it is obvious that the city is changing, and I really believe that it is becoming unsafe. So from my experience, I can understand why white flight exists. However, I don’t think it’s only isolated for white people. I feel that if any member of any race lived in a great neighborhood that was becoming to change into an unsafe environment, they would move, if they were able to financially. Of course we all want what’s best for ourselves and our families, and if that means moving from a place that is changing, regardless of the reasons, that is a logical step.
I have never lived anywhere long enough to fully experience a flight to or from an area. My grandmother has lived in the same house for almost 50 years...her neighbors too. My mom and I lived there for a few years while I grew up. The street she lives on is the same but the demographics have changed in the neighborhood as a whole. It's amazing to watch the shift of who the neighborhood was attracting. It is still a predominately Caterpillar and Teacher neighborhood for the most part. Its a transition neighborhood of young/ newly married families. It used to be kids galore, but you never see kids today. There are definitely more minority families living there which is great to see. They are as much a part of the neighborhood association as anyone else. There was a rise in home sales when the influx started but the older and established residents didn't budge. My grandmother says it is because the house prices hadn't plummeted and so if they can afford to live here they are obviously hard working and will be a great addition to the neighborhood and maybe help bring it back to life.
After talking to my mom about it she said the housing prices went up in our neighborhood in Lake County. My mom rented because she had to move a lot for the State of IL and it was to difficult to sell a home with 3 weeks notice. The neighborhood in Lake County newsletter shifted its focus and neighbors were wary of the moving van and just who was moving in next door. My mom didn't take me with her when she looked at houses just in case...b/c it had happened before and people made assumptions.
People move for various reasons. To improve the school opportunities for their kids, be closer to work or family. If you want to know about the family that just moved in....do it like they did in the early 20th century...go over knock on the door and introduce yourselves.
Ah, yes. White flight. This year has really challenged me to think about the issue of white flight, and its implications. I too- did not know what white flight was until I came to college. Well, at least not the definition.
I am from Elgin IL, which I am told is known for its diversity. I have lived in the same house since forever. Growing up you could say I saw the white flight happen on my street. It started when one family (my best friend at the time) moved "away" aka five blocks down into a neighborhood that had a name "valley creek". Soon many of my neighbors had moved into new houses not far from where they lived previously. I remember being confused as to why people were moving so close. What was the purpose? I had friends that went to different elementary schools but we all filtered into the same high school.
One childhood friend told me "not to worry, they were trying to not sell their house to Mexicans". To me, this is dangerous because it shows that race did in fact play a role, and that it was being passed down to the children.
I have become proud of my parents for not "fleeing". I love my house, our new neighbors, and the lessons I have learned living there.
I do realize that when people move it is not necessarily white flight, that is not my point. Mainly my point is that some people do submit to that fear, and I don't see how it has helped any.
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