The many, many good things about an old, walkable neighborhood like W. Maple Ave., Libertyville

Here's a list of things that are good about an old, walkable neighborhood, like the neighborhood around W. Maple Ave. in Libertyville:

• They're green.  You don't have to drive everywhere because you are close to:
  • Downtown retail 
  • Train
  • Schools (high school, middle school)
  • Library
  • Churches 
• Houses and lifestyles associated with these houses may be more affordable:
  • They're often less expensive than more standard-sized houses because they are smaller. What they lack in size can often be made up for in charm.  Achieving that can be hard work, and can cost money, but is ultimately worth it.  In the end, you have a one-of-a-kind house.
  • Especially if you work in Downtown Chicago, in the centralized business district of the Loop or near-Loop, you quite literally might not need to have a second car, with its initial cost and ongoing costs of insurance, repairs, gas, and the additional cost of a two-car garage.  It's true, some people in our neighborhood have done without a second car - comfortably. 
• Character of houses and buildings and the people that inhabit them is infinitely interesting:
  • In an old neighborhood, there is so much housing and building variety.  It's a good place to wake up in the morning, to come home to at night, and to be around on the weekend and holiday times. The boredom factor doesn't set in as much. People tend to stay once they've bought their home in an older neighborhood.
  • As a result of people tending to stay in the neighborhod, you tend to get to know your neighbors better than in a more standard suburban development.  The added interest of neighborhood characters can make an old neighborhood a more interesting and desireable place to live. 

  • There are often cool historical stories associated with the houses and buildings in an old neighborhood.  That's because it's had the time, the occasions to essentially "collect" these stories.  (See the post in this blog: "Dymond House - 130 W. Maple - One of many historic homes/buildings in the neighborhood" for examples.) This history becomes part of what you think about when you are in the neighborhood, making the neighborhood generally more interesting, and, as a consequence, a place you want to stay.

  • As a result of the neighborhood being walkable, your likelihood of having the chance to have a conversation with one of your neighbors or fellow citizens increases. That can add to neighborhod character by adding to the pool of stories you associate with the neighborhood. 

  • If you walk, you become "part of the scene" that adds to the interest of an old, walkable neighborhood. People are intrinsically interested in other people.

• The overall mixed land use character of an old neighborhood, cumulatively, is more interesting, because more varied, and more interesting because more intense (more round-the-clock). On W. Maple Ave., the interesting mixed uses include residential, pre-school, church.

• Old neighborhoods add to the overall character of a town like Libertyville, especially in the case of the W. Maple neighborhood, since it is so close to the downtown. You want to live in a cool town, don't you?

• The neighborhood supports downtown Libertyville. Because of the convenience - including the multiple retail goods and services that are available, and the appeal of the experience - including getting out and walking and the unique charm of the stores, a typical neighborhood family is fairly likely to purchase at least some of its goods and services in downtown Libertyville, even if the cost is somewhat more than at a nearby commercial strip or mega-mall that can sell for less because of traffic volume.

• They're more convenient:

• • Friends tend to come to your place because you've got the interesting house and neighborhood. Your house becomes the gathering place - instead of needing to gather some place else. 
  • You can easily walk to: 
    • Entertainment: Theater, lots of restaurants, coffee shops, summer Fridays in Cook Park, parades, Libertyville Days 
    • Retail services: Dry cleaner/tailor, ATM machine at the bank, drug store, jeweler, cobbler, orthodontist, shoe store, bike shop, dance studio, gourmet retail food
    • Churches (Catholic, and (3) of the (4) mainline Protestant denominations are in or very close to downtown.)
  • Your kids can get a lot of places without you chauffering them everywhere:
    • To the theater to hang out with their friends, or to the dance studio to take classes, or to an eatery with their friends
    • Downtown to generally hang out with their friends in an intrinsically interesting part of their town
    • Schools
    • Library
    • Church
• They're good for you physically, in this hyper-sedentary age, because they encouage you to walk to obtain services and save money by not running your car in so doing. Being outdoors can give your spirits a lift too.
• They're a good place to raise kids:
  • There tend to be more kids in the neighborhood because the neighborhood is more compact because the lots are small. As any experienced parent knows, more kids increases the likelihood that you as a parent don't have to generate_all_the excitement in your kids' lives - kids love to be with kids. This helps you, as a parent, to "keep all of the balls in the air."
  • Stability of a neighborhood and having established relationships with your neighbors helps to provide a safer neighborhood for kids to grow up in.  Kids can be freer to experience more of the joy of being and playing outdoors, seeing all of the interesting things there are to see in your non-cookie-cutter neighborhood, and of independence. You want this for your child, as long as it is safe. Again, this makes the job of parenting easier - you don't have to be with your children_all_of the time.
  • Friends of your kids like hanging out in an interesting, non-cookie cutter, old neighborhood close to town. Often, they'll come to your old house and neighborhood a lot instead of your kids having to go to their's.  They also use your home as a rendez-vous point for further kid escapades, to the many easy points of destination your house affords, as a result of being located where it is - in the heart of the action.  Your kids get to be more social, because they live in a focal point area. And, again, it's just easier on you as a parent, as a result, making the tough job of parenting a little more doable.

Comments

[E. Sweeney]

My family owned 129 N. Stewart, which backs to the church property, from 1963-1994 and many of us could attest to the charm, convenience and kid-friendly nature of this neighborhood. At one time, we had over 50 resident kids on one block! It was a fantastic place to grow up.