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Originally Posted by Bonsai Tree
Also, I think I know more about suburban sentiment than most people here
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I grew up in a suburb and have seen some friends move back after starting families, certainly many things you say are true. However, the city is mostly treading water on population while the suburbs are seeing actual population declines. The family already living in the suburbs would rather leave the state (for Arizona, Atlanta or Texas or other states where the suburbs are thriving like they were here in the 90s) than move into the city.
What I am talking about are the scores of younger couples (26-40 years old) who currently live in the city and are deciding between raising families in the city or the suburbs. These people care about commute times, day care and opportunity costs. It is these couples who take a neighborhood like Wicker Park from up-and-coming to stroller-central (with great public schools) in 5-10 years. This is happening even quicker in Logan Square, where I live.
I think you may have a misunderstanding of the demographic shifts happening in the city right now. It is getting more white, Hispanic and Asian. Meanwhile, waves of black residents are leaving which causes the overall population to stay mostly level.